Just Another Story

With delicacy and grace, Salvadoran cartoonist Saade crafts a resonant and distinctive graphic novel debut that chronicles “just another story” of contemporary migration that centers his cousin, Carlos. Disembarking from his plane from El Salvador to Los Angeles, Saade meets Carlos at the arrivals gate. After commenting on how “comfortable” it was for him to travel via plane, he expresses regret over Carlos’s treacherous journey from El Salvador to the U.S. 10 years prior. Sepia-toned panels render the cousins’ 2017 conversation while brightly hued sequences depict a headstrong Carlos in 2006, who contends with fear and the constant dread of being discovered along his trek to the U.S. border. Saade, who translates Carlos’s travails into a sprawling narrative, uses deft cartooning to craft an empathetic look at the struggles faced by migrants from Central America in seeking prosperity amid situations rife with inequity. Each panel is a testament to individual resilience, culminating in an expansive story of human beings triumphing against unspeakable odds. A Spanish-language edition will publish simultaneously. Ages 14–up. [em](Apr.) [/em]