2020: A Year in Taiwan

by Ray Hecht

2020, a year we'll never forget.Ray Hecht, a novelist and sometimes cartoonist hailing from the United States, happened to live on the island nation of Taiwan when COVID-19 appeared on the world stage. For the entirety of the worldwide pandemic, he would be unable to leave. Join Ray as he observes all the tumultuous politics and historical events from his perspective within Asia, while he experiences some personal life-changing events of his own.It was some year...Ray is also the author of the graphic novel Always Goodbye (TWG Press, 2020) and blogs at rayhecht.com.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Comics

Kindle Edition

Published July 28, 2021

About the author

Ray Hecht was raised in America, from the Midwest to the West Coast, on a starchy diet of movies and comics and science fiction paperbacks. Mostly writing about such states as California and Ohio, and such provinces as Guangdong. Lived in Shenzhen, China since 2008, that Special Economic Zone & Hong Kong-bordering chaotic city of the future, occasionally partaking in freelance journalism for various local publications. Ray now lives in Taiwan.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful memoir! Ray has a way of connecting with the reader; his thoughts and concerns reflect what we were all going through at the same time. If you like the work of Guy Delisle then you will enjoy this funny and heartwarming look at the best/worst of times we have just finished collectively getting through.

[Shawna Finnigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

2020: A Year in Taiwan is a humorous comic recounting the events of the crazy year that was 2020. I lived in the U.S. during the whole pandemic so hearing about someone else's experience in a different country during this time was really interesting to me.

This comic put a smile on my face and I actually found myself laughing at some of the panels, which is a rare occurrence for me when I'm reading. The style of this comic was simplistic yet fun and I really enjoyed it. I'll definitely be checking out more of Ray's work in the future.

Thank you to the author for sending me a digital copy of this comic.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bad year condensed

2020:A Year in Taiwan
By Ray Hecht
The author shows us his life as he navigates the horrible year and the events in 2020 through his comics. Very clever and open about his life. Comics are fun and certainly get the message across. Love his Halloween costume, A fly in his hair!

[CG. · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020: A Year in Taiwan. By: Ray Hecht

Ray talks about the crazy and uncertain times that was the year, 2020. How his personal year went, along with all the political, and civil unrest that was going on at the time. Including the sudden and inexplicable spread of covid-19.

Along with the tragic loss of beloved figures. The delay of much awaited movies. And the changes that the world had to make.

He talks about the experiences and even a little bit of the movements/marches he took part in. And the events he attended (safely) that year.

2020 was hard for everyone, and this nice, and little graphic novel showcases that.

Ray also offers a positive outlook for the future, and as Ray Hecht would put it:

"It was a crazy year, but we made it. That is something. Good riddance, 2020!"


(Sounds like he feels the way I do about Tiger King!
And I was sad for black widows late release date too.)

[Maria Espadinha · Rating 4 out of 5]



2020 — a year of multiple stories


2020: Each of us has a story to tell and the author is sharing his own
It’s time to forget the bad (Bad?! Really?! What happened?!😜) and cherish the good (Good?! Yes, yes, there’s a good side in everything if you care to look for (that’s the secret of happiness 😉) )
Anyway, 2020 is finally History. Whew!!!

Thanks for sharing, Ray 🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Stjepan Cobets · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating 4.0

The short comic “2020: A Year in Taiwan” by Ray Hecht is an interesting comic book summary of the writer and our year that should be forgotten.

Since I liked the first comic about the writer’s life that was fun I read this comic as well. All in all, the writer made a sympathetic summary of the year that should be put in the throes of history because with that year too many human rights were taken away, as unfortunately continued in 2021. One thing is for sure the world after 2020 is definitely not the same.

I would recommend it to comic book lovers

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all would like to forget 2020. Hmm, maybe 2021 too.

For Ray Hecht, a GR author, he turned an forgettable year into a very personal diary via a short comic. Personal and humor are great attributes especially when it comes to talking about the pandemic.

