This country : searching for home in (very) rural America

Title:

Author:

Mahdavian, Navied, 1985- author, artist.

Summary:

Before Navied Mahdavian moved with his wife and dog in November of 2016 from San Francisco to an off-the-grid cabin in rural Idaho, he had never fished, gardened, hiked, hunted, or lived in a snowy place. But there, he could own land, realize his dream of being an artist, and start a family—the Millennial dream. Over the next three years, Mahdavian leaned into the wonders of the natural Idaho landscape and found himself adjusting to and enjoying a slower pace of living. But beyond the boundaries of his six acres, he was confronted with the realities of America’s political shifts and forced to confront the question: Do I belong here? Mahdavian’s beautifully written and unflinchingly honest graphic memoir charts his growth and struggles as an artist, citizen, and new father. It celebrates his love of place and honors the relationships he makes in rural America, touching on dynamics like culture, environment, and identity in America, and even articulating difficult moments of racism and brutality he found there as a Middle Eastern American. With wit, compassion, and a sense of humor, Mahdavian’s insider perspective offers a unique portrait of one of the most remote and wild areas of the American West. -- Amazon.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : illustrations ; 23 cm

Genre:

Autobiographical comics.

Nonfiction comics.

Comics (Graphic works)

Graphic novels.

Personal Subject:

Mahdavian, Navied, 1985--Comic books, strips, etc.

Subject Term:

Cartoonists -- Biography -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Identity (Psychology) -- Comic books, strips, etc.

National characteristics, American -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Geographic Term:

West (U.S.) -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Publisher:

Princeton Architectural Press,

Publication Date:

2023

ISBN:

9781797223674

Publication Information:

New York : Princeton Architectural Press, [2023]

Call Number:

741.5 MAHDAVIAN

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003675785	New Adult Nonfiction	741.5 MAHDAVIAN	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

"With light and airy illustrations, Mahdavian tackles these complex themes with humor and wit."

-- NPR, Books We Love 2023

NPR BEST BOOKS OF 2023 ● NEW YORKER BEST BOOKS WE'VE READ IN 2023 ● A gorgeously illustrated and written debut graphic memoir about belonging, identity, and making a home in the remote American West, by New Yorker cartoonist Navied Mahdavian.

Before Navied Mahdavian moved with his wife and dog in November of 2016 from San Francisco to an off-the-grid cabin in rural Idaho, he had never fished, gardened, hiked, hunted, or lived in a snowy place. But there, he could own land, realize his dream of being an artist, and start a family. Over the next three years, Mahdavian leaned into the wonders of the natural Idaho landscape and found himself adjusting to and enjoying a slower pace of living. But beyond the boundaries of his six acres, he was confronted with the realities of America's political shifts and forced to confront the question: Do I belong here?

Mahdavian's beautifully written and unflinchingly honest graphic memoir charts his growth and struggles as an artist, citizen, and new father. It celebrates his love of place and honors the relationships he makes in rural America, touching on dynamics like culture, environment, and identity in America, and even articulating difficult moments of racism and brutality he found there as a Middle Eastern American. With wit, compassion, and a sense of humor, Mahdavian's insider perspective offers a unique portrait of one of the most remote and wild areas of the American West.

Author Notes

Navied Mahdavian has been a contributing cartoonist at the New Yorker since 2018. His work has also been published in Reader's Digest , Wired , and Alta Online and the books The Rejection Collection and Send Help! Before becoming a cartoonist, he taught the fifth grade, where he learned most of his jokes. Mahdavian was born in Miami and lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

New Yorker cartoonist Mahdavian debuts with a charming, meditative graphic memoir that recounts three years he lived in the rural Midwest. In summer 2016, Iranian American Mahdavian and his wife, Emelie, move from the San Francisco Bay Area to six acres in Idaho to live "the millennial dream." The locals mostly welcome them (and their tiny off-the-grid home), but "people in small towns," Mahdavian says, "always know who you are." Casual bigotry runs through neighbors' nosy questions ("We were debating where your name is from") as he and Emelie attempt to reopen the local theater ("You're not trying to bring that Boise-Portland-Seattle-San Francisco artsy-fartsy social-justice-warrior crap here, are you?") and work on their garden. During their struggle to conceive a child (eventually they do), the land also becomes a fertile canvas to interrogate identity and belonging in a country that rejects the unfamiliar. Poetic asides on botany, etymology, and Persian literature are interwoven between well-timed comedic beats, with Mahdavian unafraid to mock himself. The minimalist black-and-white art captures the intricate connections between place and identity, skillfully managing both moments of cartoon comedy and elegant environmental portraiture. This exceptional debut is a sublime self-examination that's perfect for fans of Yeon-sik Hong's Uncomfortably Happy or Eleanor Davis's The Hard Tomorrow. Agent: Dan Mandel, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. (Sept.)