Black Cohosh

by Eagle Valiant Brosi

A heartfelt, comedic coming-of-age debut from a bright new talent

When we meet Eagle Valiant Brosi, he is a long-haired commune kid, bullied by other kids,
teachers, and his neighbors. And because of his speech impediment, Eagle observes
silently and often. Mom—a classic earthy, free spirit prone to discursive lectures on natural
medicine and the efficacy of certain plants—is the only one who really cares. So Eagle lets
others talk and talk and talk, revealing their true natures and selfish (sometimes even
selfless) motivations.

In Black Cohosh, Eagle pieces together the puzzling and hurtful things he has been told as
he takes his first, tragic steps into adulthood. While things may seem grim, Brosi’s
drawings are loose and limber, stretching and falling across each page. His cast of hippie
archetypes come with iconic thatches of hair, bushy beards, and scrawny, gesticulating
arms. Black Cohosh is a captivating debut from a natural storyteller with the expert timing
of a veteran comedian and the soothing empathy of a death doula.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Nonfiction, Memoir

360 pages, Paperback

Published June 17, 2025

Reviews

[tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are lots of graphic novels and lots of graphic novel memoirs - but this one is special. Effective minimal art, pain, and laughs are aplenty. But what hits about it is the fearlessness and honesty with which Eagle tells HIS truth about his parents and his upbringing. I think some of the most crucial parts of the book are when his mom tells him not to tell anyone something (but he’s sharing it now w the world) and when she says that comics aren’t a way to connect and make the world a better place (but we’re living the proof that they are). Without these bits of complexity when you see how his mom was wrong about things too or that he is willing to go against her wishes, the book would be too one dimensional. Instead of detracting from his/our love for his mom, it makes it richer, and so the end hits harder. His unintelligible gyphs, especially in the final pages, make for some of the best comics panes I’ve seen.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not really a “comic book person” but I couldn’t put this book down. The author has a way of pulling you into his world as a child with a speech impediment that prevents most from understanding him - so often as kids even when we could speak “properly” we were told to be quiet or just ignored. Brosi’s POV connects deeply to the child in all of us who didn’t necessarily understand the complexities between adults, but absolutely felt the purity of their pain and sadness. I related to the story both as a child and a parent, and I think all readers will be moved by this deceptively simple book. The ricochets of love between the author and his mother are absolutely apparent. Grateful for the read.

[Margaret Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - Strange and at times difficult to tell characters apart, but once I got into it, I appreciated this graphic novel.

[Dale Barlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Adult Graph) 07.13.2025: a gift from my Troy friend (StRo); this is a book by a former neighbor of the reader's whose parents were long-time Berea associates of our family, especially when both our children were growing up...; 07.15.2025: autobiographical about the author's struggles with his own family; impressive, simple art work; because I know the players this was a difficult read; I was well aware of the author being made fun of when the author was young; I saw the author at a wedding in April, 2024 and at the time the author appeared not to be aware of his own father's medical condition(s)..., having read this novel, I have a glimpse of that fracturing; overall a depressing but impressive read; I wonder what I would have thought if I didn't know any of the players. Reportedly, the author has been contracted with the publisher to write two (2) more novels: stay tuned; 2025 paperback gifted to me by a friend; 360 unnumbered pages

[Renaud Houde · Rating 5 out of 5]

C'est extrêmement humain comme livre, surtout quand on prend en considération que l'histoire est inspirée de la vie de l'auteur. Gros accent sur comment on traite les gens qui sont différents dans notre société, dans nos écoles, etc. Nous met super bien dans la peau de Eagle qui a un gros problème de prononciation et que la plupart des gens ne comprennent pas, donc rejette, même les gens de sa propre famille/communauté.

[Elias Wickline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Eagle I love Scabies I love this book. One time Eagle made me a card for my birthday and it was one of the most special things I’ve ever received; one of my treasures. Eagle is one of the most inspiring and compassionate individuals I know. Love forever.

[Kim]

didn’t put it down until it was over !

[Michelle Tuite · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading 2025
Book 262: Black Cohosh by Eagle Valiant Brosi

For #NonfictionNovember I looked up nonfiction graphic novels to break up the audio books, take in a different format. This was one of those books, bought this one.

