Graphic Novel Review: Colorblind

By Johnathan Harris, Garry Leach (Illustrations)

Johnathan Harris is fifteen, and lives in Long Beach, California, where he loves playing soccer with his friends, and listening to their favorite rapper, Snoop Dogg, a Long Beach native. His mom, dad, and three brothers are tight, but one of the most influential family members for Johnathan is his Uncle Russell, a convict in prison, serving fifteen years to life . . .

Uncle Russell taught Johnathan from a very young age to see people from the perspective of their cultures, and not just their skin color. He imbued a pride of his ancestry and cautioned against letting hatred into his heart.

But when Johnathan was just eight years old, something happened that filled him with fear and the very hatred that Uncle Russell had warned him about. What happened to Johnathan made him see that a dream of a colorless world was just that. A dream.

That event shook him to his core. Anger grew inside him like a hot coal. Uncle Russell had told him to “throw it away or you will get burned,” but Johnathan was young and frightened. He was having a hard time forgiving, much less forgetting.

Colorblind is Johnathan’s story of confronting his own racism and overcoming it. It is a story of hope and optimism that all, young and old, should heed.

Goodreads 

My thoughts:  The title of this book caught my attention. I had mixed feelings about it, but I wanted to give it a chance. This was a fast read with nice visuals. It was not the greatest graphic novel, but I did enjoy it.

The story was supposed to be about a boy who overcame racism, per the synopsis. I felt that it was more about the boy dealing with his anger towards society and the unjust treatment towards black people. This poor boy had to experience a terrible event with police at such a young age and had to be strong when mistreated by teammates while playing soccer. This was written by the protagonist of this story and I can see his great potential in becoming an amazing writer.

What I really liked about this graphic novel was the illustrations. I really enjoyed how each character was drawn and how the colors were used. I was especially surprised how well the illustrator captured the author's likeness. It really looked like him! 

To sum up, this was a fast read with nice visuals. The story was a bit off to what the synopsis suggested but it was still a decent read. I like how this publishing company gives teenagers a chance to be creative and have a voice. I rate this: