Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands
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- Create Date：2022-09-13 10:51:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Kate Beaton
- ISBN：1770462899
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Summary
Celebrated cartoonist Kate Beaton vividly presents the untold story of Canada。
Before there was Kate Beaton， New York Times bestselling cartoonist of Hark A Vagrant fame， there was Katie Beaton of the Cape Breton Beatons， specifically Mabou， a tight-knit seaside community where the lobster is as abundant as beaches， fiddles， and Gaelic folk songs。 After university， Beaton heads out west to take advantage of Alberta’s oil rush， part of the long tradition of East Coasters who seek gainful employment elsewhere when they can't find it in the homeland they love so much。 With the singular goal of paying off her student loans， what the journey will actually cost Beaton will be far more than she anticipates。
Arriving in Fort McMurray， Beaton finds work in the lucrative camps owned and operated by the world’s largest oil companies。 Being one of the few women among thousands of men， the culture shock is palpable。 It does not hit home until she moves to a spartan， isolated worksite for higher pay。 She encounters the harsh reality of life in the oil sands where trauma is an everyday occurrence yet never discussed。 Her wounds may never heal。
Beaton’s natural cartooning prowess is on full display as she draws colossal machinery and mammoth vehicles set against a sublime Albertan backdrop of wildlife， Northern Lights， and Rocky Mountains。 Her first full-length graphic narrative， Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands is an untold story of Canada: a country that prides itself on its egalitarian ethos and natural beauty while simultaneously exploiting both the riches of its land and the humanity of its people。
Before there was Kate Beaton， New York Times bestselling cartoonist of Hark A Vagrant fame， there was Katie Beaton of the Cape Breton Beatons， specifically Mabou， a tight-knit seaside community where the lobster is as abundant as beaches， fiddles， and Gaelic folk songs。 After university， Beaton heads out west to take advantage of Alberta’s oil rush， part of the long tradition of East Coasters who seek gainful employment elsewhere when they can't find it in the homeland they love so much。 With the singular goal of paying off her student loans， what the journey will actually cost Beaton will be far more than she anticipates。
Arriving in Fort McMurray， Beaton finds work in the lucrative camps owned and operated by the world’s largest oil companies。 Being one of the few women among thousands of men， the culture shock is palpable。 It does not hit home until she moves to a spartan， isolated worksite for higher pay。 She encounters the harsh reality of life in the oil sands where trauma is an everyday occurrence yet never discussed。 Her wounds may never heal。
Beaton’s natural cartooning prowess is on full display as she draws colossal machinery and mammoth vehicles set against a sublime Albertan backdrop of wildlife， Northern Lights， and Rocky Mountains。 Her first full-length graphic narrative， Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands is an untold story of Canada: a country that prides itself on its egalitarian ethos and natural beauty while simultaneously exploiting both the riches of its land and the humanity of its people。
Reviews
Meredith
，
I'm still processing but this definitely hit close to home and I believe it's a masterwork by Beaton。 I'm pleased that her perspective is being shared and I think it was written in a fair and empathetic way。 I highly recommend reading it if you are looking for insight into this Boom era of Alberta and what it felt like for recent graduates。 This book kept me up until 2AM， stuck around in my dreams， and I finished it as soon as I woke up。 I'm still processing but this definitely hit close to home and I believe it's a masterwork by Beaton。 I'm pleased that her perspective is being shared and I think it was written in a fair and empathetic way。 I highly recommend reading it if you are looking for insight into this Boom era of Alberta and what it felt like for recent graduates。 This book kept me up until 2AM， stuck around in my dreams， and I finished it as soon as I woke up。 。。。more
Joe Vess
，
A gripping and powerful story， harrowing even at times。 Really well written and beautifully illustrated。
Brad Wojak
，
Amazing。 Deeply personal and nuanced。 Having spent a bit of time in Fort McMurray， I was riveted by Beaton’s recollections。 A very important memoir。
Jacob Wilson
，
A very interesting perspective， and one that I haven't really encountered before。 The artwork really enhanced the story。 A very interesting perspective， and one that I haven't really encountered before。 The artwork really enhanced the story。 。。。more
Stephanie Caye
，
