Improve: How I Discovered Improv and Conquered Social Anxiety

by Alex Graudins

Overview

A graphic memoir for teens about the author's efforts to overcome her social anxiety by learning improv comedy.

Alex has crippling social anxiety. All day long, she is trapped in a web of negative thoughts and paralyzing fear. To pull herself free of this endless cycle, Alex does something truly terrifying: she signs up for an improv comedy class. By forcing herself to play silly games and act out ridiculous scenes, Alex confronts the unbearable weight of embarrassment, makes new friends, rediscovers parts of herself that she'd hidden away, and ultimately faces her greatest fear by performing onstage for all to see.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250905000
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	09/06/2022
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	70 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Alex Graudins is the cartoonist behind Science Comics: The Brain and History Comics: The Great Chicago Fire. Currently hiding out in li’l Rhode Island, she holds a BFA in Cartooning from the School of Visual Arts and has done work for sites like The Nib and CollegeHumor. She has a penchant for memoirs and narratives that tackle the topics of anxiety and friendship.
Alex Graudins is the cartoonist behind Science Comics: The Brain and History Comics: The Great Chicago Fire. Currently hiding out in li’l Rhode Island, she holds a BFA in Cartooning from the School of Visual Arts and has done work for sites like The Nib and CollegeHumor. She has a penchant for memoirs and narratives that tackle the topics of anxiety and friendship.

Editorial Reviews

"Graphic memoirs about anxiety are not uncommon, but Graudin's unusual take explores how facing fears and a willingness to try something new—even something as straightforward as improv—can be a significant step in changing one’s life.—Booklist

"Informative reading for young people seeking creative ways to break the chains of social anxiety."—Kirkus

"Part memoir, part handbook, this title is poised to pique the interest of socially cautious readers and the theatrically inclined."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

10/14/2022

Gr 7 Up—A personal and surprisingly comprehensive introduction to improv for the uninitiated. After struggling with social interactions in college and weathering the emotional nosedive of post-graduation loneliness, Graudins tentatively attempts to end her self-isolation by enrolling in improv classes in her small Rhode Island town. Though many imagine improv as a purely comedic form, Graudins's personal experience reveals its essential emphasis on the building blocks and nuances of human interactions. The book's illustration style is at once mercilessly cute and satisfyingly precise, echoing the work of such memoir-documentary cartoonists as Erika Moen and Lucy Knisley. With a bevy of improv exercise examples (and an appendix with more!) and excerpts from texts on the form, this graphic memoir is a love letter to the theatrical practice that helped Graudins grow. VERDICT Part memoir, part handbook, this title is poised to pique the interest of socially cautious readers and the theatrically inclined.—Emilia Packard

School Library Journal

2022-06-22
“Yes, and” your way out of social anxiety.

Part memoir, part introduction to the world of improv comedy, this graphic memoir follows illustrator Graudins from childhood through her young adult years. Graudins admired the confidence and camaraderie of the theater kids at her school, and although she attempted to join them, her social anxiety—represented as a devilish doppelgänger—stopped her from fully participating. This voice of self-doubt follows her throughout her academic career and is often represented only by black thought balloons that dominate panels with negative ruminations and fear. That artistic choice works well, as readers unfamiliar with anxiety will immediately understand the weight and all-consuming oppressive nature of the condition. After flirting with improv in college and being challenged by a therapist to be more proactive in addressing her anxiety, Graudins enrolled in beginners’ improv, and the narrative shifts from a traditional memoir to cover extensive information about improv. Readers who are interested in this art will find this a valuable and well-written introductory guide. Those who are more interested in other aspects of Graudins’ story may find the nuanced information about improv lessons tedious. The clean, appealing, cartoon-style art is particularly effective at showing improv exercises and expressing Graudins’ inner emotions.

Informative reading for young people seeking creative ways to break the chains of social anxiety. (author’s note, further reading, games) (Graphic nonfiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews