Shame Pudding

by Danny Noble

This memoir, told in graphic novel format, is a personal celebration of the author's charming and eccentric family and how they saved her from the machinations of her own brain. The book centres around the author's Jewish grandmothers, and the unique role they play in her life. It explores resonant adolescent topics of body image, self-determination, insecurity, fear, religious identity, politics, friendship, romantic love, and family relationships.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Memoir, Nonfiction, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Family, Biography Memoir

192 pages, Paperback

Published May 19, 2020

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first rule of Blurb Club: Don't misspell the blurber’s name.



For instance, "Finck," not "Fink." Oops.

I lead with this little error because it was probably the most interesting thing about the book.

The rest is pretty standard graphic memoir fare. An art school graduate with anxiety and self-image issues shares moments from her life: family life and drama, rebellious teen years and alcohol abuse, friend and relationship angst, finding a way through the darkness with artistic expression, etc. This one tries to distinguish itself with a focus on the author's relationships with her grandmothers, but as hooks go that didn't do much to reel me in. Maybe it would work better for someone who doesn't read more than a handful of graphic novels in a year, but I'm jaded from too many years of reading too many of the darn things.

Danny Noble notes early in the book that as a child she would draw self-portraits of herself making herself look uglier and uglier, and throughout most of the book she does portray herself with an avatar that's a cross between a naked mole rat and Robert Lopshire's Spot. Of course, the other people in the book don't look much better. It's not a style that really works for me.

[George Ilsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intricate and intimate look at growing up.

The two grandmothers play a big role. It's a simple tale, and there is so much going on. I enjoyed this rich rewarding graphic memoir (although the lettering was a little sloppy here and there). The art is rough — sort of a faux-folk art rustic (I'm sure there is a proper name for this style), but the sharp observations, telling voice, and range of experiences depicted more than makes up for it.

The droll parents are perfect (oddly refreshing to read a memoir where parents are not complete jerks).

Sometimes graphic memoirs are my favourite thing in the world. They don’t take a lot of time but can be very rewarding.

[Sarah Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling graphic novel memoir of growing up while nourished by family. Noble shapes her life story around her two grandmothers, each of whom provided laughter, love, and stable support to her life, even as she matures and finds her own creative voice. The illustration style is whimsical, with simple lines that match the narrative tone. Recommended for older teen and adults looking for memoirs with fun and functional families.

[Kristen Wunder · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was so much I loved about this touching story, it just felt a bit disjointed at times, or as if something was missing. Also, I really dislike when there are so many body image issues with no resolution. 3.5 stars

[Heather Culley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poignant but punk. I DEFY you to describe it better.

[Sundry · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favorite graphic memoirs. Love the drawings, the family, the sense of humor and love. What a pleasure to read!

[Greta Krueger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love the art and the story brought me to tears. Fantastic memoir.

[Harriet Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written. Beautifully illustrated. So much talent stuffed into this book. It’s written with such a raw, honest and witty style. I absolutely loved it from start to finish. One can identify with some of the awkward family scenarios and laugh at others that seem too wonderfully eccentric to be true. I just loved it and have recommended to everyone I know.

[Maggie Berkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Danny never disappoints, and this graphic memoir is a real treat. Nice depictions of families and coming of again her corner of the world in the very late 20th century.

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated and honestly written account of growing up with insecurities and questions. You fall in love with the eccentric grandmothers and just want to hug them!!! I would have read the book in one sitting but I made myself stop halfway because I didn't want it to be over!! I hope the author will write more soon!!! I've never really read a graphic novel before but I'm certainly looking forward to the next one by Danny Noble!

[Cherish · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very wonderful and emotional read. I found myself laughing a lot. Each chapter was just as awesome as the previous one. Even when I placed the book down to type this review, parts of the graphic memoir came to mind.
I am very glad to have bought this book.

[Darren Locksley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful way to share such personal and precious moments with the world! Shame Pudding inspired laughter and tears in our household...but mostly filled us with warmth at Danny Noble's unique way of portraying her family history through quirky illustrations and witty writing. What shines through is her honesty and authenticity! Thank you for sharing this with us all!

[Stu McGovern · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unrelentingly honest glimpse into the emotional history of the author. Simultaneously filling and breaking my heart; there was laughter, there were tears and when I finished (once I had finished blowing my nose) I felt like I was better for having read it. The image of the existential horror caused by 'sofa arms' will stick with me for quite some time.

[Kjm Ellisd · Rating 5 out of 5]

“so... we just laminated the racist graffiti?” - It was at this point I lost my shit laughing.

Danny’s book is a hilarious, heartbreaking & oh so relatable tale of a socially and politically conscious soul struggling to find place & purpose in this world. And perhaps too, to find acceptance outside of a family that did nothing but. Danny’s graphics are raw and wonderful. In every frame, I felt I was there too.

As someone who also stumbled across their worldy place through the auspicious beginnings of musty, cider strewn pub floors, and sweaty punks with roll-ups, there was great nostalgia here. But mostly, it made me miss my gran. Everyone should have someone who thinks they are the absolute bees knees.

I hope the wolf is gone, Danny.

