And Now I Spill the Family Secrets: An Illustrated Memoir
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- Create Date：2021-06-30 06:51:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Margaret Kimball
- ISBN：0063007444
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Reviews
Maya Salvio
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I really enjoyed this book。 The only component that left me feeling conflicted was her mother’s resistance to the existence of some aspects of this story。 You could tell that this was a point of tension for the author。 However， as a reader， I did feel as though their was an overstep in relation to her mother’s boundaries。 Otherwise， I loved the art and the writing。
Rich
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Families aren’t easy。 Memories aren’t tidy。 Families are full of moments of second guessing based on contempt but very few real moments of collective triumph。 It takes real self reflection to be honest about your family while still loving them for what they are。In other news， i think all memoirs should be graphic novels。
Ashley Olson
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Loving and thoughtful mental health-focused memoir。 Hard to rate because it's someone's art and life :） But good for those who are interested in the lives of those who live with a mental illness。 Loving and thoughtful mental health-focused memoir。 Hard to rate because it's someone's art and life :） But good for those who are interested in the lives of those who live with a mental illness。 。。。more
elizabeth roberts-zibbel
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I love memoirs。 In particular I love mental health memoirs。 I also love graphic novels。 I love Kimball’s art style and her bravery in creating this book。
Blue
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A dissection of family history to reveal the underlying skeleton that shapes it。 Perhaps the most interesting thing about this graphic memoir about family is the stylistic choice Margaret Kimball has made: most of the art depicts the places events took place， reproductions of photos， videos， diary pages and interview transcripts。 There are hardly any people in the panels and when there are， they are usually in photos or video stills。 Kimball's extensive narration sprawls over these images， creat A dissection of family history to reveal the underlying skeleton that shapes it。 Perhaps the most interesting thing about this graphic memoir about family is the stylistic choice Margaret Kimball has made: most of the art depicts the places events took place， reproductions of photos， videos， diary pages and interview transcripts。 There are hardly any people in the panels and when there are， they are usually in photos or video stills。 Kimball's extensive narration sprawls over these images， creating a sort of slow-motion tour of "all the places we've been to when we were young，" which is at once clinical and emotionally loaded。 The subject matter is equally rich。 Kimball uses a conversation she had with his brother in 2003， when he told her their mother tried to commit suicide in 1988， as the starting point of an investigation to the beating heart of the family。 From early childhood memories of her grandmother and great-grandparents to the divorce to her father's remarriage that gained her a stepsister to the difficult relationship that developed between her and her older brother， Kimball examines the family and her relationship with each person to understand the unseen， unspoken and the unheard。I have to add， I really liked the TOC and the little timeline graphic at the beginning of each chapter。Recommended for those who like driving fast， Larry Clark movies， The Lion King， geodes and messages left on dry-erase boards。 。。。more
Christen
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I like the way the simple art contrasts with the heaviness of the story。 I kept bracing for something hugely horrible to happen and felt oddly bereft and sad after finishing。 I wondered if that feeling ties into living someone who struggles with mental/emotional health。
Jeff
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Well written with excellent illustrations。 A sad， difficult story。 I appreciate how the author seemed to channel energy into this book， allowing herself to see things from a perspective that's safe for everyone。 I might be off base with that observation。。。 Well written with excellent illustrations。 A sad， difficult story。 I appreciate how the author seemed to channel energy into this book， allowing herself to see things from a perspective that's safe for everyone。 I might be off base with that observation。。。 。。。more
Emmie
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I LOVE the illustrations！
Cathy
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Great memoir。 Though I was left wanting more。
Chris
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An intimate， honest， open exploration of sensitive family dynamics， especially the different mental illnesses that have impacted each generation of Kimball's family。 Fascinating and affecting。 An intimate， honest， open exploration of sensitive family dynamics， especially the different mental illnesses that have impacted each generation of Kimball's family。 Fascinating and affecting。 。。。more
Kassy MacPherson
