K Potassium

This is an autobiography in graphic novel form by children's Caldecott award-winning illustrator and author David Small. In just over 300 pages of illustrations and sparse text, the reader feels the pain of a small boy growing up in a dysfunctional family whose medical father is rarely home and mother silently rages. David is diagnosed with a "growth" on his neck at age 11, but is not treated until 3-1/2 years later with what he thinks will be minor surgery. When he finally emerges two days later, David learns he is missing half his vocal chords, his thyroid, and has no voice. To top it off, he discovers quite by accident that he in fact had cancer and his parents had kept it a secret. David's anger and resentment send him on a quick spiral downward leading him to skip school, drive without a license and being sent to jail, move to a boys home, run away from the boys home and finally receive badly needed therapy, which ironically feels to David like the first caring and concern he has ever experienced. The illustrations seamlessly express David's emotions as he struggles to understand his situation and it's relation to his seemingly uncaring family. It is revealed that David's father was probably the cause of his cancer due to the excessive number of x-rays David was given as a child for his breathing problems, and that his mother was also dealing as best she could with identity issues of her own. This is a quick read, good for reluctant readers and those interested in biographies or graphic novels, ages 12 and up. It is debatable whether a traditional biography would have been as successful expressing all the emotion throughout this story as this one was in graphic form. The ending is hopeful, and as it turns out, David has had much success with his books, including the awards he has won for this book. ...