Interview with Author and Illustrator of Stitches, David Small

Stitches: A Memoir is written and illustrated by David Small. This graphic novel begins when David was six years old growing up in Detroit, Michigan. After a couple of pages in, I could immediately sense the world that this book lives in. It's dark, dramatic, and lonely. From the beginning of this story, I felt empathy for this boy, who doesn't know anything different since this is the only childhood he knows and has experienced. As the memoir continues and reveals more trauma, I immediately felt compassion for when he became voiceless because of extensive surgery. How do you have a voice one day and function the next day without your voice? As a speech-language pathologist who specializes in working with individuals that have communication disorders, this novel hit home for me. The story continues and David begins to find hope and closure in all of the events in his life as he gets older. 

There are no words to describe how well David portrays his life and the characters in it. The nonverbal communication he draws and expresses throughout this book is profound and explains the dramatic childhood he experienced and how he began to heal. Stitches is for a more mature audience and younger children (middle grade) may find the material too difficult to read. However, this should be a decision made on an individual basis. From my perspective, a high school student and older would be an ideal audience. 

To learn more about David and see scenes from the book, visit my website here.