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Overall: 2。5-3/5 StarsSummary of review: A graphic novel memoir that is beautifully drawn， but fell flat for me。 Summary:A graphic novel about the author’s childhood。 She navigates her mother’s bi-polar disorder and several hospitalizations associated with that。 She also goes through her parent’s divorce， her father remarrying， and other adolescent problems/issues throughout her family。 My thoughts:This memoir was an interesting read。 I have read a lot of memoirs and graphic novel memoirs， but t Overall: 2。5-3/5 StarsSummary of review: A graphic novel memoir that is beautifully drawn， but fell flat for me。 Summary:A graphic novel about the author’s childhood。 She navigates her mother’s bi-polar disorder and several hospitalizations associated with that。 She also goes through her parent’s divorce， her father remarrying， and other adolescent problems/issues throughout her family。 My thoughts:This memoir was an interesting read。 I have read a lot of memoirs and graphic novel memoirs， but this one was unique in many ways。 This novel dealt with a lot of serious issues including mental health， divorce， suicide， depression， etc。 This memoir was candid and raw。 She talked about a lot of things that a lot of times are not spoken of in family units。 I felt like for a graphic novel， it was too “wordy。” You want the graphics to tell a story as well as the words。 She chose black and white images for this graphic novel， which I loved。 But some graphics and words were not important to telling the story。 The author would have a graphic of a room and then label things like “Janice kept candy here。” I felt like these little things took me away from the story itself。 I felt like they were not needed- just let the graphic show me there was candy there。 Each page of the book seemed repetitive to me。 It was either a journal entry， an image of a room with labels and words describing the room/picture， etc。 It felt so receptive that I had to put the book down a few times。 Conclusion: Read this graphic novel but not as an example of a graphic novel。 But if you want a decent/candid memoir， then pick up this book。 。。。more
Erin Goettsch
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This is really compelling and really well-written but oooof it’s all the tough parts of a memoir with very little of the warmth。 The complicated decision to write about people who pretty clearly seemed to not want to be written about made me feel unsettled。 I liked this！ It was good！ I’m also unsettled。
Bryan
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I really enjoyed this and I loved the presentation of it。 What the author chooses to illustrate is really impactful and effective。 I think there was a lot that went unexplored here which， I totally get was the result of page limits but it left me wanting to now what happened to the family during the huge chunks of time that weren't really addressed-- I want those 50 pages about Outward Bound！ Also， the author was so kind to Janice so I'll say it for her- Janice can go to hell。 I really enjoyed this and I loved the presentation of it。 What the author chooses to illustrate is really impactful and effective。 I think there was a lot that went unexplored here which， I totally get was the result of page limits but it left me wanting to now what happened to the family during the huge chunks of time that weren't really addressed-- I want those 50 pages about Outward Bound！ Also， the author was so kind to Janice so I'll say it for her- Janice can go to hell。 。。。more
Nicki
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I was ready to give this 4 stars until I read the interview the author did with her brother at the end。 This memoir is a powerful story of someone trying to learn how to grieve and love her family。 It is very honest about mental illness and aspirational in showing how people who are coming from very different places can learn to listen to one another。
Ashley Adams
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This book is everything I've ever wanted。 Margaret Kimball has used artistic license to turn family videos， photos and diary pages into a narrative that is truly unique。 Her memoir addresses madness， memory， and relationships that truly matter。An absolute must-read for anyone; especially those of us who grew up in the 90s and are still searching for a little meaning。 This book is everything I've ever wanted。 Margaret Kimball has used artistic license to turn family videos， photos and diary pages into a narrative that is truly unique。 Her memoir addresses madness， memory， and relationships that truly matter。An absolute must-read for anyone; especially those of us who grew up in the 90s and are still searching for a little meaning。 。。。more
Katie Hutchison Irion
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Super interesting and a fascinating style
Crystal
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I was uncomfortable with this book。 It felt ableist which is pretty typical of mental health memoirs by family members but the interview of her schizophrenic brother towards the end made my heart sink since I recognized that rhythm， that tone， that shame。 & the fact her family wasn't entirely okay with her book but she puts in an interview to expose that soft underbelly， the rambling speech everyone imagines when they think of people with 'scary' mental illnesses。 I was uncomfortable with this book。 It felt ableist which is pretty typical of mental health memoirs by family members but the interview of her schizophrenic brother towards the end made my heart sink since I recognized that rhythm， that tone， that shame。 & the fact her family wasn't entirely okay with her book but she puts in an interview to expose that soft underbelly， the rambling speech everyone imagines when they think of people with 'scary' mental illnesses。 。。。more
Sarah
