Mis(h)adra

by Iasmin Omar Ata

An Arab-American college student struggles to live with epilepsy in this starkly colored and deeply-cutting graphic novel.

Isaac wants nothing more than to be a functional college student—but managing his epilepsy is an exhausting battle to survive. He attempts to maintain a balancing act between his seizure triggers and his day-to-day schedule, but he finds that nothing—not even his medication—seems to work. The doctors won’t listen, the schoolwork keeps piling up, his family is in denial about his condition, and his social life falls apart as he feels more and more isolated by his illness. Even with an unexpected new friend by his side, so much is up against him that Isaac is starting to think his epilepsy might be unbeatable.

Based on the author’s own experiences as an epileptic, Mis(h)adra is a boldly visual depiction of the daily struggles of living with a misunderstood condition in today’s hectic and uninformed world.

• ISBN10: 1501162101
• ISBN13: 9781501162107
• Publish Date: 19 October 2017 (first published 3 October 2017)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 13 July 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

I received an advanced copy of Mis(h)andra from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Mis(h)andra tells the story of Isaac, and Arab-American whom is struggling to come to terms with his epilepsy while having essentially no support structure. Along with his condition he has an unsupportive family, college problems, and the day to day issues, many of which can trigger an epileptic fit. If this wasn’t enough for a young man on his own to deal with, throw in the fact that he has yet to find a doctor that will truly listen to him, and you have the perfect recipe for despair.
The artist uses knifes to symbolize Isaac’s epilepsy – a move that is both bold and beautiful. Combined with a stunning color palette and rich imagery, it fully immerses the reader in the struggles and emotions that Isaac is being forced to cope with. I absolutely love all of the artistic choices made, right down to the simplest and smallest details.
There are some triggering subjects covered throughout the graphic novel. Isaac struggles with suicidal thoughts (stemming from the belief that he will never be himself again, that there’s no hope, no cure). The author doesn’t hide from these emotions that Isaac feels. Isaac also faces multiple uncaring medical professionals whom seem to prefer to assume he’s not really sick, as opposed to listening to him and giving him a proper diagnosis. During one of Isaac’s epileptic fits he loses an eye – the imagery around it is somewhat graphic, in part because of the way he illustrates his condition.
I sincerely cannot get over how beautiful and powerful this book was. The imagery and the story merge into an evocative tale where the reader finds themselves rooting for the main character’s well-being. I honestly wish I could read it for the first time all over again.

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