Reviews

Syncopated: An Anthology of Nonfiction Picto-Essays by Brendan Burford

koreilly's review

4.0

Quick, breezy and informative collection of non-fiction comics (I'm not saying picto-essays c'mon man). Some are more of a "Nifty Facts" and others deal with heavier stuff such as Guantanamo Bay torture techniques but overall the book is a nice easy summer read.

saidtheraina's review

5.0

A compliation of nonfiction "picto-essays" - basically nonfiction essays in graphic novel form. There's everything in here from a summary of the history of postcards, to illustration of the gitmo torture documents, to a series of portraits of buskers in the NY subway system. Great range, I wanted more, and couldn't believe it was over when it was. Unique slices of life include the story of Boris Rose, a guy who recorded an incredible collection of radio broadcasts of the great jazz musicians - a collection which has not yet been listened to by anyone but Boris himself (an amazing archive story that makes a librarian just cringe/salivate. A story of adoption from China. A story of chess players in Washington Square Park in Manhattan. It just goes on and on. More please! This is the way I want to read my nonfiction.
(and the first thing I think of are those [a:Larry Gonick|36409|Larry Gonick|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg] Cartoon histories and guides, but I think there's a unique strength in the variety of subjects and author/illustrator voices in this approach.)

sizrobe's review

3.0

There are some strong entries in here, but it would have been nicer if they'd all featured some kind of coherent theme. It ranges from the mundane, like how to harvest and bale timothy grass, to the extreme, like describing the treatment of inmates in Guantanamo and the Tulsa massacre.

in2reading's review

4.0

I really enjoyed this book of graphic non-fiction essays. My favorites were on the topics of baling hay, collecting postcards, a portrait of a jazz aficionado and parents greeting their adoptive children for the first time in China. I'd love to see more anthologies like this!

antlersantlers's review against another edition

5.0

Recommended! I have told so many of my co-workers and comics-loving friends about this book! Graphic non-fiction is one of my favorite genres and this did not disappoint. Usually with anthologies there are some weak points, but I thought this was unusually strong. And I thought the weakest essay was by the editor of the book.

I think the strength of this collection lies in how far-reaching the topics and how varied the styles are; but they also don't attempt to exhaustively explore the topic. They're factual and real, but personal and affected.

sel1999's review against another edition

4.0

Though this wasn't my typical read and it was for a class, I really enjoyed the essays in this collection! I particularly liked seeing all the unique art styles and getting to read fascinating stories I would normally not have come across.

rickklaw's review

5.0

In his introduction editor Brendan Burford explains, "[S:]yncopation literally means that an accent or stress is placed on the weak beat between the usually dominant beats. When music is syncopated, it can offer a whole new perspective on rhythm." Using this definition as a guide, Burford compiled a diverse collection of quality stories. Some of the tales such as the excellent "How and Why to Bale Hay" by Nick Bertozzi offer uniquely personal histories. Others illuminate fascinating aspects of historical figures ("Erik Erickson" by [a:Paul Karasik|296961|Paul Auster|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1212076067p2/296961.jpg] and "Dvorak" by Alec Longstreth). Burford and artist Jim Campbell relate one of the book's finest tales with the dynamic "Boris Rose: Prisoner of Jazz." Alex Holden's "West Side Improvements" chronicles the amazing story of graffiti artist Chris Pape (aka Freedom). Perhaps this extraordinary anthology's only weakness is a few too many New York-centric tales. But this is a small complaint. With Syncopated, Buford and his contributors have crafted one of the best books of the year.

richard's review

The title of this book jumps through ridiculous hoops to avoid calling itself comics. Picto-essay is perhaps the dumbest term yet. However, I do think there is a lack of non-fiction comics (at least other than bad autobiography) so it is nice to see this short collection. Like all anthologies this one is a mixed bag, but leans toward the quality over the crummy.

otterno11's review

4.0

I didn't really know what to expect when I began reading "Syncopated" but it turned out to be a very interesting collection of comic pieces, or "picto-essays" with themes ranging from the humorous to the sobering, the strange to the mundane. Each comic is extremely evocative in telling its story, even more impressive that each is nonfictional encomp history, memoir, and journalism. With as wide a variety of art styles as topics each piece was as interesting the read as the last. In particularly, I really enjoyed Rina Piccolo's discussion of "postal cards," being a postcard collector and fan of found items myself. "Syncopated" should provide an afternoon or two of insight for anyone interested in comic art.

davramlocke's review

3.0

Some of the essays in here are really good, as well as informative and well drawn. Others feel incomplete and a few are simply illustrations, which might feel at home in a book of pure illustrations (though they aren't artistically good enough to hold up in that kind of collection). I enjoy comic art, but without accompanying words I don't think it's nearly as effective.

But, the good essays make up for the not so good ones. The one about the Dvorak keyboard is especially interesting.