Spinning by Tillie Walden

Memoir. Graphic Novel. Young Adult. Queer Representation. 

Rating: 4/5

Pages: 400

Started: 5 July 2024

Finished: 5 July 2024

Summary: 

    Walden tells the story of growing up as a lesbian figure skater, using a set of skating metaphors to explain exactly why she decided to quit the sport she once loved more than anything in the world. 

Thoughts: 

    I love a good graphic memoir. It honestly may be one of my favorite genres; it's a beautiful and dynamic and nostalgic snapshot of a person's life, easy to digest and easy to learn from. This was admittedly a bit of a strange one; it didn't feel like there were many other characters in the story, which made it hard to be fully engaged. But Tillie's skating, sexuality, and mental health journeys were both intimate and interesting, and I feel like I got a lot out of this book for it taking me under an hour to read. I don't have any super strong feelings about this book, but it was very immersive and I would not feel any guilt in recommending it to fans of memoir and realistic fiction.