I'm not really sure what to say about this book except that everyone should read it。 It's funny， sad， harrowing， infuriating and hopeful。 Beaton's experience as a woman in a male-dominated space was very specific to her and yet also universal in showing the misogyny that most/all women encounter at some point if not daily。I felt "seen" reading it， and also angry， and like I wanted everyone， male and female and otherwise， to read it and understand。The Oil Sands themselves took a backseat to this I'm not really sure what to say about this book except that everyone should read it。 It's funny， sad， harrowing， infuriating and hopeful。 Beaton's experience as a woman in a male-dominated space was very specific to her and yet also universal in showing the misogyny that most/all women encounter at some point if not daily。I felt "seen" reading it， and also angry， and like I wanted everyone， male and female and otherwise， to read it and understand。The Oil Sands themselves took a backseat to this for me， but the story was also a powerful lens for looking at the horror and devastation we can be complacent in against native communities and our earth without even thinking about it。Plus her storytelling is great。 It has a wonderful flow but is presented in sort of vignettes that can keep you from getting too deep in in one go （I had to take breaks for emotional release and also because I didn't want the story to end， so there were a lot of good stopping points for a breather。）Yes。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Birdhound
，
Ducking great
Amy
，
I have been waiting for this book ever since KB posted a short vignette comic years ago！！！！！！！！！！！！！！
Justine Cucchi-Dietlin
，
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book。 To preface this， I don't think I've read a book that so deeply resonated with me in a very long time。 I had to put the book down at certain points and just cry because I've experienced many of the things Beaton discussed in Ducks， which I’ll touch on below。 This is a harrowing but important read for everyone， as the book discusses many experiences working class families go through in North America。 Ducks is a memoir that only co Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book。 To preface this， I don't think I've read a book that so deeply resonated with me in a very long time。 I had to put the book down at certain points and just cry because I've experienced many of the things Beaton discussed in Ducks， which I’ll touch on below。 This is a harrowing but important read for everyone， as the book discusses many experiences working class families go through in North America。 Ducks is a memoir that only covers roughly 3 years of Kate Beaton's life。 The first year is her starting out in the oil sands， the second year （or more like half a year） is a break she had in British Columbia working at a museum， and the third year is her remaining time in the oil sands。 I became a fan of Kate Beaton in high school when my then-boyfriend and I shared her history-related webcomics with each other， and I later went back and read her entire bibliography in grad school。 These books are much different from this one， so I was surprised by the different tone of Ducks。 For example， Beaton tends to be more private about her personal life， so I had no idea she came from the same background as me， namely a working class Catholic family in a stupid-cold region where jobs are disappearing。 I always assumed from her writing she was from an upper middle class family located somewhere like Toronto or Vancouver。 I don't feel like this difference in tone was a bad thing， though。 I enjoyed seeing Beaton's range as an author， and was impressed she could go from humorous 4 panel comics to a full-length graphic memoir。 Additionally， I appreciated her candor about her life， as it put her previous work in a new light and made me appreciate it more。There were many other parallels I had with Beaton's life， such as going into college and getting a 'useless' degree then having to figure out a way to make it lucrative （in my case 'classics' then getting a master's in library science）。 However， the parallel I kept going back to is how the men who work at those camps come from everyday backgrounds， and the camp creates a harmful environment that messes with them and their families。 I honestly believe this is an issue that applies to many working class jobs。 My father is an automotive worker and he worked afternoons for a few years in my childhood。 This meant I only saw him on Saturdays and Sundays。 The experience of being separated from his family for such long stretches of time took such a toll on his mental health he eventually took a pay cut to get back on days。 Additionally， his relationship with my brother and I was permanently damaged， as he missed many important childhood milestones。 I thought about this a lot in regards to the men in the oil sands， who often went even longer without seeing their families。The main thing I took away from this book is that a lot more people than you think are ducks。 I think everyone should read this book， especially if you wonder why people work jobs that are deemed harmful to society， the environment， etc。 and the desperation that led them to it。 。。。more
Adam Dalva
，
Quite terrific， often beautiful， and sometimes harrowing graphic memoir about a 22 year old Beaton’s work in Alberta’s oil boom。 Genuinely couldn’t put it down until I finished。 It took up a whole morning of my life。 The stories in this book are often upsetting and deal with trauma head on， but Beaton's humor and art strike a necessary balance。 I've always liked her work - this is on another level。 Quite terrific， often beautiful， and sometimes harrowing graphic memoir about a 22 year old Beaton’s work in Alberta’s oil boom。 Genuinely couldn’t put it down until I finished。 It took up a whole morning of my life。 The stories in this book are often upsetting and deal with trauma head on， but Beaton's humor and art strike a necessary balance。 I've always liked her work - this is on another level。 。。。more
