Americus

Bibliographic Information: Reed, M.K. (2011). Americus. New York: First Second. ISBN: 978-1-59643-768-5

Plot Summary: When the latest installment of the widely popular fantasy book series, The Chronicles of Apathea Ravenchilde, is released, Neil and Danny can’t wait to get their hands on it at their small town Americus library. Danny gets it first, but when his conservative mother catches him reading it, she tears it up in front of the librarian and demands that such filth be removed from the library. Danny defends himself and decides to announce that he is gay, to which his enraged mother sends him to military school.

            Now faced with entering high school alone, Neil escapes through reading the Ravenchilde book, and gets a job as a library page. Though he’s a quiet boy who keeps to himself, he is the only one that the youth librarian, Charlotte, believes can help her defend the book series from the angry mob of conservative parents. Snippets from the story of Apathea are interwoven into Neil’s struggles with high school and censorship, and symbolize what he’s going through. As he makes connections with Apathea’s own struggles, Neil is able to help reveal the value of the book to young readers like him, and ultimately fights the good fight towards intellectual freedom.

Critical Evaluation: Overall, this story reaffirms the values of many avid readers, teachers, and librarians: everyone has the right to read what they want, and no one has the right to deny that a book be unavailable to somebody else. Unfortunately, to center a story on this kind of conflict, the author had to rely on one-dimensional stereotypes of conservative Christians, and even to some extent, the more liberal characters as well. The dichotomy of views is exaggerated, diminishing the depth of characters. However, I can’t say the author was completely focused on demonizing her antagonist: there are small and subtle clues to Danny’s mother’s frustrations. In one scene, she looks longingly at a family portrait and sighs. You can tell that her real anger is probably a product of her son being gay, which she has harnessed and used to fight something she might gain control over: a book a series. Not all of the right-wing characters are deemed as evil either; Danny’s father emits the strong silent type of resentment towards his wife, and Danny’s younger sister shows signs of open-mindedness.  

            One can’t help but admire the relationship Neil has with his own divorced mother, who is very smart, loving and accepting of anything Neil wants to read. The relationship between the librarian and Neil is great, too, showing that adults and teens can fight together for a greater good.

            The illustrations are very expressive and charged with passion in some scenes, and the cuts to the Ravenchilde book are fluid and effective in tying together the two narratives. While I feel adults may enjoy this book a bit more than teens, there is still an underlying coming-of-age story here, and Neil is a dynamic and interesting character to follow. I especially related to Neil’s discovery of punk rock music—an aspect many teens will love.

Reader’s Annotation: Neil, an avid reader, helps fight the conservatives in his small town who want to ban his favorite book series from the local library.

Author Information: Gale’s Contemporary Authors Online states, “M.K. Reed is a freelance writer, editor, and cartoonist, whose first graphic novel is Americus, illustrated by Jonathan Hill. "The book," explained Tim O'Shea on the Comic Book Resources Web site, "is about 'Neil Barton, a teenager growing up in Oklahoma, and his fight to keep his favorite fantasy series, The Chronicles of Apathea Ravenchilde, in his public library.'"

Critics praised Reed's accomplishment in Americus. "Not only does Reed have a knack for the teenage vernacular and an easygoing sense of humor, but more importantly, she gives an empowering message about freedom of speech, the importance of escapism and imagination," wrote Gavin Lees on the Graphic Eye Web site. "She practically grips them by the collar and says the words we could all have done with hearing at that age: You are not alone." "The heart of this tale is that stories have the power to illuminate lives," declared Barbara M. Moon in School Library Journal. "Reciprocally, stories are enriched by the reader's experiences."

Genre: Graphic Novel, Fiction

Subjects: censorship, libraries, reading, high school

Curriculum Ties: Bill of Rights, Intellectual freedom, censorship

Booktalking Ideas: Ask teens what their favorite books are. Tell them that the old book you are holding in your hands is their favorite book. Tear the book up in front of them. Open a discussion about censorship and describe how Americus, can help them explore this issue in a comical and upbeat way.

Reading Level/Interest Age: 12+

Challenge Issues/Defense: Due to strong negative stereotypes of Christians and conservatives, and discussions of censorship, this book may be challenged. If so, refer to:

1.     The San Francisco Public Library Collection Development Policy, Selection Criteria, and Teen Collection documents.

2.     The California Department of Education District Selection Policies, Reading Lists, and Resources for Recommended Literature: Pre-K-12.

3.     A hard copy of the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights.

4.     Mixed book reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly.

5.     Book selection rationale.

6.     If necessary, The San Francisco Public Library’s Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Form.

Reason for Selection: As a librarian, this story of intellectual freedom hits close to home, and I think its important to teach teens about the topic early on.