What do you think?
Rate this book
Spring Rain: A Graphic Memoir of Love, Madness, and Revolutions
An intimate graphic memoir by a New York Times-bestselling writer about his semester abroad in Beirut as he grows close to a crowd of mostly LGBTQ students, and suffers a mental breakdown while the city erupts into revolution.
An evocative memoir --Joe Sacco
In 2005 Andy Warner travelled to Lebanon to study literature in Beirut, one of the world's most cosmopolitan and storied cities. Twenty-one years old and recently broken up from his girlfriend, Warner feels his life is both intense and directionless. Immersing himself in the vibrant and diverse city, he quickly befriends a group of LGBT students, many of whom are ex-pats straddling different cultures and embracing the freedoms of the multicultural city. Warner and his friends party, do drugs, and hook up, even as violence breaks out in the city--the scars of a fifteen-year civil war reopening with a series of political assassinations and bombings. As the city descends into chaos and violence, Warner feels his grasp on reality slowly begin to slip as he confronts traumas in his past and anxiety over his future.
Illustrated in beautiful and intricate detail, Spring Rain is an absorbing and poignant graphic memoir of a young man's attempt to gain control over his life as well as a portrait of a city and a nation's violent struggle to define its future.
An evocative memoir --Joe Sacco
In 2005 Andy Warner travelled to Lebanon to study literature in Beirut, one of the world's most cosmopolitan and storied cities. Twenty-one years old and recently broken up from his girlfriend, Warner feels his life is both intense and directionless. Immersing himself in the vibrant and diverse city, he quickly befriends a group of LGBT students, many of whom are ex-pats straddling different cultures and embracing the freedoms of the multicultural city. Warner and his friends party, do drugs, and hook up, even as violence breaks out in the city--the scars of a fifteen-year civil war reopening with a series of political assassinations and bombings. As the city descends into chaos and violence, Warner feels his grasp on reality slowly begin to slip as he confronts traumas in his past and anxiety over his future.
Illustrated in beautiful and intricate detail, Spring Rain is an absorbing and poignant graphic memoir of a young man's attempt to gain control over his life as well as a portrait of a city and a nation's violent struggle to define its future.
208 pages, Paperback
Published January 28, 2020
1 person is currently reading
1832 people want to read
About the author
Andy Warner
26 books63 followersAndy Warner creates nonfiction comics.
He is the author of Pets & Pests, This Land is My Land, Spring Rain, and the NY Times Best Selling Brief Histories of Everyday Objects. His books have been translated into Russian, Chinese, Korean, French and Spanish.
He is a contributing editor at The Nib and teaches cartooning at Stanford University and The Animation Workshop in Denmark.
His work has been published widely, including by Slate, American Public Media, Popular Science, KQED, IDEO.org, The Center for Constitutional Rights, UNHCR, UNRWA, UNICEF, Google X and Buzzfeed.
He was a recipient of the 2018 Berkeley Civic Arts Grant and the 2019 and 2021 Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park Artist-in-Residency.
He works in a garret room in South Berkeley and comes from the sea.
He is the author of Pets & Pests, This Land is My Land, Spring Rain, and the NY Times Best Selling Brief Histories of Everyday Objects. His books have been translated into Russian, Chinese, Korean, French and Spanish.
He is a contributing editor at The Nib and teaches cartooning at Stanford University and The Animation Workshop in Denmark.
His work has been published widely, including by Slate, American Public Media, Popular Science, KQED, IDEO.org, The Center for Constitutional Rights, UNHCR, UNRWA, UNICEF, Google X and Buzzfeed.
He was a recipient of the 2018 Berkeley Civic Arts Grant and the 2019 and 2021 Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park Artist-in-Residency.
He works in a garret room in South Berkeley and comes from the sea.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
March 15, 2020
An American college student has a mental health crisis against the backdrop of political unrest and turmoil in Lebanon in 2005. There is much drug abuse, many regretful sexual hook-ups, and a truckload of navel gazing. And, oh yeah, people are dying in the background, which is like, y'know, a real buzzkill.
Ugly American tourism and memoir writing at its most self-involved.
Ugly American tourism and memoir writing at its most self-involved.
May 22, 2021
The title just about covers the contents, though for me the memoir aspect of this book was the least appealing one. I don’t really do memoirs, nor do I believe people in their 20s have memoir worthy lives to talk about…well, mostly, anyway. No, in this instance, the appeal is purely geographical. The recently read excellent book about Israel rekindled my interest in the region and this takes places in Israel’s immediate neighbor and occasional foe to the north.
