Billy, Me & You: A Memoir of Grief and Recovery

(Paperback)

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Description

Nicola Streeten's little boy, Billy, was two years old when he died following heart surgery for problems diagnosed only ten days earlier. Gut-wrenchingly sad at times, her graphic memoir is an unforgettable portrayal of trauma and our reaction to it and, especially, the humour or absurdity so often involved in our responses. As we follow Streeten and her partner's heroic efforts to cope with well-meaning friends and day-to-day realities, we begin to understand what she means by her aim to create a 'dead baby story that is funny'.

Reviews

'A remarkable book...searchingly honest, and desperately sad at times. At others, it is genuinely very funny. Quite a feat.' - Jon Henley, Guardian; 'The most profoundly moving graphic novel I personally have ever read bar none. - Page 45; 'Graphic books can explore human pain with honesty and wit. A moving and often unexpectedly funny memoir.' - Independent; 'It is not only harrowing and disturbing but acutely funny: A brilliant and original book that deserves a wide audience.' -Darian Leader, author of The New Black; 'What's most remarkable is that it will make you laugh. And then there are moments that will tear your heart open.' - Herald Scotland; 'An extraordinary subject for a graphic memoir... The combination of journal format and naive artwork somehow helps to make reading about grief and loss not only bearable but entertaining.' - Guardian: Bryan and Mary Talbot's Top 10 Graphic Memoirs; 'This has a universal, empathetic appeal...it's a page turner...entertaining, original, thought provoking stuff. - Forbidden Planet;'Several close friends of mine have lost a child... This beautiful book gave me a rare insight into something of what they went through.' -Julie Hesmondhalgh, Observer

Author Bio

Dr Nicola Streeten is an anthropologist-turned-illustrator and comics scholar. She is the author of Billy, Me & You, an acclaimed graphic memoir about her bereavement following the death of her two-year old son which received Highly Commended in the Popular Medicine category of the 2012 British Medical Association Medical Book Awards. In 2017 Nicola completed an Arts and Humanities Research Council funded PhD from the University of Sussex. Her research on UK Feminist Cartoons and Comics from the 1970s informed her contribution as co-editor with Cath Tate to The Inking Woman. Offering a 250 year illustrated history of womens cartooning in the UK, this is complemented by Nicolas award-winning theoretical publication UK Feminist Cartoons and Comics: A Critical Survey. In April 2020 Nicola was awarded an Arts Council England Emergency Response Grant for Individuals to support her practice during COVID-19. One element of this is the launch of Dr Nicola Streeten YouTube channel where her series of monthly illustrated talks are hosted, based on her research and book. Nicola is director of LDComics (est 2009 as Laydeez do Comics) a women creator-led forum welcoming all in promoting and celebrating comics works with a focus on the everyday. She continues to post weekly cartoons and newsletter and blog updates.