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Are you a woman with painful memories of being an awkward preteen? Did you fight with your parents, who never understood you? Did you snarl with your siblings, hate your hair, and long for love?
Then you’ll love Merrill Markoe’s graphic novel We Saw Scenery: The Early Diaries of Merrill Markoe. Emmy-award-winning comedy writer Markoe, also a trained artist, created both the text and art for We Saw Scenery after she unearthed her original teenage diaries.
I cringed with recognition and laughed out loud through Markoe’s journey as her adolescent self struggled with mean girls, body image, and less than supportive parents. Markoe is accompanied on her journey by the adult Markoe herself, who offers words of wisdom throughout. If only!
As a psychologist specializing in women with challenging relationships with their mothers, I love this book for its ability to reach the reader at multiple levels. First, who doesn’t want to laugh? Second, Markoe’s empathy for her adolescent self and struggle with her parents allows us to feel more understood. You’ll want to buy a copy for each of your friends, so you can crack up, cry, and be glad you are all grown up.