The Graphic Novel Shelf

Thing: Inside the Struggle for Animal Personhood
Sam & Cynthia Machado, authors
Steven M. Wise, author
Island Press
2000 M St NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20036
www.islandpress.org
9781642830859, $30.00, PB, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Thing-Inside-Struggle-Animal-Personhood/dp/164283085=
2

Synopsis: Happy has lived at the Bronx Zoo for most of her 48 years, and fo=
r more than a decade has remained largely isolated and lonely. Like all ele= phants, Happy has a complex mind and a deep social, intellectual, and emoti= onal life; she desires to make choices and has a sense of self-recognition.=
But like all nonhuman animals, Happy is considered a thing in the eye of t=
he law, with no fundamental rights. Due to a series of groundbreaking legal=
cases, however, this is beginning to change - and Happy's liberation is at=
the forefront. A vibrant and personal graphic novel, "Thing: Inside the St= ruggle for Animal Personhood" traces this moving story and makes the legal = and scientific case for animal personhood.

Led by lawyer Steven M. Wise and aided by some of the world's most respecte=
d animal behavior and cognition scientists, the Nonhuman Rights Project has=
filed cases on behalf of nonhuman animals like Happy since 2013. Through t= his work, they have forced courts to consider the evidence of their clients=
' cognitive abilities and their legal arguments for personhood, opening the=
door for similar cases worldwide.

In "Thing", comic artists Sam Machado and Cynthia Sousa Machado bring toget= her Wise's groundbreaking work and their powerful illustrations in the firs=
t graphic nonfiction book about the animal personhood movement. Beginning w= ith Happy's story and the central ideas behind animal rights, Thing then tu= rns to the scientists that are revolutionizing our understanding of the min=
ds of nonhuman animals such as great apes, elephants, dolphins, and whales.=
As we learn more about these creatures' inner lives and autonomy, the need=
for the greater protections provided by legal rights becomes ever more urg= ent.

With cases like Happy's growing in number and spanning from Argentina to In= dia, nations around the world are beginning to recognize the rights of anim= als. Combining legal and social history, innovative science, and illustrate=
d storytelling, "Thing" presents a visionary new way of relating to the non= human world.

Critique: Presented in a graphic novel illustrated storytelling format and = style, "Thing: Inside the Struggle for Animal Personhood" is a fun, informa= tive, educative, and thought-provoking read that will be of particular and = special interest those with concerns regarding Animal Rights, Animal Behavi= or/Communications. While this unique and inherently fascinating story is av= ailable in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.50), "Thing: Inside the Strug= gle for Animal Personhood" is an exceptionally recommended pick for persona=
l, professional, community, college, and university library Animal Rights c= ollections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note #1: Cynthia Sousa Machado and Sam Machado are the-husband-an= d-wife team behind the cartoons "I Got This" and "If I Don't Get Pants." Th= eir work together involves identity, politics and social justice issues. Th= eir editorial cartoons have been found in the Guardian, The New Republic an=
d Redbook. Their webcomic Cyberbunk is on LINE Webtoon. (https://www.booksa= ndbooks.com/event/in-person-an-evening-with-cynthia-sam-machado

Editorial Note #2: Steven M. Wise (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_M._= Wise) is founder and president of the Nonhuman Rights Project. He has pract= iced animal protection law for 30 years throughout the US and is the author=
of four books: Rattling the Cage: Toward Legal Rights for Animals; Drawing=
the Line: Science and the Case for Animal Rights; Though the Heavens May F= all: The Landmark Trial That Led to the End of Human Slavery; and An Americ=
an Trilogy: Death, Slavery, and Dominion Along the Banks of the Cape Fear R= iver. Wise has taught Animal Rights Law at Harvard, Stanford, and seven oth=
er law schools.

Cartoonshow
Derek M. Ballard
Oni Press
www.onipress.com
9781637152188, $21.99, HC, 144pp

https://www.amazon.com/Cartoonshow-Derek-M-Ballard/dp/1637152183

Synopsis: With the publication of "Cartoonshow" from Oni Press, cartoonist = and animator Derek M. Ballard has made a singluar and original contribution=
to modern American family comics.

It's not his fault that being a single parent in America is kind of a night= mare.

Derek is a solo parent raising three kids in the American South, while tryi=
ng to make art. Told in a series of free-flowing and often hilarious comic = essays, "Cartoonshow" gets to the heart of the struggle to be a creative pe= rson in a society that doesn't value anything other than how much it can gr= ind out of you.

But Covid, poverty, the failing social safety net, predatory lenders, and l= iteral acts of God can't stop our hero!

Critique: American family life satire at its very best, "Cartoonshow" is pr= esented in a kind of simple drawing, cartoon driven, graphic novel style of=
storytelling and is a funny, unique, and unreservedly recommended pick for=
personal and community library American Humor and Graphic Novel collection=
s. It should be noted that "Cartoonshow" is also readily available in a dig= ital book format (Kindle, $20.89).

Editorial Note: There is an informative intervew of Derek Ballard on the CL=
W Artist Guild website at http://www.cartoonistsleague.org/derek-m-ballard

EDITOR'S NOTE:

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(dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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