The story covers the author’s semester abroad as a 21 year old and the briefly a subsequent return years later. It has a lot of the stereotypical stranger abroad thing going for it, alienation, culture adjustment, etc. And because it’s essentially a bunch of kids, albeit from all over, there’s plenty of drinking, getting high, partying and sex. With occasional traveling and introspection thrown in. And because it is set during a turbulent time for the country and the region, this is also a very compelling then and there witness account of the shifting political dynamics.
The latter aspect was by far the most interesting for me, putting a personal perspective on the impersonal data such as facts, death tolls, etc. And the author did a good job with that, really conveying the sudden danger of the militarized conflict juxtaposed with the eternal beauty of the city once known as the Paris of the Middle East. To be fair, the author did a fine job with the rest of the novel too, it was just (for me) a lot less interesting. All that indulgent partying and uncertainty of youth, all the sleeping around, the fraught mental state, etc. It was honest (as far as one can known from a memoir), but kind of like a second fiddle to the main act.
The art was very good, black and white isn’t normally my favorite, but it worked really well here and the drawings of all but people were absolutely stunning in detail and complexity. Positively travelogue in quality.
So all in all, an interesting read. Fairly quick too. Read it for the politics not for the memoir. Or both. Or either or. Whatever works for you. Whatever gets more people educated and enlightened about the infinitely complex politics of the Middle East is worth a read.
The story covers the author’s semester abroad as a 21 year old and the briefly a subsequent return years later. It has a lot of the stereotypical stranger abroad thing going for it, alienation, culture adjustment, etc. And because it’s essentially a bunch of kids, albeit from all over, there’s plenty of drinking, getting high, partying and sex. With occasional traveling and introspection thrown in. And because it is set during a turbulent time for the country and the region, this is also a very compelling then and there witness account of the shifting political dynamics.
The latter aspect was by far the most interesting for me, putting a personal perspective on the impersonal data such as facts, death tolls, etc. And the author did a good job with that, really conveying the sudden danger of the militarized conflict juxtaposed with the eternal beauty of the city once known as the Paris of the Middle East. To be fair, the author did a fine job with the rest of the novel too, it was just (for me) a lot less interesting. All that indulgent partying and uncertainty of youth, all the sleeping around, the fraught mental state, etc. It was honest (as far as one can known from a memoir), but kind of like a second fiddle to the main act.
The art was very good, black and white isn’t normally my favorite, but it worked really well here and the drawings of all but people were absolutely stunning in detail and complexity. Positively travelogue in quality.
So all in all, an interesting read. Fairly quick too. Read it for the politics not for the memoir. Or both. Or either or. Whatever works for you. Whatever gets more people educated and enlightened about the infinitely complex politics of the Middle East is worth a read.
March 13, 2020
A fast read. You know a comic has fantastic layout and design when you can burn through it really quickly. I never felt lost or confused; the images were all clear and evocative. The story is really rich but easy to read...it blends the personal with the historical. I feel like there aren't enough accounts of this type of psychosis in media, and certainly never enough memoirs of the middle east in this time period. I feel enriched for having read this.
April 30, 2022
And today I wanted to flip through and talk about Spring Rain: A Graphic Memoir of Love, Madness and Revolutions by Andy Warner. Published in 2020 by St. Martin's Griffin.
Content notes for bombing, visual reference to torture at Guantanamo Bay, animal cruelty, sex, nudity, sexual assault, mental health struggles and psychedelic experiences.
I don't exactly remember where I first saw Spring Rain, but I believe it was initially just on my library's new requisitions page. It's certainly blurbed enthusiastically by Joe Sacco, Matt Bors and Publishers Weekly.
Flipping to the rear french flap, Andy Warner is described as the "New York Times bestselling author of Brief Histories of Everyday Objects and This Land is My Land. His nonfiction comics have been published by Slate, Fusion, American Public Media, The United Nations, and the Nib, where he is a contributing editor. He teaches cartooning at Stanford University and the Animation Workshop in Denmark, he makes comics in a garret room in South Berkeley, and comes from the sea."
What kinds of keywords came to mind reading this book? Rumination, haunted, outsider, history in the making, community, partying, messy, and meaning.
The official synopsis is "In 2005 Andy Warner travelled to Lebanon to study literature in Beirut, one of the world's most cosmopolitan and storied cities. Twenty-one years old and recently broken up from his girlfriend, Warner feels his life is both intense and directionless. Immersing himself in the vibrant and diverse city, he quickly befriends a group of LGBT students, many of whom are ex-pats straddling different cultures and embracing the freedoms of the multicultural city. Warner and his friends party, do drugs, and hook up, even as violence breaks out in the city--the scars of a fifteen-year civil war reopening with a series of political assassinations and bombings. As the city descends into chaos and violence, Warner feels his grasp on reality slowly begin to slip as he confronts traumas in his past and anxiety over his future.
Illustrated in beautiful and intricate detail, Spring Rain is an absorbing and poignant graphic memoir of a young man's attempt to gain control over his life as well as a portrait of a city and a nation's violent struggle to define its future."
Looking at the writing... First off, while I certainly started this book with high interest, by the time things concluded I was much less interested. It's a fast enough read, but the way that Warner ends up presenting the portion of his life that is covered in this graphic memoir didn't seem to add up to much. Not that everything should be or needs to be wrapped up neatly at the end, but Warner has presumably had some time to contextualize this relatively short period in his life. He seems to have made the choice to limit himself strictly to the time period in question. Not a unique choice, but I do feel like it limits the impact of the book. Although I should note that Publishers Weekly disagrees with me "If the final quarter of the book feels a bit meandering, it could be blamed on realism: there’s no clean narrative for the turmoil of a mind or country in unrest. Warner’s work honors the richness of Lebanon and the fragile, fleeting nature of peace." Although they do also quote Warner warning that "I come off like an idiot".
Either way what I'm mostly taking away from this book is a reminder of my own habit of obsessive rumination that I thankfully seem to have left in my twenties. That and a dash of vicarious experience of being a bit of an interloper in the middle of a slow boiling conflict.
Speaking of which, on the one hand Warner travels to Beirut to be a student and not to pursue covering conflict. On the other hand, the one way of reading the book that makes the most sense is that of comparing Warner's own internal turmoil to that of the city/country he finds himself in. That seems a bit self-centered, grandiose and minimizing of the conflict to my mind.
If you are interested in reading more about Beirut from the perspective of someone who was born and grew up there, I would recommend A Game of Swallows by Zeina Abirached. Definitely more of a must read. Any other recommendations of comics from Lebanon would be highly appreciated.
The art was relatively straight forward, but the page layouts were varied enough to keep things interesting.
Sexuality was a pretty central theme running throughout the book. Very messy, Warner comes across as pretty sexualy lost during this period although he seems to be fairly frank and upfront about the people he ended up hurting. Not trying to explain it away or pretend he wasn't being a jerk at the time. He also spends some time trying to write a comic about his sexual trauma, which he ultimately decides not to do.
Gender is less of a thing, although there is a decent variety of binary gender representation and not much time for gender roles.
Race can be tricky thing to talk about because of what an arbitrary modern and made up thing whiteness (and race in general) is and this book's colour pallet. Warner's time in Beirut is surrounded by people of diverse nationalities and backgrounds anyway.
Class seems like a none issue for Warner.
While not labeled as disability, Warner does spend some significant time in this memoir talking about his mother's journey with bi-polar (at least as far as he observed it as a child) and description of his own mental health struggles. Not to mention that sexual trauma I mentioned earlier. I do genuinely hope that Warner has had an opportunity to talk to someone professional about these issues. It's all too easy to bottle things up and even this level of transparency isn't going to resolve these feelings.
Before we conclude, the final dangling thread that really should have gone somewhere... At least twice Warner makes a point of highlighting that the dogs behind his apartment building are severely underfed. It really felt like this would point to something ultimately, but no. Just part of the ambiance I guess.
To rate this book... I really see it as somewhere between three and two stars. I feel a bit torn between having sympathy with Warner, not being quite sure this adds up to a book, and maybe not totally loving the part of myself that Warner reminds me of.
Content notes for bombing, visual reference to torture at Guantanamo Bay, animal cruelty, sex, nudity, sexual assault, mental health struggles and psychedelic experiences.
I don't exactly remember where I first saw Spring Rain, but I believe it was initially just on my library's new requisitions page. It's certainly blurbed enthusiastically by Joe Sacco, Matt Bors and Publishers Weekly.
Flipping to the rear french flap, Andy Warner is described as the "New York Times bestselling author of Brief Histories of Everyday Objects and This Land is My Land. His nonfiction comics have been published by Slate, Fusion, American Public Media, The United Nations, and the Nib, where he is a contributing editor. He teaches cartooning at Stanford University and the Animation Workshop in Denmark, he makes comics in a garret room in South Berkeley, and comes from the sea."
What kinds of keywords came to mind reading this book? Rumination, haunted, outsider, history in the making, community, partying, messy, and meaning.
