Type of read: Weekend/Lunchtime read.

What made me pick it up: Part of the August TN R.E.A.D.S. challenge is to read a comic book. I was searching for a book and while I could have gone the traditional superhero route, 'Talk to My Back' caught my eye.

Overall rating: I'm not really a big comic book/graphic novel person. It sounds so silly but I find it really hard to read the words and look at the pictures at the same time. It's almost like my brain can't figure out what it's supposed to focus on. That said, I like the TN R.E.A.D.S challenges because they push me out of my reading comfort zone. 'Talk to My Back' is a glimpse into the life of a wife and mother who is searching for herself and what it means to have your own identity in the midst of also taking care of and being part of a family unit. While there are multiple chapters in the book, I found them to be less chapters and more glimpses into specific moments in time or memories the woman has experienced. They all come together to create the book that is her life and to share her perspective on what's she's feeling and what she wishes she could say/do. I'm not sure I would recommend 'Talk to My Back,' simply because I struggled to get through it (mainly due to book format) but overall, I'm happy I went out of my comfort zone and read something new and different.

Reader's Note: This book is set up differently than any other book I've read before. Because it is presented in the traditional Japanese manner, you read it from right to left. Even reading the comic boxes, it took me a bit to remind myself to move in the right pattern (like a backward Z) down the page. I do think the publishers did a good job of making sure the reader knew this from the start. The book actually opened on what I imagined to be the last page, however when I scrolled to what I would have considered the front, the very first (really last) page tells you that it's done in the traditional way and gives you the heads up of how to read it.