When you are out there in the dating world, one of the hardest things to do is strike up a conversation with a date. What do you talk about? Is there anything you have in common? If you are a Christian single, you know that you have your love for the Lord and a yearning to find someone to share your walk of life and faith.
One topic you might want to talk about is books that you have read and one that may touch you as a Christian single is a graphic novel called Blankets.
If you even know what a graphic novel is, you might associate them with comic books containing the adventures of Spider-Man, Batman, The Fantastic Four, Superman and the like. (And all of those heroes have had graphic novels so you are on the right track). However, they can also be a way for talented writers and artists to tell very personal and sometimes autobiographical stories in an oversized format.
Blankets was written and drawn by Craig Thompson and was a multiple award winner in 2004 of both the Harvey and Eisner Awards. It tells Mr. Thompson’s story of growing up in a devoutly religious home, trying to reconcile his faith in a world that seems to denigrate such beliefs, and how he finds love for the first time. Blankets is called just that because of the way you might share a blanket with a sibling when you are younger and with a significant other when you are older. It’s meant to evoke comfort and security.
Do you remember that feeling of being in love for the first time? There can be such peace and heartache and comfort and turmoil when you feel the initial stirrings of love in your heart. You can even find it hard to breathe when the other person is not around because they become the very oxygen you need to survive. Mr. Thompson captures that feeling beautifully and poetically. His experience is unique, but the themes of wanting to find love and acceptance are universal.
Be warned that this is not a book for children. While there is a lot of beauty in Blankets, there is some ugliness as well – the ugliness of the human condition. Human beings can say ugly hurtful things, do ugly hurtful things, and sometimes have ugly hurtful things done to them. Mr. Thompson does not whitewash his tale and package it with a “happily ever after” type ending. It is real and it is sometimes raw.
After you read it, when you find someone having listed Blankets in their on-line profile as one of their favorite books, you will know that you might have stumbled upon a special person. At the very least, it will give you that conversational kick-off that any budding relationship needs!
Mike Johnson, the author of this review, is a writer, actor and mediator in Family Court.
Editor’s Note: Views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect that of Christian Dating Service PLUS!
CHRISTIAN DATING SERVICE
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