The official synopsis is "In 2005 Andy Warner travelled to Lebanon to study literature in Beirut, one of the world's most cosmopolitan and storied cities. Twenty-one years old and recently broken up from his girlfriend, Warner feels his life is both intense and directionless. Immersing himself in the vibrant and diverse city, he quickly befriends a group of LGBT students, many of whom are ex-pats straddling different cultures and embracing the freedoms of the multicultural city. Warner and his friends party, do drugs, and hook up, even as violence breaks out in the city--the scars of a fifteen-year civil war reopening with a series of political assassinations and bombings. As the city descends into chaos and violence, Warner feels his grasp on reality slowly begin to slip as he confronts traumas in his past and anxiety over his future.
Illustrated in beautiful and intricate detail, Spring Rain is an absorbing and poignant graphic memoir of a young man's attempt to gain control over his life as well as a portrait of a city and a nation's violent struggle to define its future."
Looking at the writing... First off, while I certainly started this book with high interest, by the time things concluded I was much less interested. It's a fast enough read, but the way that Warner ends up presenting the portion of his life that is covered in this graphic memoir didn't seem to add up to much. Not that everything should be or needs to be wrapped up neatly at the end, but Warner has presumably had some time to contextualize this relatively short period in his life. He seems to have made the choice to limit himself strictly to the time period in question. Not a unique choice, but I do feel like it limits the impact of the book. Although I should note that Publishers Weekly disagrees with me "If the final quarter of the book feels a bit meandering, it could be blamed on realism: there’s no clean narrative for the turmoil of a mind or country in unrest. Warner’s work honors the richness of Lebanon and the fragile, fleeting nature of peace." Although they do also quote Warner warning that "I come off like an idiot".
Either way what I'm mostly taking away from this book is a reminder of my own habit of obsessive rumination that I thankfully seem to have left in my twenties. That and a dash of vicarious experience of being a bit of an interloper in the middle of a slow boiling conflict.
Speaking of which, on the one hand Warner travels to Beirut to be a student and not to pursue covering conflict. On the other hand, the one way of reading the book that makes the most sense is that of comparing Warner's own internal turmoil to that of the city/country he finds himself in. That seems a bit self-centered, grandiose and minimizing of the conflict to my mind.
If you are interested in reading more about Beirut from the perspective of someone who was born and grew up there, I would recommend A Game of Swallows by Zeina Abirached. Definitely more of a must read. Any other recommendations of comics from Lebanon would be highly appreciated.
The art was relatively straight forward, but the page layouts were varied enough to keep things interesting.
Sexuality was a pretty central theme running throughout the book. Very messy, Warner comes across as pretty sexualy lost during this period although he seems to be fairly frank and upfront about the people he ended up hurting. Not trying to explain it away or pretend he wasn't being a jerk at the time. He also spends some time trying to write a comic about his sexual trauma, which he ultimately decides not to do.
Gender is less of a thing, although there is a decent variety of binary gender representation and not much time for gender roles.
Race can be tricky thing to talk about because of what an arbitrary modern and made up thing whiteness (and race in general) is and this book's colour pallet. Warner's time in Beirut is surrounded by people of diverse nationalities and backgrounds anyway.
Class seems like a none issue for Warner.
While not labeled as disability, Warner does spend some significant time in this memoir talking about his mother's journey with bi-polar (at least as far as he observed it as a child) and description of his own mental health struggles. Not to mention that sexual trauma I mentioned earlier. I do genuinely hope that Warner has had an opportunity to talk to someone professional about these issues. It's all too easy to bottle things up and even this level of transparency isn't going to resolve these feelings.
Before we conclude, the final dangling thread that really should have gone somewhere... At least twice Warner makes a point of highlighting that the dogs behind his apartment building are severely underfed. It really felt like this would point to something ultimately, but no. Just part of the ambiance I guess.
To rate this book... I really see it as somewhere between three and two stars. I feel a bit torn between having sympathy with Warner, not being quite sure this adds up to a book, and maybe not totally loving the part of myself that Warner reminds me of.
April 12, 2020
The subtitle to Spring Rain is fairly accurate, though Andy Warner certainly could have added "and excessive drug use" at the end as some forewarning. Every other scene, Warner claims to be going out of his mind right before he takes a big hit of hash or pops a Vicodin or snorts some home-cooked speed. Yeah, sure, I wonder why you're having a mental breakdown, buddy?
Despite that nonsense, Spring Rain is an excellent read. Warner's art is some of my favorite in the graphic non-fiction realm - just the right level of detail to perfectly evoke the setting with just enough cartoonishness to keep the eyes from glazing over. The story of Warner's semester abroad in Lebanon churns along at top speed, with Warner slowly descending into drug-fueled madness amidst the numerous Middle Eastern revolutionary forces. It's a splendid and fascinating travelogue as well as a curious glimpse into a troubled mind. I could barely tear myself away from the read, though I might have asked for a tad more backstory, both in terms of Lebanese history and Warner's life.
Despite that nonsense, Spring Rain is an excellent read. Warner's art is some of my favorite in the graphic non-fiction realm - just the right level of detail to perfectly evoke the setting with just enough cartoonishness to keep the eyes from glazing over. The story of Warner's semester abroad in Lebanon churns along at top speed, with Warner slowly descending into drug-fueled madness amidst the numerous Middle Eastern revolutionary forces. It's a splendid and fascinating travelogue as well as a curious glimpse into a troubled mind. I could barely tear myself away from the read, though I might have asked for a tad more backstory, both in terms of Lebanese history and Warner's life.
December 2, 2021
Well done, with good art. It's about the author's first-world problems while he's in a politically turbulent place and time. The thing about the madness? He's using speed, downers, and hallucinogens nonstop. And he worries that it's his genetics. Um, first stop the drugs? The book did give a glimpse into the situation in Lebanon in those months, which I liked.
April 5, 2022
This remarkable book encapsulates a huge amount of personal/family and international trauma / history. I didn’t always like the author - he clearly didn’t always like himself - but he stays just this side of self-pity in the retelling (if not in his actual life experience). In some ways, I wanted more from the story, more understanding of the “madness” in the subject line. I’m not sure if I would have liked the book any more for that though.
April 21, 2025
A good memoir about political unrest in Lebanon, and the author’s growth into adulthood.
December 9, 2023
3.6 stars, but I'm starting to get pickier about my 4 star reviews. I wish they gave folks 1/2 options here, because I feel like a 3 star review pushes this book down further than I think it should.
I -really- liked the black and white art in this graphic novel. I'm excited to explore more of this artist's work.
Spring Rain was a quick and interesting read. It wasn't, however, exactly what I was expecting. I was hoping for more of a Joe Sacco Palestine-esque history of Lebanon through a more modern lens. Instead, Spring Rain was a memoir of the life of a 20-something living in and around Beirut in 2005, doing things 20-somethings do. Don't get me wrong, the reader does learn about the history of and definitely the current events (of that time) in Lebanon, but it is couched between stories of partying, sex, drug use, and mental health issues. This wasn't bad, and made for an interesting story and captivating art (especially the parts about the author's mental health issues). The story was more about the author and less about the place.
Reading Spring Rain definitely reminded me of something. I read and adored Jack Kerouac's The Subterraneans in my early 20s. I read it again 5-10 years later and also enjoyed it. I read it again in my late 40s and it didn't resonate as much. Why? Because I was reading it from the point of view of a 40 vs 20-something. When we're in our 20s, at least growing up middle class in a wealthy country, we party, get $^%#ed up, have sex, and are focused more narrowly on ourselves, our developing identities, and finding our place in the world. As we get older, maybe get married, have kids, learn more about the world, we often start to focus more outwardly, on others. So, Spring Rain seemed selfish at times. There were all of these life-changing events happening around the author and he was more focused on finding himself. I think it would be harsh to castigate Warner for this. He was young and this is what young people (who can) do. We see the world through our upbringing/experiences and that isn't bad. When I think about Spring Rain from that perspective, I can forgive it for not being the book -I- wanted it to be and appreciate it from the point-of-view of the actual protagonist. It also made me want to learn more about Lebanon, Syria, and their histories.
I -really- liked the black and white art in this graphic novel. I'm excited to explore more of this artist's work.
Spring Rain was a quick and interesting read. It wasn't, however, exactly what I was expecting. I was hoping for more of a Joe Sacco Palestine-esque history of Lebanon through a more modern lens. Instead, Spring Rain was a memoir of the life of a 20-something living in and around Beirut in 2005, doing things 20-somethings do. Don't get me wrong, the reader does learn about the history of and definitely the current events (of that time) in Lebanon, but it is couched between stories of partying, sex, drug use, and mental health issues. This wasn't bad, and made for an interesting story and captivating art (especially the parts about the author's mental health issues). The story was more about the author and less about the place.
Reading Spring Rain definitely reminded me of something. I read and adored Jack Kerouac's The Subterraneans in my early 20s. I read it again 5-10 years later and also enjoyed it. I read it again in my late 40s and it didn't resonate as much. Why? Because I was reading it from the point of view of a 40 vs 20-something. When we're in our 20s, at least growing up middle class in a wealthy country, we party, get $^%#ed up, have sex, and are focused more narrowly on ourselves, our developing identities, and finding our place in the world. As we get older, maybe get married, have kids, learn more about the world, we often start to focus more outwardly, on others. So, Spring Rain seemed selfish at times. There were all of these life-changing events happening around the author and he was more focused on finding himself. I think it would be harsh to castigate Warner for this. He was young and this is what young people (who can) do. We see the world through our upbringing/experiences and that isn't bad. When I think about Spring Rain from that perspective, I can forgive it for not being the book -I- wanted it to be and appreciate it from the point-of-view of the actual protagonist. It also made me want to learn more about Lebanon, Syria, and their histories.
