Review: The Talk by Darrin Bell.
Henry Holt and Co. Macmillan Publishing, June 2023. 352 p. ill. ISBN 9781250805140 (h/c), $29.99
Reviewed July 2024
by Amelia Gossman, Library Services Specialist for Student Success, Albert S. Cook Library at Towson University, agossman@towson.edu
The Talk is a graphic novel memoir of the life experiences of the author, Darrin Bell, who identifies as Black and Jewish. The narrative is driven by a difficult conversation surrounding race that parents of Black children must have with their kids in order to help them understand that they will be treated differently than other children and ultimately, how to survive inevitable prejudiced encounters.
After an inciting incident involving a toy water gun, which a police officer perceives to be as threatening as the real thing, Bell first receives the talk from his mother at six years old. Throughout the rest of the story, the reader follows Bell through childhood, grade school, college, and into adulthood as he continues to navigate incidents of racism, eventually finding his voice and career as an award-winning cartoonist. In the present day, Bell reflects on his past when confronted with how and when to give his own son the talk.
Bell’s compelling art style blends sophisticated cartooning with realism, influences of pop culture, Sunday newspaper comics, and editorial illustrations. He pairs loose, expressive linework with rich textures and collaged imagery. These combinations allow Bell to insert his sharp humor throughout the story’s heavy themes. His dramatic range of values are punctuated with spots of color throughout crucial moments of the narrative; color also guides the reader through memories and shifting time.
The Talk explores themes of identity, racism, internalized racism, fear, anxiety, and generational trauma. This graphic novel is recommended for all academic libraries and for Tween/YA sections of public libraries, appropriate for readers in grade 8 through adult.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.