Alicia
，
This is a fascinating portrait of two years working in the very northern regions of Canada in the oil sands as written and illustrated by Beaton。 While I primarily work with teens， I can see some relevance to them reading a story like this as it talks about the hopefulness Beaton had in exploring something new/different in part because she needed the money but also testing her resolve especially when it came to dealing with a toxic environment。 She touches on the topics that readers would be cur This is a fascinating portrait of two years working in the very northern regions of Canada in the oil sands as written and illustrated by Beaton。 While I primarily work with teens， I can see some relevance to them reading a story like this as it talks about the hopefulness Beaton had in exploring something new/different in part because she needed the money but also testing her resolve especially when it came to dealing with a toxic environment。 She touches on the topics that readers would be curious about from the environmental issues associated with the oil fields to the loneliness and isolation of being one of very few females in a male-dominated environment at a young age。 This is very much written and illustrated in a style that Drawn and Quarterly are known for。 It's a memoir that mines the details of a twenty-something's life living outside of the ordinary。 。。。more
Maia
，
Holy shit， what a book！！ I've been reading Kate Beaton's work online since the livejournal days， starting in roughly 2009， just after the events which this memoir recounts。 It's humbling to sit with the narrative of what was happening in the real life of an author I knew for her humorous history jokes in Hark！ A Vagrant。In 2005， Kate was a recent college graduate with a double degree in History and Anthropology， and a mountain of student debt。 She came home to Cape Breton， in Eastern Canada， to Holy shit， what a book！！ I've been reading Kate Beaton's work online since the livejournal days， starting in roughly 2009， just after the events which this memoir recounts。 It's humbling to sit with the narrative of what was happening in the real life of an author I knew for her humorous history jokes in Hark！ A Vagrant。In 2005， Kate was a recent college graduate with a double degree in History and Anthropology， and a mountain of student debt。 She came home to Cape Breton， in Eastern Canada， to a very bleak jobless landscape。 So， she did what everyone was doing at the time: went to work in the oil sands in Alberta until she could pay her loans off。 At twenty-two she had no idea what to expect or what she would find there; what the isolation， physically challenging work environment， and massive gender-imbalance of the employee population would lead to。 Men outnumbered women sometimes fifty to one; sexual harassment during work hours and assault after hours in the camp dorms was rampant， as was depression and drug use。 Slowly， over the course of three years， Kate became aware of the conversations around environmental impact and misuse of stolen Indigenous lands。 This book， nearly 500 pages， does not tell; it shows， in excruciating detail， the human cost of this harsh， damaging industry。 But while the money remains， people who feel they have no other choice will keep working the oil sands。 No one who works there wants to be there， but the other industries they worked in before are gone。 I am extremely grateful that Beaton decided to write this book， and I hope the telling of the story was cathartic。 Thank you also to Drawn and Quarterly， for giving me a copy in advance of its release。 This is a heavy book， but I definitely recommend it， and I want to follow it up with some reading on how we begin addressing this huge， systemic problem。 。。。more
Beth Bissmeyer
，
Kate Beaton's immersive graphic memoir about her time working in the oil fields of Alberta stays with you and rightly deserves a place in the graphic memoir canon。 In Ducks， Beaton places you in a complicated world that few outsiders understand。 Without ever using internal monologue， Beaton shows through character dialogue how this extractive industry causes harm well beyond environmental damage， taking a significant toll on people's health， relationships， identity， and dignity。 With her graysca Kate Beaton's immersive graphic memoir about her time working in the oil fields of Alberta stays with you and rightly deserves a place in the graphic memoir canon。 In Ducks， Beaton places you in a complicated world that few outsiders understand。 Without ever using internal monologue， Beaton shows through character dialogue how this extractive industry causes harm well beyond environmental damage， taking a significant toll on people's health， relationships， identity， and dignity。 With her grayscale illustrations， Beaton also effectively conveys how expansive， isolating， and， at times， beautiful， these fields are。 A must read。P。S。 Take off the dust jacket for a perfect surprise。 。。。more
Jenny Lawson
，
