Blankets - Anna Harrison

Blankets is a graphic novel written in 2003 by Craig Thompson. I read this graphic novel for a class on the history of comic books. It is a memior of Thompson's teen years and his first love, but wrapped up within the story about his high school girlfriend is his understanding of his own faith. Craig grew up in a strict Christian home and initially believed in God because it was all he knew. His parents used God as a punishment for Craig and his brother, too. They would tell him that God would no longer love him if he continued his misbehavior. As he grew old enough to understand faith for himself, he believed that he was destined for a life in ministry, as his preacher had encouraged him to do so. He accepted this path that was given to him and diligently studied his Bible. Craig read passages from the Bible every night, even when it meant being bullied at church camp where it seemed most kids did not care like he did. Eventually, his faith caused him a lot of guilt. In becoming sexual with the high school girfriend, Raina, a picture of Jesus on the wall brought him back to the feeling of being punished in the name of Jesus during his childhood. As an adult years later, he gave up on his faith, stating that he still believed in God and the teachings of Jesus, but that the church left no room to be human, for the details that make us unique.
This journey with faith is something that a lot of people experience. We grow up under our parents' beliefs, and at some point we have to decide for ourselves what we know to be true. I really enjoyed this book and highly reccommend it.

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