Synopsis: In Black Cohosh, Eagle pieces together the puzzling and hurtful things he has been told as he takes his first, tragic steps into adulthood. While things may seem grim, Brosi’s
drawings are loose and limber, stretching and falling across each page.

Review: Ummmm, I am not sure what I read here. The art was line drawings, but did not enhance the story for me. I was confused as to what was happening most of the time. It was all weird, weird, weird. Now weird is not always bad, but I cannot tell you what exactly happened in this book except the author has had a rough life. My rating 2⭐️

[Robin Bernstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Cohosh is a debut graphic novel or memoir (the book never quite categorizes itself, but the protagonist and author are both named Eagle Valiant). The story--which has nothing to do with menopause, despite the title--is about a kid who has a speech disability and grows up on a commune. But the sentence I just wrote doesn't begin to capture the emotional journey of this book. It's about people who struggle to be heard in an ecosystem rife with bullies. It's about loneliness and the desire to connect. It's about attempts at mutual care that fall short. The art is spare, with a thin line and abundant white space--a reflection of the protagonist's isolation. The spareness can cause the reader to overlook how much is happening on each page. There are many actions that I didn't understand until I'd read the book for the third time. This is an utterly extraordinary, wonderful book.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the glowing reviews, I found this somewhat hard to read, both in content and in format. Eagle is bullied relentlessly and has very little support from self-involved parents and distant commune members. The structure is in small snippets of scenes, heartfelt and painful but with art that doesn't help propel the story much and the emotion only slightly. To me this is clearly a first book; a memoir that is likely cathartic for the author to write but not great reading, with difficulty getting a story arc across. I will look forward to seeing what the author does next and how the writing improves.

[Jai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up Black Cohosh without reading what it was about. I just thought it was about the plant in a graphic novel form but it was just a sad story about a kid with a speech impediment. He’s bullied in school by everyone, including the teachers. His home life isn’t that great either. His father is abusive and his Mom is a cool hippie but she allows too much to happen to him.

I felt absolutely awful for Eagle. I’ve never felt so sorry for kid in my life. No one stood up for him and he couldn’t talk so everyone just said whatever they wanted. The ending is just as worse and now I feel like crying and giving him a hug all at the same time.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting memoir about a kid who grew up unconventionally in the Appalachians. He has a severe speech impediment and some out there parents. You can tell this was Brosi's first work. It starts off pretty rough. You're just thrown in there and not a lot makes sense at first particularly because there are no panels. I was completely disoriented for the first 20-30 pages before I picked up on how this works. Plus some of the early work is rough. It's long at 360 pages but moves fast since it's typically a couple of word balloons on each page.

[Andrew Blankenship · Rating 5 out of 5]

A coming of age tale told in graphic novel form, about a boy with a speech impediment raised on a "hippie" commune. The art style is reminiscent of Maus, but the story is pure Appalachian.

I worked with the author at a Summer camp, so I know for certain that he is exaggerating his speech impediment in the text, but his storytelling skills are topnotch.

I totally recommend this book.

[Quinn Bress · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a deeply moving story, well written, and beautifully drawn. Other reviewers break down the story elements well, so I won't be redundant here. I just want to second my love for this book and I wish the best for the author.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way Eagle Valiant Brosi depicts his own speech impediment with indecipherable glyphs is so moving--and so frustrating. I was so frustrated with all the adults in this book--in how they treat Eagle and how they treat one another and how they can't stand up for themselves, either. This is all complimentary, by the way. A fabulous graphic memoir.

[Erik Nebel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best graphic novels I’ve ever read.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it in one sitting. Love the art.

[Tim Rooney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aesthetically unpleasant, difficult to read. Narratively a mess, floating in and out of scenes. Couldn’t get far

[Cheryl Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author/protagonist of this graphic memoir speaks in gibberish-like glyphs to represent his speech impediment, and also the fact that almost no one in his life treats him with respect, if they listen to him at all. The exceptions are his mother and her friend, who soon gets kicked out of their commune—whose residents celebrate veganism, gardening, and guerrilla circus arts, while acting out of impulse and cruelty. Brosi makes the telling look easy with his big loose drawings, but the dialogue is tight and telling. A quick, compelling read, and an homage to imperfect motherhood.