January 26, 2020
When I was in college, I did not do study abroad. I am dreadful at foreign languages, I'd already spent some time abroad with my family as as tween, and I liked my college and wasn't sure why part of the point was to leave it. Yet most people did. Including Andy, who in 2005 went to Lebanon to study abroad. That's a fascinating decision that he kind of glosses over (yes, he makes a good case for Lebanon being a beautiful and interesting country but only after he's there--I'd like to have known more about why he chose to go to a country that's been war-torn for decades, after Sept. 11.) But the book pretty much starts with his arrival.
He meets people, he makes friends, he gets an apartment, he goes to clubs, he misses his ex-girlfriend, he starts to drawn cartoons again and most of all, he goes a little insane. Like he sometimes hallucinates, he's paranoid, and he has disturbing and realistic dreams. I'm glad that all seemed to be a one-time thing that resolved itself after he came back to the United States, but I also wish he'd explained that further--did he ever have any medical testing? Or even psychological? What would cause a person to temporarily go somewhat crazy for a few months, but then fully recover and never have another incident.
And yet, I don't get the book I wish for, I get the book he has written (and drawn). To see even a low level of a break with reality from the inside, from someone who's come out the other side, is truly a gift. To have someone who is now sane, be able to explain it in a way we can understand, gives a level of empathy most of us who've never struggled with mental health in that way, insight.
Now, that's not the only thing going on while Andy's there. There's a political assassination and unrest, Andy has his first sexual experience with a man, and in the end he decides the breakup with his girlfriend was a mistake (they're still together today and have kids). This book is incredibly open and raw, and reads like he doesn't even know the word artifice. It's one of the most honest and vulnerable memoirs I've ever read.
He meets people, he makes friends, he gets an apartment, he goes to clubs, he misses his ex-girlfriend, he starts to drawn cartoons again and most of all, he goes a little insane. Like he sometimes hallucinates, he's paranoid, and he has disturbing and realistic dreams. I'm glad that all seemed to be a one-time thing that resolved itself after he came back to the United States, but I also wish he'd explained that further--did he ever have any medical testing? Or even psychological? What would cause a person to temporarily go somewhat crazy for a few months, but then fully recover and never have another incident.
And yet, I don't get the book I wish for, I get the book he has written (and drawn). To see even a low level of a break with reality from the inside, from someone who's come out the other side, is truly a gift. To have someone who is now sane, be able to explain it in a way we can understand, gives a level of empathy most of us who've never struggled with mental health in that way, insight.
Now, that's not the only thing going on while Andy's there. There's a political assassination and unrest, Andy has his first sexual experience with a man, and in the end he decides the breakup with his girlfriend was a mistake (they're still together today and have kids). This book is incredibly open and raw, and reads like he doesn't even know the word artifice. It's one of the most honest and vulnerable memoirs I've ever read.
March 8, 2020
I almost always enjoy graphic novels which take me to another place in the world. There's a power to the way different places, different languages and different experiences are conveyed in comic form versus any other artform. I think it has something to do with the idea that subjective experiences are shown through an objective-seeming medium.
Andy Warner's Spring Rain takes place in Lebanon circa 2004, and his experiences as a confused, drug-addled college student in Lebanon give this book a lot of its power. Though Warner traveled a lot during his childhood due to academic oriented parents, none of his experiences could really prepare him for the complicated turmoil he experiences in Lebanon.
In his presentation of the political events of that time, Warner does a nice job of bringing them alive. Through him, we see the confusion, excitement and fear of a country in the middle of a turbulent time, in which nearly nobody could anticipate what will happen. I enjoyed those aspects of the book a lot.
Unfortunately, as Warner acknowledges, the parts about his personal life are more frustrating. Few of us have a perfect grasp on our identity when we're in college, and we see that here, as Warner portrays himself as kind of a self-centered, arrogant, drug-obsessed jerk. It's hard to want to spend time with someone presented as so unlikable, even as we sympathize with his struggles about his sexuality, his drug addictions and his brief experiences with mental illness.
This is a good book, worth reading, and a good subjective portrait of an area of the world most American don't know anything about. I guess I'd rather have the writer be honest about his shortcomings than lie to readers in his memoir, but that honesty is kind of a drag sometimes in this book.
Andy Warner's Spring Rain takes place in Lebanon circa 2004, and his experiences as a confused, drug-addled college student in Lebanon give this book a lot of its power. Though Warner traveled a lot during his childhood due to academic oriented parents, none of his experiences could really prepare him for the complicated turmoil he experiences in Lebanon.
