Pixels of You

by Ananth Hirsh, Yuko Ota, J.R. Doyle (Illustrator)

Overview

A human and human-presenting AI slowly become friends—and maybe more—in this moving YA graphic novel

In a near future, augmentation and AI changed everything and nothing. Indira is a human girl who has been cybernetically augmented after a tragic accident, and Fawn is one of the first human-presenting AI. They have the same internship at a gallery, but neither thinks much of the other’s photography. But after a huge public blowout, their mentor gives them an ultimatum: work together on a project or leave her gallery forever. Grudgingly, the two begin to collaborate, and what comes out of it is astounding and revealing for both of them. Pixels of You is about the slow transformation of a rivalry to a friendship to something more as Indira and Fawn navigate each other, the world around them—and what it means to be an artist and a person.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683359814
Publisher:	ABRAMS
Publication date:	02/08/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	40 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Ananth Hirsh and Yuko Ota are the Ignus Award–winning team behind Lucky Penny, which won a Cybil Award, was a Junior Library Guild selection, and received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly. They live in Brooklyn. 

Editorial Reviews

"Ultimately a short but sweet story about two girls slowly falling in love. . .The art, however, is striking, with bold, stark colors; plays on light and dark; and disrupted frames depicting photos and extending emotional moments."—Kirkus Reviews

"The robot/human relationship serves as a reflection on managing cultural alienation, and the girls’ chemistry is well developed, building to a surprising, sweet conclusion. Hirsh and Ota’s story is a combination of broad narrative strokes and intimate moments, and Doyle’s manga-inspired, deliciously purple and pink illustrations float with ease through a near-future New York." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

12/01/2021

Gr 7 Up—A moody, meditative vignette of a relationship taking root. Indira and Fawn are both aspiring artists on the grind at a hip urban art gallery. They're also rivals, in part because Fawn is a humanoid robot, and Indira feels haunted by the rise of artificial intelligence. One of Indira's eyes is robotic, replaced after a tragic accident that killed her parents. Her automated eye, coupled with the circumstances of her loss, causes her ongoing distress—and she's suspicious of Fawn. Fawn has problems, too; she faces insidious anti-robot discrimination and sometimes struggles to connect with her parents, who are robots but don't present as humans as she does. As Fawn and Indira are forced to work together, their assumptions about each other begin to break down, and they start to care about each other and learn from their differences. But the book isn't as didactic as it may sound—the robot/human relationship serves as a reflection on managing cultural alienation, and the girls' chemistry is well developed, building to a surprising, sweet conclusion. Hirsh and Ota's story is a combination of broad narrative strokes and intimate moments, and Doyle's manga-inspired, deliciously purple and pink illustrations float with ease through a near-future New York. Indira is South Asian American, and Fawn inhabits a white body. VERDICT Though aimed at young adults, this one will resonate with some adult readers, too. Light but thoughtful sci-fi for fans and skeptics alike.—Emilia Packard, Tokyo

School Library Journal

2021-11-16
Biased AI, creativity, and the line between human and machine collide—and sparks fly.

In a near-future New York City, at a time when artificial intelligence has become ubiquitous, powering self-driving cars and more, Indira and Fawn are unpaid interns perfecting their photography skills. But there’s one major difference between the two: Fawn is AI, while Indira is human. Indira is taciturn with Fawn until their boss, noticing the animosity between them, declares that they must work together to create a joint photography exhibition. Forced to spend time together, Fawn and Indira begin to learn more about each other and the ways in which both human and AI society don’t always allow them to fit in—Indira because she is Indian American and Fawn because of her outward appearance as a young White woman. Drawn in a manga style, the story follows Indira and Fawn as they explore the city, alternating between light banter and discussing heavier topics. Ultimately a short but sweet story about two girls slowly falling in love, there are enough details here to raise interesting questions about human-made algorithms and bias coded into artificial intelligence but not enough to fully flesh out the world. The art, however, is striking, with bold, stark colors; plays on light and dark; and disrupted frames depicting photos and extending emotional moments.

The feelings of a Sapphic short story plus questions about the darker aspects of technology. (Graphic science fiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews