Book Review: Drawing From Memory

Written by: Allen Say
Published by: Scholastic Press, September 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0545176866

Plot Summary

Drawing From Memory is Allen Say's memoir. He starts with his life as a child and goes on to tell about how he got started as an artist. He was born in Yokohama, Japan, and lived there until World War II started. His mother gave him comic books to try to keep him inside and away from the seashore. When his city was bombed, he went with his mother and sister to live with his uncle in the country. His parents separated after the war ended and Say was sent to live with his grandmother to prepare for Middle School. She told him that if he was accepted, that she and his mother would rent him his own apartment so that he had a quiet space to study. He was accepted, but also struck out on his own to find a mentor in a local artist. He works with two other comics, honing his craft, and is also helped by teachers and students at school.

Critical Analysis

Although Drawing From Memory is the unique story of Allen Say's own life, it contains themes that are universal. Although he discovers at a young age that drawing is something that he loves to do and at which he is incredibly talented, both his father and his grandmother believe that artists are unrespectable and say that if he keeps focusing on art that he'll never amount to anything. This plays into a stereotype somewhat in portraying parents and grandparents that are strict about schooling and want their children to focus on academic, rather than artistic pursuits. However, Say does not fit the mold of the stereotypical model minority (nor would he be a minority in his native Japan). Rather than focusing only on school, when he is living on his own, he seeks out an artist to be his sensei after reading a story about him in a local paper. His mother also encourages him to follow his own dreams rather than just focusing on school.

The drawings are interspersed with photos from Say's life. Both the photos and the illustrations show that Japanese people are all uniquely different in terms of appearance. They show different facial features and skin colors. The clothing shown varies from more traditional Japanese styles to classic clothing that could have been worn in any country during the 1940s and 1950s. This juxtaposition is apparent in the picture of Say with his babysitter and the drawing of his first-grade teacher. The babysitter wears a white blouse and a pencil skirt, an outfit that could have just as easily been worn in the United States as in Japan. His teacher, Mrs. Morita, is shown in a more traditional floral dress that represents his own culture.

Some of the experiences in the book will be surprising to readers, which can inspire a discussion of whether those experiences are products of their time or of the culture. No 12-year old would have an apartment rented for them so they could focus on their studies in the United States today. However, this would also be equally unlikely in Japan in 2020. While students today may travel to boarding schools or similar, they wouldn't be sent to live on their own in either country. However, this is likely also true of the United States in the 1950s, so this will be an experience that is different to students in America today.

Near the end of the book, Say receives a letter from his father asking him to immigrate to America with his family. This is another common theme in Asian-American literature since this is one of the largest immigrant cultures in the United States. The advice that Say received is mixed- with some saying of course he should go, and others asking why he would even want to. His mother tells him that he can make the decision himself. He does end up deciding to continue his adventure with his father in America. Although the book ends when he leaves Japan, it is obvious that Say himself has mixed feelings about his choice. He is excited for a new chapter, but still sad to leave his homeland behind.

Awards Won

2011- Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth

Review Excerpt

From School Library Journal published December 27, 2011

"Praise to the writing, by the way. It’s all well and good to create an illustrated narrative like the one we’ve found here but another thing entirely to write it in such a way where the words and pictures are quite so inseparable. Drawing from Memory is a brilliant example of a book where the words and the images heighten the reading experience. There is a belief amongst parents that graphic novels are a kind of lesser form of literature because there is something about the use of images with words that, when combined, renders both weaker. To people who feel that way I would hand them Say’s memoir. His is a brilliant mixing and melding of the two art forms. And while the pictures, photographs, and cartoons tell a moment in a life well, his words really steal the show." 

Connections

Listen to the "Meet the Author" recording with Allen Say at https://www.teachingbooks.net/book_reading.cgi?id=7268

Read other books by Allen Say, such as Tree of Cranes, Under the Cherry Blossom Tree, Tea with Milk, or Erika-San.