I adored Hark！ A Vagrant！ so when I saw Kate Beaton had a new graphic novel coming out I immediately grabbed it。 This is not a silly collection of smart comics。 It's so much more。 It's a retelling of the author's year spent working in the Northern Alberta oil sands and that sounds like it should be sort of boring， but it wasn't at all。 I felt like I was there with her， exploring this strange world。 It's angsty and gritty and true。 It's also quite long， which I appreciate in a graphic novel since I adored Hark！ A Vagrant！ so when I saw Kate Beaton had a new graphic novel coming out I immediately grabbed it。 This is not a silly collection of smart comics。 It's so much more。 It's a retelling of the author's year spent working in the Northern Alberta oil sands and that sounds like it should be sort of boring， but it wasn't at all。 I felt like I was there with her， exploring this strange world。 It's angsty and gritty and true。 It's also quite long， which I appreciate in a graphic novel since they often are over before I really get to love the characters。 I recommend。 。。。more
Katrina
，
So powerful and thought-provoking - particularly on the experiences of women in male-dominated industries。 It made me feel so much rage and sadness， and so much admiration for Kate （and her art is truly brilliant here too） - there’s a sense of hope in the solidarity amongst friends and the sharing of stories when they find the right people。
Meredith Ann
，
ARC courtesy of the publisher。 This is an incredible book and a powerful memoir， one you will not be able to put down （but will need to at times）。 I wanted to cry at times reading this， laugh at others， but overall I was engrossed in Kate's world during her time working and living in the oil sands。 There's references to some of Beaton's other works that longtime fans will appreciate。 A front runner for my favorite book of the year。 ARC courtesy of the publisher。 This is an incredible book and a powerful memoir， one you will not be able to put down （but will need to at times）。 I wanted to cry at times reading this， laugh at others， but overall I was engrossed in Kate's world during her time working and living in the oil sands。 There's references to some of Beaton's other works that longtime fans will appreciate。 A front runner for my favorite book of the year。 。。。more
Librariann
，
**I received a DRC of this book from the publisher， because I am a librarian and librarians are awesome**Can't decide if this is 4 or 5 stars。 Can't decide what I want to say about it yet。 It was。。。 a lot that I wouldn't have imagined back when I was reading Hark a Vagrant back in the OOs。Stay tuned。（It's not often that I read an ARC and decide straight forth that I'm going to buy a copy when it comes out。 This is a book that I'm going to buy when it comes out） **I received a DRC of this book from the publisher， because I am a librarian and librarians are awesome**Can't decide if this is 4 or 5 stars。 Can't decide what I want to say about it yet。 It was。。。 a lot that I wouldn't have imagined back when I was reading Hark a Vagrant back in the OOs。Stay tuned。（It's not often that I read an ARC and decide straight forth that I'm going to buy a copy when it comes out。 This is a book that I'm going to buy when it comes out） 。。。more
Venneh
，
Fellow reviewers please note - there is a note from Kate at the end of this， PLEASE FUCKING READ IT and also respect it。 This is a graphic novel about Kate’s three years working in the oil sands to pay off her student loans （which， big fucking mood）， but it’s also about the environment and all of the little things that roll and roll and roll together until in the end you realize the full scale of what you’re looking at， and the small slight chips that slowly wear you down。 If you’ve been followi Fellow reviewers please note - there is a note from Kate at the end of this， PLEASE FUCKING READ IT and also respect it。 This is a graphic novel about Kate’s three years working in the oil sands to pay off her student loans （which， big fucking mood）， but it’s also about the environment and all of the little things that roll and roll and roll together until in the end you realize the full scale of what you’re looking at， and the small slight chips that slowly wear you down。 If you’ve been following her since Hark！， you’ll see bits and pieces of very familiar things peeking through。 this is going to appear on a lot of year end review lists for a reason。 My personal recommendation is that at several points I had to put it down because I was sobbing so hard， but also laughing so hard。 You know this juxtaposition if you’ve read her other stuff。 This is her first foray into autobiographical storytelling but it hits perfectly。 Preorder it now。 。。。more
Margaret
，
This is such a brilliant memoir， powerful， empathetic， kind， relentless。 Kate Beaton spent 2 years working in the oil sands in Alberta to pay off her student loans， and experienced relentless misogyny while working there， yet she also couldn't help but see that these men could've been her father， brother， cousins， friends。 I love intimate glimpses into really specific groups like this， part sociology and part memoir。 I would not have normally picked this one up but I'm so glad I did。Content warn This is such a brilliant memoir， powerful， empathetic， kind， relentless。 Kate Beaton spent 2 years working in the oil sands in Alberta to pay off her student loans， and experienced relentless misogyny while working there， yet she also couldn't help but see that these men could've been her father， brother， cousins， friends。 I love intimate glimpses into really specific groups like this， part sociology and part memoir。 I would not have normally picked this one up but I'm so glad I did。Content warnings for rape， misogyny， drug overdose， possible suicide， animal death。 。。。more
