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"Frizzy"

Written by Claribel A. Ortega                Illustrated by Rose Bousamra

       
Image Source: Goodreads
"Frizzy" is a moving story about a girl named Marlene and her complicated relationship with her mother and her own hair. Eventually we learn that this complicated relationship with hair has been passed down by generations because of white beauty standards. Marlene is able to learn how to proper care for and embrace her beautiful natural hair with the help of her tía, Ruby. This is a beautiful graphic novel that highlights the beauty of Marlene embracing being a Black Latina and ignoring white beauty standards.
        Ortega's words and Bousamra's illustrations beautifully enhance each other throughout the story. Ortega is able to express the guilt and shame that Marlene feels when she doesn't want to go to the salon and wishes that everyone would just love her and her natural hair. Bousamra beautifully captures the facial expressions of the characters, so readers know how they're feeling without needing to rely on the text to tell us. She also does an excellent job of using negative space to show when Marlene is feeling alone or defeated.
        This is an excellent graphic novel for anyone that struggles with feeling confident with their own beauty. This helps highlight the importance of being true to what feels good to you and not what you think the people around you believe how you should look or feel.


Ortega, Claribel A. Frizzy. Illustrated by Rose Bousamra. First Second, 2022. 213 pages. TR. $12.99, ISBN 978-1-250-25963-9.
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