Drawing From Memory, by Allen Say

Allen Say's Drawing From Memory is a genius recollection of his life, from when he was a young child in Yokohoma, Japan to his big move to the United States at the ripe old age of fifteen. The events that occurred during this time are that of a blockbuster fantasy, but Say actually lived this fairy tale. This is not to say that his life was easy, but his story of rising from divorced parents (in a time and place where it wasn't the norm), a parent that was not supportive of his art, and the fact that he was sent to live in an apartment by himself at twelve makes for a fairly inspiring story.

After reading a newspaper article about a fifteen year old boy, Tokida, who trekked 350 miles to Tokyo in an attempt to become a cartoonist at the newspaper and was, by chance, taken on as a student of one of the greatest cartoonist of the time, Noro Shinpei, Say was inspired to see if Shinpei would be his sensei as well. As luck would have it, he took him on and Say worked under him for the next three years while also attending a prestigious private school.

Say's visual concoction of watercolor, charcoal and pencil drawings along with old photographs and newspaper cutouts make for a tasty combination. This approach was also taken in The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam, but without as much tact. While some of Fleming's pages seemed crowded with an overabundance of information, Say made good use of white space and the readers' eye easily skims from one part of the story to the next. For anyone that enjoys a good biography, art, or just a a good story for that matter, this is the book for you.