#two tribes

[haveyouseenthismusicvideo]

Two Tribes by Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Have you seen this music video?

Yes, I have

I haven't, but I've heard the song

Never heard this song

Voting ended onJul 25

[frederick25]

[mtvscreengrabs]

Two Tribes - Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1984)

[novapsa23]

Listening to this on repeat for.........reasons

[sowhatifiliveinfukuoka]

Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Two Tribes (1984)

[thespliffbunker]

Are we living in a world. Where sex and horror are the new gods? Yeah.

Annihilation

Carnage

Working For The Black Gas

“You may pronounce us guilty a thousand times over, but the Goddess of The Eternal Court of History will smile and tear to tatters the brief of the State Prosecutor and the sentence of this court , for she acquits us”

[mtvscreengrabs]

Two Tribes - Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1984)

[thisisablogforyouthlit]

Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen, Colors by Lark Pien

This contemporary graphic novel is full of self-acceptance and identity and heart. The story revolves around an eleven year old named Mia, who is preparing for her bat mitzvah. However, she has conflicting emotions about her religion because she is a member of the Muscogee Nation from her father's side and never gets to see him with her parents being separated. Without telling either of her parents, she sneaks off to Oklahoma to see her father and learn about this part of her identity.

This book has been on my radar for a while. The library I work at bought a couple copies and I got to see them processed and thought the book looked interesting. Later learning it was a Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee, I thought it'd be a great option to read. This book is to fulfill the requirement of a Texas Bluebonnet book.

This graphic novel is full of colorful and made up mostly of clean-cut rectangular cells. The art style reminds me a bit of how French comic artists make their work, with large cell colors in the background and a more cartoon-esque stylization of people. The few times this the illustrations break from this mold are in the portions where stories are being told to Mia, where the cells blocks have a wavy border and are in a sepia tone to convey the past or different time period. It's a simple idea executed well and it's a clear distinction from the main plot without breaking the story.

The style and language used in this book is accurate yet articulated well for children. When discussing specific religious terms, they aren't simplified or changed to try to make them easier to understand. When topics are discussed that are more complex or more niche for the community, there is a quick explanation or breakdown of the origin or story of the topic, not breaking up any of the ongoing plot, but still informing the reader of these important aspects of Mia's identity.

The major dramatic question surrounding what exactly is Mia's identity is quick to emerge and remains prevalent throughout the book. At the beginning, she is questioned by one of her Jewish classmates about her being Native American, and she realizes she doesn't know much about that part of her, and feels different from her Jewish peers at school. Throughout her time in Oklahoma, she attempts to learn as much as she can about the Muscogee Nation attending a powwow and enjoying lots of different food. Mia also processes how her Jewish traditions relate to her Muscogee ones, complicating this big question in an interesting way. The graphic novel does a great job exploring the two different cultures in tandem and presents the ultimate question of Mia's identity in a complex yet clear manner.

I gave this book 4 stars on StoryGraph because it tells this story with attention to detail and a lot of heart. Mia messes up, and learns from it using her new knowledge. It's well-done and definitely worth a read. A similar and great recommendation is Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol. The graphic memoir is an Eisner Award Nominee that tells a similar story of not feeling fit in one's culture at a sleep-away camp.

References:

Bowen Cohen, E. (2023). Two tribes (E. Bowen Cohen, Illus.) (L. Pien, Colors). Heartdrum.

Brosgol, V. (2018). Be prepared (V. Brosgol, Illus.). First Second.

2024-2025 Texas Bluebonnet Award List - Austin Public Library

2024-2025 Texas Bluebonnet Award List by AustinPL_CentralYouth - a staff-created list : These titles are librarian recommended for grades 3-

Be Prepared

"Beautifully drawn, brutally funny, brilliantly honest. Vera is such a good cartoonist I almost can’t stand it.” —Raina Telgemeier, author o