Julie Ehlers
，
If I tell you this book ripped my heart out of my chest， would that make you want to read it？I was already a big fan of Kate Beaton’s Hark！ A Vagrant！ collections， but Ducks， a memoir in comics， was a different experience entirely。 Having graduated from college with an arts degree， and motivated by student loan debt and a lack of opportunities in her native Cape Breton， Beaton takes a job in the oil sands of Alberta。 The oil sands are probably familiar to most Canadians， but for the rest of us: If I tell you this book ripped my heart out of my chest， would that make you want to read it？I was already a big fan of Kate Beaton’s Hark！ A Vagrant！ collections， but Ducks， a memoir in comics， was a different experience entirely。 Having graduated from college with an arts degree， and motivated by student loan debt and a lack of opportunities in her native Cape Breton， Beaton takes a job in the oil sands of Alberta。 The oil sands are probably familiar to most Canadians， but for the rest of us: they’re deposits of heavy crude oil that needs extracting。 They’re pretty isolated， you often have to live on-site， and there are 50 male workers for every female worker。Fifty men for every one woman， in an isolated setting。 When we hear that， we know what it means。 And Beaton does not skimp on any of the dark， ugly details and the toll they took。 But there’s more to this story。 I’m also someone who grew up in an area that you pretty much had to leave in order to get anywhere in life。 For the people who stay， men are still overwhelmingly viewed as the breadwinners， but what do they do when the coal mines empty out and the factories move to other countries？ In the world of Ducks， where do they go when they’ve got an eighth-grade education and the fish are gone and the coal is too？ They move to the oil sands， far from their families and communities， surrounded by other men。 And a few women。 Beaton does not sugarcoat or excuse any of the many harrowing experiences she had in the oil sands， but at the same time she musters far more compassion and tenderness than I could have in a similar situation。 These two elements coexisted in her life， and their coexistence in Ducks is what pushes the book to another level。 The PR materials I got with this book likened it to Maus， Persepolis， and Fun Home—three classics of the form。 I was skeptical of this comparison going in， but not anymore。 All this book needs is the audience。 Please read it。And don’t skip the acknowledgments at the end—there’s a little more to the story。Thank you to Drawn & Quarterly for the review copy of this beautiful book that’s destined to be one of my favorites of the year， and probably of all time。 。。。more
Ben
，
Beaton adds her contribution to the pool of recent job-specific graphic memoirs， and it delivers on being thoughtful， compelling， occasionally funny， and very， very personal。
Samantha Fraenkel
，
What a stunning and important work。 Destined to become a Canadian classic。
sspspspsps
，
I feel so grateful that I was allowed to have access to the young life of one of my favorite authors/artists of all time。 The classic Beaton facial expressions on her characters are so genius， and so familiar。 Such an emotional， hard book。
gigi
，
easily the best graphic novel i’ve read this year。 such a power beautiful graphic memoir。 the book isn’t out yet so i don’t want to say too much so i’ll leave it with this quote from the afterword: “There is often a tendency to want to characterize the Northern Alberta oil sands as either entirely good or entirely bad — the jobs and profits vs。 the climate rattling destruction。 But， over my time there， I learned you can have both good and bad at the same time in the same place， and the oil sands easily the best graphic novel i’ve read this year。 such a power beautiful graphic memoir。 the book isn’t out yet so i don’t want to say too much so i’ll leave it with this quote from the afterword: “There is often a tendency to want to characterize the Northern Alberta oil sands as either entirely good or entirely bad — the jobs and profits vs。 the climate rattling destruction。 But， over my time there， I learned you can have both good and bad at the same time in the same place， and the oil sands defy any easy characterization。” 。。。more
Laura Sackton
，
This is a remarkable book。
Danielle
，
