Larger than life (non-fiction, YA comics)

Comics don't always have to be works of fiction - this form can also be used to tell true stories or deliver instructions or information.

You'll probably notice that many of the titles in this list are memoirs, where the author/artists are reflecting back on what have often been tough times as they grew up. If you're a fan of these arts' other works, memoirs can be pretty interesting, giving you insights into how their minds work and how and why they came up with their stories and characters. And it can be cool just reading about another person's life in a not-creepy kind of way - it's not snooping, they've published these books themselves!

The list here is indeed a memoir-heavy selection of popular AND lesser-known-but-still-amazing non-fiction works that we think you'll like.

Updated August 1, 2024
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Knitstrips : the world's first comic-strip knitting book
Beltran, Alice Ormsbee
Paper Book
Inspired, original, and laugh-out-loud funny, knitstrips are patterns and knitting instruction mixed with advice and humorous commentary-and presented in illustrated comic book panels. Launched in 2016 on the mega-popular knitting site Modern Daily Knitting, the strips gained instant popularity and...

Craft

Passport
Glock, Sophia
Paper Book
An unforgettable graphic memoir by debut talent Sophia Glock reveals her discovery as a teenager that her parents are agents working for the CIA.   Young Sophia has lived in so many different countries, she can barely keep count. Stationed now with her family in...

Memoir

Hey, kiddo
Krosoczka, Jarrett
Paper Book
The powerful, unforgettable graphic memoir from Jarrett Krosoczka, about growing up with a drug-addicted mother, a missing father, and two unforgettably opinionated grandparents.In kindergarten, Jarrett Krosoczka's teacher asks him to draw his family, with a mommy and a daddy. But Jarrett's family...

Memoir

In limbo
Lee, Deborah
Paper Book
A debut YA graphic memoir about a Korean-American girl's coming-of-age story--and a coming home story--set between a New Jersey suburb and Seoul, South Korea. Ever since Deborah (Jung-Jin) Lee emigrated from South Korea to the United States, she's felt her otherness.

Memoir

Slip
McCoola, Marika
Paper Book
An emotional LGBTQ coming-of-age graphic novel, with a magical twist, for fans of Bloom and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, where a pottery student finds her artistic voice--and her first love. Just as...

Mental Health

The fire never goes out : a memoir in pictures
Stevenson, Noelle
Paper Book
From ND Stevenson, the New York Times bestselling author-illustrator of Nimona, comes a captivating, honest illustrated memoir that finds him turning an important corner in his creative journey--and inviting readers along for the ride. In a collection of essays and personal...

Memoir


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