Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

Bibliographic Information:

• Title: Solutions and Other Problems
• Author: Allie Brosh
• ISBN: 1982156945
• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Copyright Date: September 22, 2020

Genre: Nonfiction/Memoir/Humor/Mental Health/Crossover

Format: Graphic Novel

Awards/Honors: Alex Award Winner 2021, #1 New York Times Best Seller

Reading Level/Interest: General Adult

Author Background: Allie Brosh is an American writer, blogger, and comic artist. She is best know for her blog in the form of a webcomic, Hyperbole and a half. Brosh started her bog in 2009. She tells stories of her life, accompanied by crude illustrations. She has published two books in the same style; Hyperbole and a Half (2013) and Solutions and Other Problems (2020). Brosh suffers from severe depression and ADHD. Many of her comics reflect this.

Brosh was born May 18, 1985. she was raised in California and then Idaho. She graduated from the University of Montana in 2009. Brosh lives as a recluse and says that writing lends itself to this (Wikipedia, 2021).

Plot Summary: Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh is a collections of memoir essays of the author, dealing with grief, mental illness, drug use, depression, and loneliness. After dealing with a serious illness and her sister’s death, Brosh reflects on her own mortality, her childhood and her relationship with her sister.

Critical Evaluation: Solutions and Other Problems is a collection of autobiographical essays accompanied by intentionally crude illustrations. The illustrations are humorous and colorful and add to the book. The essays include serious topics such as death, grief, divorce, loneliness, and depression, but the author portrays them in a lighthearted way. The writing is straightforward and engaging. At times the book is sad and at others, it is laugh-out-loud funny.

Creative Use for a Library Program: A fun library program for this book would be a cartooning class. Teens could learn how to draw cartoons and make them into graphic novels. They could write stories from their lives and illustrate them.

Speed-Round Book Talk: A dog that collects horse poop? A child who sneaks into her neighbor’s house through the cat door to steal things? A cat who hates cat toys? Read about these and other tales in Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh! This book will make you laugh and cry. The illustrations are out of this world!

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense: This is an adult book, I do not foresee any challenges or issues.

Reasons for Inclusion: I included Solutions and Other Problems because I loved Allie Brosh’s first book, Hyperbole and a Half. I love her illustrations in both books, and even though she deals with serious subject matter, she adds a touch of humor to it. Teens who like graphic novels and want to learn more about depression in a lighthearted way will enjoy this book.

References:

Wikipedia. (2021, April 29). Allie Brosh. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allie_Brosh