I’m a high school student who is curious about many things, but I tend to look back and reflect on what I have gone through. From how I see it, memories are a great way to know about myself better. Through experiences, I get to see what I did, and what I would do or think differently. Recently, I took a look at COVID Chronicles: A Comics Anthology, a 2021 nonfiction graphic novel. The novel is in an anthropology format, collecting over 60 pieces together from different creators, and putting them together into a book. 

This novel, with its collection of comics, encapsulates what people went through during the pandemic. Although it was made back in 2021, and the pandemic has died down since then, going through the novel is like experiencing a childhood memory when times were different. The memory for most of us during the pandemic might evoke feelings of sadness, distress, or relief for the fact that the pandemic is mostly over. Some people may not want to look back, but if you want to coast through for nostalgia, the book is fitting. 

The graphic novel illustrates all the possible real life scenarios that people have gone through during the pandemic. That includes those who have suffered from the virus, nurses who’ve worked countless hours, and in general, anyone who has been affected by quarantine. This means that the novel can be recommended to virtually anyone you meet as it is fitting for such a wide range of people. 

Also, COVID Chronicles has won the likes of professional critics. Publishers Weekly, a weekly news magazine, states the novel as an “impassioned and impressive anthology” and that it “captures the anxiety, courage, and surreality of the current era with a visceral quality that lingers”. I think the anthropology format just works well with how it sends a real world perception and captures such emotions. That is why I think you should give COVID Chronicles: A Comics Anthology a read.