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The art in this book is stunning and so is Kimball’s ability to reflect on her family’s story。 She’s so honest and raw and open about her experiences with her family。 I’m struck by her sections about Ted and how she talks about him and talks about how she works to understand him。
Erin
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this was incredible。 It took a bit for me to get into it， especially because I don’t normally read graphic novels， but once I hit a certain point， I couldn’t put it down。 Her story， to me， was very relatable in many ways & her approach was super unique and memorable。 I’d highly recommend！
Caroline Sterr
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A fascinating and beautifully-written memoir of a complicated family history。
Brooklyn
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Absolutely phenomenal。 Kimball handles the situation as an onlooker/bystander to the illness （Bipolar 1） that befalls her family so tenderly， you can truly feel the care seep through the pages。 She just doesn't want anyone to think that *she* thinks they're crazy， and it shows in how she speaks about her loved ones。 I am diagnosed with the same illness as Kimball's mother and think that the she handled the delivery of her experience beautifully， calling attention to other side of the illness， th Absolutely phenomenal。 Kimball handles the situation as an onlooker/bystander to the illness （Bipolar 1） that befalls her family so tenderly， you can truly feel the care seep through the pages。 She just doesn't want anyone to think that *she* thinks they're crazy， and it shows in how she speaks about her loved ones。 I am diagnosed with the same illness as Kimball's mother and think that the she handled the delivery of her experience beautifully， calling attention to other side of the illness， the side that our loved ones have to grin and bear as we cope。 The book itself is beautifully illustrated and the flow is immaculate。 I cried like a baby at the end because I saw myself in so many people， it was quite overwhelming。 I feel as if I know each of Kimball's family members personally， that's how beautiful she translated them to the page。 Can't say enough good stuff， please read this。 。。。more
Erika Lynn （shelf。inspiration）
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4。5 Stars See more on my Bookstagram: Shelf。Inspiration Instagram “We were all a constellation of stars orbiting around this center of our lives。” - And Now I Spill the Family Secrets。Using old diary entities， hospital records， home videos， and other archives， Margaret pieces together a narrative map of her childhood—her mother’s bipolar disorder， her grandmother’s institutionalization， and her brother’s increasing struggles—in an attempt to understand what no one likes to talk about: the frac 4。5 Stars See more on my Bookstagram: Shelf。Inspiration Instagram “We were all a constellation of stars orbiting around this center of our lives。” - And Now I Spill the Family Secrets。Using old diary entities， hospital records， home videos， and other archives， Margaret pieces together a narrative map of her childhood—her mother’s bipolar disorder， her grandmother’s institutionalization， and her brother’s increasing struggles—in an attempt to understand what no one likes to talk about: the fractures in her family。 If you are interested in memoirs at all， you need to go pick this up ASAP。 Of non-fiction books， memoirs are my favorite sub-genre so I have read quite a few of them。 However， I have yet to read one quite like this！ This memoir follows Margaret as she works to piece together the fractured past of her family starting from the generations before her， her childhood， and into the current day。 It is written in almost a graphic novel sort of style。 Each page has full-illustrations that correspond to the story being told。 This makes it such a quick and striking read， and I think it really makes it that much more personable。 I can’t imagine how long this took to write and illustrate， as Margaret had to piece together this story from family member’s recollections and documents that she could find， as well as do the illustrations。 If you enjoy memoirs， books about family （generational aspects， dynamics etc。）， or books that talk about mental health， pick this up！ 。。。more
Mark
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Yes， this graphic memoir is dark and difficult to read at times but it is also expertly put-together。 It is also nicely illustrated in black & white。 A real labor of love， with the full cooperation of her family。4。5 stars
Ben Truong
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And Now I Spill the Family Secrets: An Illustrated Memoir is an autobiographical graphic novel written and illustrated by Margaret Kimball。 In this memoir， Kimball unthreads her mother's bipolar disorder and suicide attempts， her parents' divorce， and the family history leading up to these defining events。Margaret Kimball is an illustrator and writer who love to draw things from nature， animals， houses and buildings。 She is a former assistant professor of illustration at Lesley University in Bos And Now I Spill the Family Secrets: An Illustrated Memoir is an autobiographical graphic novel written and illustrated by Margaret Kimball。 In this memoir， Kimball unthreads her mother's bipolar disorder and suicide attempts， her parents' divorce， and the family history leading up to these defining events。Margaret Kimball is an illustrator and writer who love to draw things from nature， animals， houses and buildings。 She is a former assistant professor of illustration at Lesley University in Boston and creative director at the boutique consultancy group Takeout。With scalpel-sharp writing and tidy drawings， Kimball retraces her family history in this remarkable graphic memoir。 