Name: As the Crow Flies
ISBN: 9781945820069

Melanie Gillman

A black teenage lesbian finds herself stranded in a dangerous and unfamiliar place: an all-white Christian youth backpacking camp.

As the Crow Flies

Ally

the nature was nice
and it was cool that it was all in colored pencils

Danny Werhane

Enjoyed this until the extremely abrupt ending. I’m assuming that this will be a series, but like still wtf

Maggie Gordon

I don't know where I fall with As the Crow Flies. It is a beautifully illustrated book with an important story, but given this first book's lack of resolution, I'm unsure where it is heading. The story involves a black teen who has joined a women's religious group on a trek up a mountain. She immediately recognises that she is one of the only non-white individuals attending (save for one counsellor), and is discomforted by the lead's way of discussing women's retreats and "purification". Along the way she discovers that one of the other kids is transgender and equally put off by the lead's manner of speaking about women. The interplay between these two navigating their feelings and experiences is fascinating, though there seems to be much more bubbling below the surface that hasn't been touched on yet. The politics Gillman is addressing are complex, and I am very curious to see how she deals with them by the end. Unfortunately, As the Crow Flies seems to be only part one of this work. I think the book would have been much better had it not ended so abruptly. There was no natural pausing point, and unless you follow the comic online, you might be left with the impression that the story is over. Or at least confusion as to whether there was more. In any case, this is a story with potential, but it is not a complete story yet which is why I feel so ambivalent towards it. It is uncomfortable, both because it addresses subjects that are uncomfortable, but mostly because it leaves the reader without any resolution. Hopefully that changes soon!

Tiffany Robinson

I picked this book up based only on the cover. I thought the illustrations were really pretty but the story left a lot to be desired. Also the ending felt really abrupt like it just ended in the middle of the story which I did not like at all.