In his presentation of the political events of that time, Warner does a nice job of bringing them alive. Through him, we see the confusion, excitement and fear of a country in the middle of a turbulent time, in which nearly nobody could anticipate what will happen. I enjoyed those aspects of the book a lot.
Unfortunately, as Warner acknowledges, the parts about his personal life are more frustrating. Few of us have a perfect grasp on our identity when we're in college, and we see that here, as Warner portrays himself as kind of a self-centered, arrogant, drug-obsessed jerk. It's hard to want to spend time with someone presented as so unlikable, even as we sympathize with his struggles about his sexuality, his drug addictions and his brief experiences with mental illness.
This is a good book, worth reading, and a good subjective portrait of an area of the world most American don't know anything about. I guess I'd rather have the writer be honest about his shortcomings than lie to readers in his memoir, but that honesty is kind of a drag sometimes in this book.
February 9, 2025
insanely self absorbed as if Beirut turmoils in 2005 were such a background buzzkill to his experience as a foreign student at AUB. also you come to beirut for 5 months and only surround yourself with other exchange students??? a group of friends who are all foreigners and even the lebanese were diaspora who are back to lebanon to study?? bullshit political details that felt like “things people have yapped around me and i wrote them down”, also criticising american politics while saying hezb allah is a militia who has control in the country “creating a state within a state” is honestly american politics bullshit to the core. the only nice thing about this graphic novel was seeing the streets of beirut drawn in a comic form. really extremely tired of white people coming to tell our history and stories pretending to be part of this place just cause they happened to be here and enjoyed their time here. enough.
February 11, 2020
Firstly, I commend this author for his courageous vulnerability in authoring this autobiographical piece. The moments where we delved into his instability, fear, shame, and depression were beautifully written and exceptionally drawn. While I appreciated the glimpse into conflict-ridden Beirut, those were unfortunately the times I was removed from the book. I was significantly more interested in the authors relationships, emotions, and travel stories. The conflict in Beirut did provide a strong mirror and landscape for the author’s mental state, I just personally didn’t feel like it helped the story along smoothly.
March 21, 2020
This was truly a wild story. Lebanon seems like a place teeming with culture while dealing with the constant threat of war; especially with Israel and Syria on either side.
In 2005, Andy moved to Beirut for a semester abroad to study Lebanese literature. During his time there, he had deep mental and emotional struggles while exploring sexuality, drugs and who he is as a person. While there, he saw as Rafik Hariri’s motorcade was blown up, protests from pro- and anti-Syrian sides, politicians in and out and constant bombings.
It was a very intense story that is hard to believe is true. But it was well written and beautifully drawn. Definitely made me want to go to Beirut.
In 2005, Andy moved to Beirut for a semester abroad to study Lebanese literature. During his time there, he had deep mental and emotional struggles while exploring sexuality, drugs and who he is as a person. While there, he saw as Rafik Hariri’s motorcade was blown up, protests from pro- and anti-Syrian sides, politicians in and out and constant bombings.
It was a very intense story that is hard to believe is true. But it was well written and beautifully drawn. Definitely made me want to go to Beirut.
September 8, 2020
First off, I loved the art which goes a long way towards telling this story and evoking the time and place (Beirut, 2005). Andy is a foreign exchange student and reveling in sowing oats in a foreign, cosmopolitan city. He is alternately depressed (missing his girlfriend), feeling like he is losing his mind (coupled with excessive drug use) and partying hard with only a cursory understanding of the political conflict surrounding his chosen city. The occasional explosions serve as punctuation for the city, his awareness and his mental state. It mostly reads as a slice of life, albeit, an interesting one.
January 7, 2021
Hey, whaddya know. It's a Western perspective on experiences in an Arab country without going totally anti-Israel. This look back on the author's time in Beirut, Lebanon is quite interesting. The author highlights aspects of the city a typical outsider (ie that came of age in the 80s and later) wouldn't know about or even know exists at all in Lebanon such as a LGBT community, drugs, and tourism. There's a bit of confessional virtue-signaling but that's ok. I enjoyed it and you probably will too. This was the first book I read in 2021.
July 27, 2021
An interesting book that as written in the title, is revolving around relationships, mental health, and the political instability of Lebanon. It took about two hours to get through it and it's pretty immersive. I recommend reading it while commuting since it doesn't need your full attention and you won't forget what's what if you pause frequently. It might sound weird but the time I need to invest to reach a place that I can close the book and reopen is a big issue for me, some books need at least an hour to reach this point. This book, it's around a couple of minutes.