It’s as if Kimball wants to push against the slippery nature of memory by researching and reproducing court records， home videos， maps， and blueprints。 She's particularly keen on dissecting 1988， the year that her mother downed pills and tried to hang herself as a four-year-old， Kimball witnessed the aftermath but understood little。Kimball delves into a past that includes her schizophrenic grandmother and the childhood drowning of her aunt， which is her namesake。 She also jumps forward into her own adulthood， when her older brother breaks with reality。And Now I Spill the Family Secrets: An Illustrated Memoir is written and constructed extremely well – it is far from perfect， but comes rather close。 For all the tumult in her family， there is also ample love and care， like her mom's heartfelt letters and Kimball's own nonjudgmental take on her brother's unhinged conspiracy theories， which breaks from reality。 Kimball suggests that her documentation is pathological in its own way， a compulsion， and just one more layer of reality。All in all， And Now I Spill the Family Secrets: An Illustrated Memoir is a wonderful autobiographical graphic memoir that explores mental illness and how it effects not just the person， but the family unit as a whole。 。。。more
Erin O'sullivan
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What a beautiful， honest， heartbreaking memoir。 I don't think I'd have the courage to lay out my life in this unflinching way and the illustrations are lovely and honest。 *Disclaimer: I know the author， so I'm undoubtedly biased， but it really is a gorgeous book。 What a beautiful， honest， heartbreaking memoir。 I don't think I'd have the courage to lay out my life in this unflinching way and the illustrations are lovely and honest。 *Disclaimer: I know the author， so I'm undoubtedly biased， but it really is a gorgeous book。 。。。more
Denise Levendoski
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Thank you to Margaret Kimball and Goodreads。com I won this book in a Giveaway。While I did enjoy the story， I felt that the way it was presented was a huge distraction for me。 I felt like it wasn't suppose to be serious， maybe that was the point。 It took me awhile to get through and it was not an easy read for me。 The cover and artwork were beautiful and it is a good story。 Thank you to Margaret Kimball and Goodreads。com I won this book in a Giveaway。While I did enjoy the story， I felt that the way it was presented was a huge distraction for me。 I felt like it wasn't suppose to be serious， maybe that was the point。 It took me awhile to get through and it was not an easy read for me。 The cover and artwork were beautiful and it is a good story。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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This was a really interesting read for me as it deals with inherited mental illness， which is something we have dealt with as caretakers of my father-in-law， and the secrets families keep "for the good of the children"， which I think occurs in most families。 （It certainly did in mine。） The illustrations are fantastic， and the author walks well the fine line between sympathy for her subjects and honesty in telling her story。 Very well done。 This was a really interesting read for me as it deals with inherited mental illness， which is something we have dealt with as caretakers of my father-in-law， and the secrets families keep "for the good of the children"， which I think occurs in most families。 （It certainly did in mine。） The illustrations are fantastic， and the author walks well the fine line between sympathy for her subjects and honesty in telling her story。 Very well done。 。。。more
Keen
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3。5 Stars！“My mom was thirty-one when she decided to take her own life。 It was Mother’s Day， 1988。”So go the opening lines of this graphic memoir。 Kimball uses an interesting technique that I’ve rarely if ever come across before， she draws scenes about people but without people in them and what this does is add a ghostly， dislocated feel to the narrative， which I found very clever and effective。 It takes until page 18 before we see a person。This soon turns into an almost forensic examination of 3。5 Stars！“My mom was thirty-one when she decided to take her own life。 It was Mother’s Day， 1988。”So go the opening lines of this graphic memoir。 Kimball uses an interesting technique that I’ve rarely if ever come across before， she draws scenes about people but without people in them and what this does is add a ghostly， dislocated feel to the narrative， which I found very clever and effective。 It takes until page 18 before we see a person。This soon turns into an almost forensic examination of the mental illness plaguing generations of her family， which is compelling as it is haunting。 There is no doubt about Kimball’s artistic talents， or the overall quality of this memoir。 As a personal journey and family project it must be invaluable。 Clearly this is a deeply personal and painful account to write about， but I just don’t think this story is as interesting to read for an outsider as it would have been for the author to write about。 Ultimately I believe the problem with this is in the editing， it was just too long， I think this version is the one she could have kept for her and her family and there could have been a shorter， sharper version for the wider audience。 。。。more
Amy
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I really liked the topic of the book。 My biggest problem was the formatting of the book。 Some panels and pages were hard to read due to font， size and position。
Caroline Dohack
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