Get Graphic! Book Discussions 2021

The Ohio Center for the Book will be hosting book discussions 6:00-7:00 pm on the first Thursday of October, November, and December at Bookhouse Brewing in Cleveland, Ohio.

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The Get Graphic! book discussions encourage attendees to engage in conversation about comics in all genres including journalism, memoir, sci-fi, fantasy, and many more. Our selections for the end of 2021 include three powerful non-fiction works.

Join us in-person at Bookhouse Brewing at 1526 W 25th St, Cleveland, OH 44113 for lively conversation… whether or not you’ve read the books or just want to talk about the medium of comics!

Thursday, October 7, 6:00 – 7:00 pm

Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio by Derf Backderf

A powerful book documenting the shootings at Kent State University in 1970 and the events that led up to that fateful day in May. Deeply researched and poignantly told, Derf’s book provides a valuable historical perspective as well as a cautionary tale for our own time.

Check out our interview with Derf from May 2021 here.

You can also see additional resources about the book and the historical event here.

Check the CLEVNET catalog or your local library’s catalog for copies of the book. You can check your local bookstore, too!


Thursday, November 4, 6:00 – 7:00 pm

The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel

The Secret to Superhuman Strength, Bechdel’s most recently published work just released in 2021, continues her autobiographical look at her life that began with Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic and Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama. Anya Davidson of The Comics Journal called The Secret to Superhuman Strengththe beauty of Bechdel at her best.”

Find out more about Bechdel and her work at her official website.

Check the CLEVNET catalog or your local library’s catalog for copies of the book. You can check your local bookstore, too!


Thursday, December 2, 6:00 – 7:00 pm

Paying the Land by Joe Sacco

Joe Sacco is known for his hard-hitting comics journalism in books like Palestine and Safe Area Goražde among others. Paying the Land turns our attention to the plight of indigenous communities going up against the timber, mining, and oil and natural gas industries in the Northwest Territories. Leonard Pierce of The Comics Journal called Paying The Land “a masterpiece of reporting.”

Find links to interviews with and more information about Joe Sacco in his Wikipedia article.

Check the CLEVNET catalog or your local library’s catalog for copies of the book. You can check your local bookstore, too!


We encourage you to read all three of these works and to join us in-person for a lively conversation at Bookhouse Brewing if you’re in the greater Cleveland area. We hope to see you there!

Sign into Overdrive or Hoopla with your library card to access e-book editions!