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review。 Ducks is a really different Kate Beaton than the one you might know from Hark！ A Vagrant， The Princess and the Pony， or King Baby。 In this first venture into memoir， Beaton gives us a look into her years spent working for an oil company hundreds of miles away from home as a means of paying off her student debt。 Alberta's oil boom brings east coast Canadians to the rural and isolated Fort McMurray， far from family and Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review。 Ducks is a really different Kate Beaton than the one you might know from Hark！ A Vagrant， The Princess and the Pony， or King Baby。 In this first venture into memoir， Beaton gives us a look into her years spent working for an oil company hundreds of miles away from home as a means of paying off her student debt。 Alberta's oil boom brings east coast Canadians to the rural and isolated Fort McMurray， far from family and all that they love， in the hopes of supporting their families。 After graduation， Kate decides to follow the money despite her family's protests。After a suggestion from a family friend to go for a job in the tool crib， one of the safer and more profitable positions， Kate moves with little more than the clothes on her back in hopes of quickly paying off her student loans so she can someday pursue her dreams of art。 The landscape of the Oil Sands is a far cry from home， but even worse is the depression， isolation， and frequent sexual harassment。 As one of only a few women out of hundreds of men， everywhere Kate turns she is objectified and insulted。 She watches men her father's age， with families back home， behave in a lecherous manner。 Her door knob is regularly rattled at night。 She even returns to her room one evening to find a stranger waiting inside。 People change in the Oil Sands。 Kate included。This is a multifaceted story of trauma。 Even as she battles harassment at the hands of her colleagues， Kate can recognize what the environment of Fort McMurray inspires in a person， how one can become hardened， desensitized， and broken by the experience。 As she watches colleagues become maimed， depressed， crushed under the isolation， or even physically crushed by the dangerous equipment， die by suicide， it's difficult to reconcile the high wages with the ultimate cost。 Juxtaposed next to the conversation surrounding what， exactly， the Oil Sands is doing to the land from which it takes， readers are left wondering what is ultimately lost and， if anything is gained， who's got it？The style， while undeniably Beaton， is a far cry from the caricature presented in her webcomics or children's books。 In shades of gray， Ducks is stark， serious， with only occasional moments of cartoonish levity。 Stylistically it's somewhat divorced from the bug-eyed Pony or the steamy Heathcliffes of Beaton's past work — that was fiction， this is real life。 I hope to see more stories like this from Kate in the future。 She's got a knack for humor， but Ducks proves she has the chops for more serious non-fiction。 Thoughtful， heartbreaking， and dark， Ducks is undoubtedly one of the best graphic novels I've encountered this year。 。。。more
Winnie
，
Phenomenal。 Ducks was honest and heartbreaking and soberingly real in a way that I never expected。 We are all the titular ducks。
Sarah S
，
I received an advance reader copy from the publisher。I look forward to reading this again in print to better appreciate the details in Beaton's art， which is so full of emotion and character。 I've been reading her comics since she was publishing on Livejournal， and I had a general impression about her work in the oil sands from those early comics， but like most readers I'm more familiar with her fun and wacky comics。 This book is not that。 This is a sensitive and thoughtful memoir about a diffic I received an advance reader copy from the publisher。I look forward to reading this again in print to better appreciate the details in Beaton's art， which is so full of emotion and character。 I've been reading her comics since she was publishing on Livejournal， and I had a general impression about her work in the oil sands from those early comics， but like most readers I'm more familiar with her fun and wacky comics。 This book is not that。 This is a sensitive and thoughtful memoir about a difficult time period in anyone's life: when you are learning how to be yourself in the world as an adult。 That this growth is happening in such an extreme environment heightens everything。 I am confident that this book will make for an excellent book club discussion title。 。。。more
Sam - Read & Buried
，
Ducks is a graphic memoir about the author's experience working in the oil sands in Alberta。 I'll admit I really wasn't familiar with the setting at all， so it was really interesting to get a glimpse into mid-2000s Canada。 Beaton is unflinching in showing her experience as a woman in a very male field， and I could tell as I was reading that this will be a story that stays with me for a long time。 As far as execution goes， this is the perfect graphic memoir。 I'm grateful that Beaton is willing to Ducks is a graphic memoir about the author's experience working in the oil sands in Alberta。 I'll admit I really wasn't familiar with the setting at all， so it was really interesting to get a glimpse into mid-2000s Canada。 Beaton is unflinching in showing her experience as a woman in a very male field， and I could tell as I was reading that this will be a story that stays with me for a long time。 As far as execution goes， this is the perfect graphic memoir。 I'm grateful that Beaton is willing to share this part of herself， and I'm glad I was able to read it。 Thank you to Drawn & Quarterly and NetGalley for providing a copy for review。 。。。more
Méli
，
ARC provided by DQugly sobbing， maybe the best graphic of 2022*start of Hack！ A Vagrant and pony， bittersweet apparence of Becky
Beth
，