Grass

“Gendry-Kim’s forceful art, with its wild lines and dense black, plunges fully into the realm of nightmare. We see the men in silhouette, each face just a pair of leering eyes and a set of demonic teeth . . . The next two pages are as heart-stopping as any comics I’ve seen. They depict nothing less than the death of a soul.”—The New York Times Book Review

"With an array of visual techniques, from rough smudges to detailed strokes, some fluid and others startling, Keum Suk Gendry-Kim's Grass challenges readers to think critically about their own responsibility as they absorb former 'comfort woman' Lee Ok-sun's story. What is our role as readers in relation to this story? How should we approach inevitable gaps in memory and failures of our own knowledge and imagination? What are the ethics in (re)telling their narratives? These questions, manifested through the aforementioned deft craftsmanship and the portrayal of the artist interviewing Lee, serve to ultimately prove one of the most powerful qualities of art and literature: to act as a portal through which we test and expand our empathy."—Emily Yoon, A Cruelty Special to Our Species, Ordinary Misfortunes

"A small girl on a large, empty page. Alone in a cruel uncaring world. A world at war. Grass is heartbreaking and beautiful. Recurring images of nature, at once delicate and strong, help you to breathe while you choke up from the brutality. Repetition of sky, trees, birds, grass, youth, hunger, old age, and friendship. War must end. Then tears and strength and heroism. Loss but also hope."—Miriam Katin, Letting Go, We Are On Our Own