Books On Our Radar: Spinning by Tillie Walden
Spinning by Tillie Walden was no where on my radar until I went to BookExpo and I had a chance to meet the author! Now I am so excited for this graphic novel! Not only did Tillie write the whole thing based on her figure skating career and coming to terms with her passions and identity, she also drew the entire novel as well! Call me impressed! I am a not so secret queer person who loves sports, and as a kid, figure skating was my favorite extra curricular activity, and hockey is still my favorite sport. Plus my best friend growing up was on the Olympic Figure Skating path as well, so I used to go to her special practices with all the other hopefuls. It was really a huge part of my youth, and I can’t wait to read Tillie’s story! Spinning is releasing on September 12th, and if you love graphic novels, coming of age stories, and/or figure skating, be sure to add this one to your TBR!
Spinning by Tillie Walden
Category: Young Adult, Graphic Novel, Memoir, LGBT
Publication: September 12th, 2017; First Second Books
Purchase: Amazon
Poignant and captivating, Ignatz Award winner Tillie Walden’s powerful graphic memoir, Spinning, captures what it’s like to come of age, come out, and come to terms with leaving behind everything you used to know.
It was the same every morning. Wake up, grab the ice skates, and head to the rink while the world was still dark.
Weekends were spent in glitter and tights at competitions. Perform. Smile. And do it again.
She was good. She won. And she hated it.
For ten years, figure skating was Tillie Walden’s life. She woke before dawn for morning lessons, went straight to group practice after school, and spent weekends competing at ice rinks across the state. It was a central piece of her identity, her safe haven from the stress of school, bullies, and family. But over time, as she switched schools, got into art, and fell in love with her first girlfriend, she began to question how the close-minded world of figure skating fit in with the rest of her life, and whether all the work was worth it given the reality: that she, and her friends on the figure skating team, were nowhere close to Olympic hopefuls. It all led to one question: What was the point? The more Tillie thought about it, the more Tillie realized she’d outgrown her passion–and she finally needed to find her own voice.
I did not know that about you! I was obsessed with the Winter Olympics and the movie Ice Castles when I was younger, does that count as liking skating? LOL
I think it does! lol I really do love sports of all kinds, like I just watched the French Open last weekend. I always wanted to be a better athlete, but my body wouldn’t let me!