February 8, 2020
FYI: I won this book on goodreads.com.
I would like to begin by saying that I am not big fan of graphic novels. This one was out of my comfort range. I appreciate the honesty and transparency of the author. The illustrations were striking in black and white. I did learn more about the turmoil in Lebanon, but was prudishly put off by some of the content. Not for me, but I am sure some would fine it appealing.
I would like to begin by saying that I am not big fan of graphic novels. This one was out of my comfort range. I appreciate the honesty and transparency of the author. The illustrations were striking in black and white. I did learn more about the turmoil in Lebanon, but was prudishly put off by some of the content. Not for me, but I am sure some would fine it appealing.
March 7, 2020
I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway. It was... interesting in some parts. Mostly it was one big don't do drugs campaign posing as a coming of age story from a man who has long since come of age and should know better.
When it comes to men, however they are at the age of 24 (when their brains are fully developed) is how they will be for the rest of their lives (unless they use drugs or alcohol and become worse.) So this was just... One big red flag after another.
When it comes to men, however they are at the age of 24 (when their brains are fully developed) is how they will be for the rest of their lives (unless they use drugs or alcohol and become worse.) So this was just... One big red flag after another.
Read
January 16, 2021Technically, this book was fine - the drawing style was a little bland but the nightmares were well and creepily drawn. I didn’t find the story very interesting- the portrayal of events in Beirut was illustrative but never felt (to me) connected to the author’s experience. Additionally, the author is fairly self aware of how his experiences seem in the face of such important events, but it didn’t save the book for me.
May 14, 2022
One of my favorite books of 2020, written by one of my favorite graphic non-fiction creators. This time, he intertwines the story of Beirut's struggles and his own personal demons. With other creators this might have come off arrogantly or self-aggrandizing. Instead, we see in real time the crises going on for those who lived it, while also seeing how Andy's own issues made his perspective while there altered his experience.
This is a very, very personal work and I think about it often.
This is a very, very personal work and I think about it often.
May 30, 2022
This was a well-crafted blend of autobiography and history. I'm generally hard to please when it comes to autobio comics though, and this one was too heavy on introspection for my taste. The author's personal story was just not all that compelling and its presence in the story felt self involved. Technically speaking, it was well done, but my interest was only sustained by a fascination in the region and a desire to understand its history.
February 21, 2020
4.5 Stars. I've loved Andy Warner's comics since early issues of Irene and I've got a bunch of his minicomics. So it was a lovely surprise to find this autobiographical comic just out this week.
It fleshes out his time as a student in Beirut, with some fascinating history of the city and region, and his own story is told with revealing and vulnerable humanity. Beautiful work.
It fleshes out his time as a student in Beirut, with some fascinating history of the city and region, and his own story is told with revealing and vulnerable humanity. Beautiful work.
June 21, 2020
A Masterpiece. I read this in one sitting. The research, the art, the vulnerable and personal stories about mental health experiences of a young man, its perfect. I sincerely believe it is these types of work that will help young men admit the feelings that have and pursue a search for healthy, honest connections instead of turning to violence.
November 6, 2020
A very particular memoir highlighting a study-abroad endeavor in Beirut in a time of civil unrest and turmoil, while the narrator is also exploring his sexuality and experiencing some concerning mental health issues. The personal and political mirror each other, and it is an impressively detailed account.
March 14, 2021
A short and personal telling of an exchange student in Beirut during Arab Spring and the effects it had on the international community there. Gave me more perspective on this region of the world and all the conflict that happens and it's never clear who the bad guy is, it's always just opposing sides and America getting involved where they don't need to be.
Read
November 14, 2021Yeah, nope, not for me. I thought I was ready--bracing for depictions of war and a collapsing country, plus the author's talk of past trauma, but I didn't pay enough attention to that slipping grasp of reality mentioned in the copy. Warner suffers a serious mental illness that includes disturbing hallucinations...and I'm just not in the headspace to handle that.
Not finished, so not rated.
Not finished, so not rated.
Read
June 20, 2023A graphic novel about the author's experience in Beirut as a college student in 2005. His mental state declines alongside the rise of the revolution. Good art style. Some disturbing content. I admire the author and artist for opening up about something so personal. Not going to keep this one, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. Just not my jam.
March 8, 2020
Strangely inspiring. The author does things so differently than I would have and that makes for an interesting read. It was fascinating to read that this book was his third attempt at telling the story, and that he still can’t really know how accurate it is. A copy of a copy of a copy.
April 24, 2021
This book was full of multidimensional intensity. In the backdrop of a historical moment the author describes and intense moment of mental illness and touch of his own history. The illustrations were impactful and the layering of stories, evocative.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews