graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
memoir
A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...
by cartoonist
Tillie Walden
Tillie Walden (born 1996) is an American cartoonist who has published five graphic novels and a webcomic. Walden won the 2018 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work for her graphic novel ''Spinning'', making her one of the youngest Eisner Awar ...
that was first published by
First Second Books
First Second Books is an American publisher of graphic novels. An imprint of Roaring Brook Press, part of Holtzbrinck Publishers, First Second publishes fiction, biographies, personal memoirs, history, visual essays, and comics journalism. It al ...
on September 12, 2017. The memoir chronicles Walden's years
coming-of-age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...
At the start of ''Spinning'', Walden is ten and her family has just moved to
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
from
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
. Walden, a competitive figure skater, finds herself having to adjust to the new environment and figure skating culture. As Walden becomes more disenchanted with the culture around the competitive sport, she discovers her talent as an artist. Having known she was gay since she was five, Walden also struggles with the alienation and pressure she faces as she embarks on her first romance with another girl. The novel also recounts Walden's sexual assault by her
SAT
The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...
tutor.
Development
The idea for ''Spinning'' first came to Tillie Walden when she attempted to make a short comic about ice skating at the end of her first year at the
Center for Cartoon Studies
The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) is a two-year institution focusing on sequential art, specifically comics and graphic novels ''Spinning'' was initially Walden's school thesis and upon graduating, she worked with
First Second Books
First Second Books is an American publisher of graphic novels. An imprint of Roaring Brook Press, part of Holtzbrinck Publishers, First Second publishes fiction, biographies, personal memoirs, history, visual essays, and comics journalism. It al ...
to turn her thesis into the final graphic novel.
Having published three fictional graphic novels before ''Spinning'', Walden noted that it was a lot harder, but far more rewarding, to write the memoir than works of fiction. According to Walden, revisiting the trauma she faced was difficult and "there were scenes in ''Spinning'' where hejust cried the entire time hedrew it."
Reception
In her review, Rachel Cooke of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' wrote: "Intimate and charming, ''Spinning'' already has the feeling of a
coming-of-age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...
classic – and yet, amazingly, its talented author has only just hit 21." ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''s
Douglas Wolk
Douglas Wolk (born 1970) is a Portland, Oregon-based author and critic. He has written about comics and popular music for publications including ''The New York Times'', ''Rolling Stone'', ''The Washington Post'', ''The Nation'', ''The New Republi ...
described the novel as "engrossing, gorgeously quiet", while ''
The Austin Chronicle
''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...
''s Wayne Alan Brenner called it a "powerful work of real-life storytelling". ''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'' noted that the memoir is "a haunting and resonant coming-of-age story," while ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
''s Sarah Hunter called it "a stirring, gorgeously illustrated story of finding the strength to follow one's own path."
''
The Daily Dot
''The Daily Dot'' is a digital media company covering the culture of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Founded by Nicholas White in 2011, ''The Daily Dot'' is headquartered in Austin, Texas.
The site, conceived as the Internet's "hometo ...
''s Gavia Baker-Whitelaw concluded that: "''Spinning'' is a raw and intimate memoir, and likely to appear on many “best-of” lists for 2017. It's honest and sensitive, holding a different appeal for a wide range of viewpoints. As a coming-out story, it's painful and therapeutic. To figure skaters, the depictions of the sport and its culture will doubtless ring true. And for childhood overachievers, it's a firsthand observation by someone who grew up and escaped through an unexpected avenue."
''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
''s Oliver Sava named ''Spinning'' as one of the best comics of 2017, and it was tied for third place in ''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'' 2017 Graphic Novel Critics Poll. The novel won the 2018 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work, making Walden one of the youngest Eisner Award winners ever at 22.
Challenges
In August 2022, 62% of voters in Jamestown Charter Township voted to defund their public library system after librarians refused to remove three books from the library's shelves: ''Gender Queer'', ''Kiss Number 8'' by Colleen A. F. Venable, and ''Spinning'' by
Tillie Walden
Tillie Walden (born 1996) is an American cartoonist who has published five graphic novels and a webcomic. Walden won the 2018 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work for her graphic novel ''Spinning'', making her one of the youngest Eisner Awar ...
. Community activists claimed that the presence of these books in the library's young adult and adult sections meant the library was trying to "groom" young children. According to Library Board President Larry Walton, without fund renewal, "the library will run out of money in 2023, jeopardizing its existence." Despite not wanting to close the library, Walton has stated that the board refuses to ban the books.