Keeping up with recent events can be a lot. You might feel the obligatory need to stay up to date on the news, as many of us do. While it’s a noble pursuit, it’s important to find a balance to avoid becoming too overwhelmed.
News outlets intentionally tell us the most sensational and dramatic stories in an effort to keep their viewership up. While these stories are important, we often miss out on subjects that require longer explanations.
So how can you get a break from the headlines while staying informed about key topics? The answer may lie in comics.
A look at graphic ethnography
Some of the works listed below are (or are similar to) graphic ethnographies. If you’ve never heard of them before, you’re not alone!
While it may sound a bit confusing, graphic ethnography – put simply – is the practice of conducting and presenting anthropological research through comics.
If you’re looking for an introduction to the world of graphic ethnography, the work of Joe Sacco is a great place to start. Sacco is widely considered to be the first to employ comics for investigative journalism. His first book, Palestine, was published in 1993.
Since then, he’s published numerous books that cover topics such as war, massacre, and poverty. Despite the complexity of his material, Sacco explains topics in a highly accessible way, complete with visuals.
His novels move at a slower and more digestible pace than news stories without skimping on the amount of information included. Big picture issues are usually far more complex than the average news article can express, but reading longer form content can fill the gaps.
Below, we’ve listed 10 graphic novels that fearlessly dive into complicated issues and teach you the whole way through. While some of the issues aren’t as timely, the themes and information conveyed still prove essential to understanding our current lives and political environment.
1) Maus – Art Spiegelman
Maus is quite possibly the most well-known graphic novel that teaches readers about real-world events and history. The book explores the life of the author’s father as he navigates his Jewish identity during the Holocaust. In this novel, Jewish people are depicted as mice and Nazis as cats.
Maus was the first (and only!) graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize.
2) Palestine – Joe Sacco
Sacco has published numerous books, including The Fixer (2003), Footnotes in Gaza (2009), The Once and Future Riot (2025), and more. There’s been a lot of talk about Israel and Palestine within the past couple of years, and it can be easy to forget that the history between these two countries goes back much further.
Sacco’s book Palestine (1993) is an excellent resource for those wanting to hear about the reality of Palestinian life before the recent devastation in the country.
3) They Called Us Enemy – George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, illustrated by Harmony Becker
This novel recounts Takei’s childhood experiences of being imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. While the story takes place in the past, it remains relevant with the rise of detention centers in the United States and the corresponding debate over the treatment of non-white American citizens.
4) The King of Bangkok – Claudio Sopranzetti, Chiara Natalucci, illustrated by Sara Fabbri
The King of Bangkok brings the research of anthropologist Claudio Sopranzetti to life. In vibrant detail, the book investigates the struggles of Thailand’s urban poor and educates the reader about the experiences of migrant workers. Gritty and real, this novel is further proof that presenting research in a graphic form communicates information without losing the real human emotion behind the events. Published in 2019, it certainly carries modern implications.
5) Sapiens – Yuval Noah Harari, David Vandermeulen, Daniel Casanave
Sapiens is an absolutely addictive read created by bestselling historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari. Harari holds a PhD in history from the University of Oxford and now lectures at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Human evolution aside, Sapiens dives deep into topics such as global trade networks, human sexuality, communication systems, and so much more. It’s a whirlwind of a read, and you’ll find yourself hanging on tight as you’re brought along for the ride. Since its release, it’s been translated into sixty languages and has become a bestseller in myriad countries. There’s a reason so many people like it!
6) The Photographer: Into War-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders – Emmanuel Guibert
With a blend of photography and illustration, this graphic novel uses a multimedia approach to tell its story. In the pages of The Photographer, readers follow the Doctors Without Borders through Afghanistan, a country devastated by war with the Soviet Union. The book helps us get to know the men and women committed to healing those wounded in the conflict.
The novel’s unique format uses the harsh reality presented in photography to stitch its narrative together with illustrations. It feels as if you’re really there on the scene, awash in a raw, honest sense of humanity.
7) Crude: A Memoir – Pablo Fajardo, Sophie Tardy-Joubert, illustrated by Damien Roudeau
A teenage Pablo Fajardo guides readers through the Amazonian oil fields in Crude: A Memoir. Here, he observes the destruction caused by the Chevron corporation as they pursue resources without regard for the environment or its native inhabitants.
Fajardo’s commitment to combating this issue with the help of his peers is captured in Damien Roudeau’s stunning illustrations. Each picture is vivid and full of life – the way the colors swirl, seeming to reflect and glow, is truly stunning and not to be missed.
8) Messages from Ukraine – Gregg Bucken-Knapp, Joonas Sildre
Published during the year Russia invaded Ukraine, this graphic ethnography tells the stories of Ukrainian migration professionals in a series of vignettes. It also analyzes the lives of everyday people affected by the war, some of whom had to escape to safety and others who chose to stay.
If you’re interested in supporting the people of Ukraine, know that this book does just that! Proceeds from its sale are donated to the Canada-Ukraine foundation, so this book not only teaches readers about an issue; it provides them with a way to make a difference as well.
9) Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts – Dr. Rebecca Hall, illustrated by Hugo Martínez
Rebecca Hall is a historian and the granddaughter of enslaved people. The extent of her research, which involved studying old court records, correspondence, and ship captain logs, is reflected in Wake. This novel explores the ways in which women played an essential – and overlooked – role in slave revolts. Martínez’s bold black and white illustrations evoke further emotion and show the women’s power within these stories of resilience, strength, and unity.
10) Lissa – Sherine Hamdy, and Coleman Nye, illustrated by Caroline Brewer and Sarula Bao
Lissa follows young girls Anna and Layla, who are close friends despite their cultural differences. However, medical hardships soon challenge their relationship: Anna learns she may carry a hereditary cancer gene, and Layla’s family must face the daunting prospect of a kidney transplant. Moreover, revolutionary unrest in Egypt soon affects both of their lives. A true ethnographic, this story uses research, storytelling techniques, and aesthetics to convey real-world issues.
Time to dive in
Whether you’re new to nonfiction graphic novels or not, we hope this list provides you with ideas for your next read. With the majority written by doctors, journalists, and historians, it feels good to know that the books are backed by thorough research.
Graphic novels offer the ideal compromise between attempting to absorb a multitude of topics at once – and no doubt failing – and taking a complete break from the action. They represent a more complex and honest approach to multi-layered topics and include visual aids to encapsulate everything from human emotion to statistical data. If you find that balance as helpful as we do, graphic ethnographies might just be your latest new obsession – they’re certainly ours!
If you’re looking for more book recommendations to add to your list this spring, consider these 6 books that will improve your mental health and heal your brain. Looking for something with a little more action? Check out our list of thrillers you won’t be able to put down.