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not for me. The drawings were not good, in my opinion, the print was very small, the content kind of depressing, unsettling and gross without a redemption that I could see. Thank you Edelweiss for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Katra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt very unfocused to me. Was the story about her grandmothers? Her band? Her art? I was a bit annoyed by the rambling nature of the story line.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up in Baltimore a month or so ago along with American Born Chinese in a really cool used bookstore. I’d never heard of the book or the author, but I like coming of age stories so thought I’d take a chance. I was only mildly satisfied in the end. The book IS a coming of age story about Danny, growing up in Brighton in the UK during…when? The 80s? 90s? Unclear. I think she’s around the same age as me from the context clues (I mean, ska isn’t that big anymore for one thing…) and the fact that a lot of this seems familiar even though I grew up in Florida and she’s in England. Anyway, this book doesn’t hold together at all. The title for example. It’s a cute anecdote about how she misunderstood what her grandmother was saying but it doesn’t come back at all in the book. The only real reason to keep it is if shame or Jewishness really did play a huge part in the story and they are both there but not the big themes that you would expect from that title. Danny does suffer a lot from what she thinks people are saying about her and her own body image problems but much as she must have done in her life (don’t we all to some extent?) these themes are surfaced and then minimized as the stories go on. We never really follow them anywhere. She seems to have led a pretty good middle class life with some cool add-ons—art, the band, etc. The book reads like she is just narrating a bunch of memories from her life. The heart of this book is really the relationship she has with each of her grandmothers. They are different from each other but both constant in her life, and that stability helps her navigate the vicissitudes of youth. So really, there is no specificity about anything in her life—the band gets one chapter but there is not much about her love life or her friends or school or anything really except her grandmas and they don’t really come into focus either except for their most general catchphrases. The two best things I got out of this were the realization that you don’t have to be a great artist to draw—you just have to have a consistent style and just do the work, and also the idea of calling that voice in your head that tells you what a loser you are the “wolf” so that you recognize it for what it is. An intrusion. Untrue. A distraction. But meh. I think there was a lot here that could’ve been more impactful than it ended up being in the end.

[Bree Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shame Pudding is one of those rare reads that makes you feel seen in a way you didn’t realize you were craving. The author does an incredible job capturing the experience of so many young girls who don’t quite fit in—girls who feel out of place, who find their people a little later, who carry their uncertainty like an extra layer of skin.

Layered into that is the added complexity of growing up Jewish, and the book handles that identity with honesty, nuance, and tenderness. It’s an experience often underrepresented, and here it’s portrayed with such clarity that it feels like a gift.

I found myself constantly resonating with the main character, almost startled at how often her thoughts felt like they’d been borrowed straight from my own life. It’s deeply validating, beautifully honest, and filled with moments that hit uncomfortably close to home in the best possible way. (Specifically the main characters beautiful relationship with the Mas)

A powerful, heartfelt read. Absolutely amazing. Five stars.

[Aditi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Streetnoise Books, 2020

~Takeaways~

The visuals of anxiety and insecurity

~Moral and meaning~

Humans are co-conspirators in the construction of shame—shame, an outcome of a natural human tendency to be swayed and feel insecure; shame, that breeds as much in under- as in over-protective social environments.

When grandma said "shayn punim" (meaning 'a beautiful face' in Yiddish language) and young Danny heard "shame pudding.

~Outstanding resonance~

"My love! Does it matter? Does it matter enough to be so sad?"
"And I decided in that moment, it didn't."

"I remember a time before shame."

"I smoked to have something to do with my hands."

"The night terrors were joined by the shame monster."

[Eliza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a few years ago and i liked it even better the second time. This is such a wonderful story- deeply sad and deeply loving and insightful. Love this enneagram type 4 girly putting words to the feeling of being an observer and understanding it all but still feeling alone. Also this book is making me think about the origins of mental health struggles - is Dani just mentally unwell (brain chemistry wise) or are there situational factors? My understanding that mental unwellness stems largely from situational factors is complicated by the fact that she has a mostly supportive family, but I suppose even with good supports a true understanding of the state of the world makes a person mentally ill. I’m going to learn more about mental health theory and reread this book.

[Niffer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time following the narrative in this book. I felt as thought storylines would simply drop, or suddenly start as if I should know what was going on. The entire concept of "shame pudding" was barely touched upon, despite the fact it's the title of the book. I also found the book physically had to read. The illustrations only covered part of the page and were very small, which leads me to wonder if they were originally written for a differently formatted page and then not adjusted when this size was settled on. I'm getting older and my eyes don't work as well as they used to, so the small pictures and writing was at times physically painful to try to read.

[Erin]

I found myself struggling through late pandemic brain fog to focus on the finer details in this. The relationship with her grandmothers was just a cozy bit of lovely, her representations of forced confidence in the midst of self-doubt were On Point. But the black and white illustrations were detailed, with challenging dialogue sequencing. So while I think there was a lot to discover here, I was unable to give this the attention it deserves.

[Zara Slattery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite simply a hug of a book. Danny's writing is warm and full of emotion. We are invited to the family table and sit in wide-eyed awe at her spirited and loving Grandmothers. As they love Danny, we love them, and as time passes we feel for Danny as they did her. The drawings are wonderful, pulling you up to the table and playfully navigating you through Danny's young life.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quirky and interesting graphic novel that features a young girl and the relationship between her and her Jewish grandparents. It was cute but some of the stories were more interesting than others.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Shelley Carr]

review coming in december

[Annika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this entire book while I was in the waiting room of my calculus professor’s office hours and still had time to spare.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this, I went to Danny Noble's website and ordered all of her other books. I think that pretty well illustrates what I thought of it.

[Tenli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous graphic novel. Noble’s whimsical and delicate drawings capture the feelings and the story beautifully.

[Millie Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD! Amazing art style, lovely storytelling and characterisation to die for - 10/10 would recommend as a wonderful graphic memoir :)