The drawings are raw but engaging (I liked this). The político conversation is edgy (and why not!). But his personal journey - his birthday, partner’s surgery, scuba and travels in Taiwan, and it’s positivity - makes this an enjoyable read.

We all need some!

A big thank you to Ray for sharing.

[Ming Wei · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing I like most about this comic is how pure the production is, the artwork is not perfect it is quirky in its own right, and I really enjoy that, these days allot of graphic novels look too perfect and created by computers, buy you can tell that the artwork in this novel as been done by a human that is passionate about creating fun stories to read, genuine down to earth, bumble artwork, I love it. The story is a diary of 2020 covering the main global events, in a fun type of way, the story does not take itself too serious and is just a enjoyable read. Only negative the story is not long enough, The story is very easy to follow and understand, easy to read, and the wordings and pictures complement each other very well. Well worth reading if you enjoy humour and fun. Loved It!!!!

[S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still want Ray Hecht to do more black-space, but like his previous work Always Goodbye, the story is fine. I'm a personal friend of the author and hence biased, but the book does deserve a peak to see if you want to introduce yourself to more of his work. a fun look at expat life in Asia.

[Joel Bedulla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite a short comic but packed with individual and collective memories of 2020. I admit I had forgotten about the fires in Australia before Covid became the subject of every news reportage. Was glad to see Trump referred to as "the current psycho in office".
I'd give this 5 stars if it had colored panels.

[F.E. Beyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

“2020: A Year in Taiwan” continues on from Ray Hecht’s autobiographical graphic novel “Always Goodbye”. This short work covers the main events in his life last year. After his many wanderings, he seems well-established in Taiwan. Each month of 2020 gets one page containing four panels.

What I focused on most was the artwork. In my bicycle rides around Taipei, I always found the view of the Grand Hotel perched up in the mountains amazing. It was built by Chiang Kai-shek not long after he fled from China so he could impress foreign guests. Ray recreates this architecturally stunning building successfully. I would have liked to see a couple of full-page panels here. Maybe he can do this for his 2021 update. Ray draws expressive people - another thing he could work on is including more cityscapes of Taipei. I think this would take his drawing to the next level.

Apart from talking about his life, Ray gives his reactions to the pandemic and the political scene in the US. I share with Ray an interest in the life of Westerners in East Asia and always find his thoughts on that topic worthwhile. Where we differ is he is a fan of Marvel movies, and what could be described as mainstream comics. If you enjoyed “Always Goodbye” this is worth a read - it's a graphic short story really. I look forward to his thoughts on 2021.

[Harry Whitewolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Condensing a whole year into a short comic book is no easy task, especially when the year in question is 2020 and there’s a helluva lot going on on the world stage as much as in your personal life. But Ray Hecht makes the whole thing simpler than it sounds. I did feel like the book needed to be longer to provide more depth and get closer to such autobiographical illustrated classics like Raymond Briggs’ Ethel and Ernest, but with charming drawings, interesting glimpses into the author’s up-and-down personal life, and world events playing out in Taiwan and the US, 2020: A Year in Taiwan is certainly an enjoyable and enamouring read.

[Rebecca Gransden · Rating 4 out of 5]

As 2021 draws to a close it is strange to visit Ray Hecht’s log of the previous year, 2020. With this year a seemingly weary continuation of what 2020 brought the world’s way, it is interesting to reflect on years that have been defined by the amplification of common experience. Hecht illustrates his 2020 in a series of comic book panels, simple and effective drawings of significant events and musings that standout in a deeply strange time. This short overview of Hecht’s time spent as an expat living in Taiwan gives a charming insight into his life, and how his 2020 played out.

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

That dark year – 2020 – put in perspective from afar and up close

Author Ray Hecht was born in Israel, raised in the US (Midwest to the West Coast), lived in China, and now resides in Taiwan. He is both a freelance journalist and the author of THIS IS MODERN LOVE, SOUTH CHINA MORNING BLUES, OUT OF TIME, 411, PEARL RIVER DRAMA, THE GHOST OF LOTUS MOUNTAIN BROTHEL, TAIWAN TALES, ALWAYS GOODBYE, and now 2020: A YEAR IN TAIWAN.

Though the pandemic is still very much with us, a glance back at the inception and gradual march around the globe begins to place COVID-19 in the history ranks along with the many other startling events of 2020. Ray somehow makes this retrospective overview entertaining, placing his dialogue in a comic strip format. He opens with a reminiscence of an end of year 2019 trip to Europe, returning to his Taiwan home to hear about the coronavirus outbreak in nearby China, the early restrictions of mask, social distancing etc, the outbreak in the US, the in vain attempts at pushing bleach injections etc, the early tensions in the US Presidential campaign, the George Floyd death instigation of BLM, stimulus checks, Zooming, work from home, the deaths of Chadwick Boseman and RBG, Ray’s means of entertainment for holiday events, his partner’s hospitalization – it all is familiar, but the way Ray suffuses these moments with his autobiographical cartoon presentation puts 2020 in perspective.

As his book ends, he states (reflecting on the January 6 insurrection) – ‘But since then, there’s real reason to hope. Political stability, and vaccines were coming, Took a while, but they did come. It was a crazy year, but we made it. That is something. Good riddance, 2020!’

Spend a fun time getting to know a very interesting (and talented!) writer/artist – it is well worth the trip! Recommended.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this and I want more, a fantastic way to look back on the past, ya know when they do those specials on TV where they look back on events for a particular year? Well this is like that but with a much better narrator. The illustrations are great, it’s the style I like, pencil drawings and all writing is hand written, being a little rough around the edges gives it a bit of character.

2020 was an epic year (yeah I know 2021 is trying to top it) and Ray shares with us all the big events, some of which I had forgotten (the shock death of the black panther for one) and he shares what he was doing during the lockdown in Taiwan…it’s amazing how calm things can be when you don’t have a bumbling buffoon in charge. There are only 15 pages but it feels like Ray has done a grand job of trying to make sense of all the madness whilst managing to include a few personal events into the mix.

Make sure you read Always Goodbye first as this is more like an epilogue for the main book. I hope Ray produces one for 2021.

Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2022...

[Travis Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read covering the highlights of 2020, from the perspective of an American living in Taiwan.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting look into how 2019 ended, and 2020 began, with Ray detailing various events from both his personal and public life. The comic starts off in a happy way however, as 2020 begins, and COVID-19 becomes more prevalent, Ray goes into detail on how the world changed, and what he felt from this sudden change. As I was reading the comics, I also felt as though I was experiencing 2020 again, and all of that sadness from that specific time came flooding back. Ray did an excellent job of having us as readers feel what he felt, as he didn't shy away from any specific feelings that he felt during that time period. It was nice to read how Ray was also able to find peace through attending various gatherings, since life seemed to be getting back on track near the end of 2020. Overall, this comic was a great way of summarizing how 2020 was for most of us, and how we must look at it now, and try to be optimistic for the future, as 2020 was definitely a year that tested all of us in various ways.

[Tim Shepard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good telling

A great way to tell of life's events. Love that this is done in comic form. I think everyone should write down what's going on in their lives and Ray Hecht does a good job of it.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A graphic novel tale of the year the author ending up staying in Taiwan because of COVID. A pretty quick read and the whole time I'm thinking...that could have been any of us stuck somewhere until all the medical censures were lifted. Interesting to see what happened locally and internationally while he was there, as well as learning what the author dealt with during his stay. I enjoyed it.

[S. Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very short nonfiction biography of the author's life in 2020, told in comic book style. It focuses on his travels with his girlfriend Bronwen, which ended in Taiwan, where Covid trapped them. They made the best of the situation, and the author decided to memorialize the turbulent year of 2020, with all of its politics, pandemic, and pop culture, by putting it in comic book form.

I found the short work a quick, interesting read, and a fairly good summary of 2020. I thought that some of it was too political and too biased to be very enjoyable, but it's the author's right to print what he wants. I personally would have liked it better with more irony and clever humor (a little bit of which he had) and less personal bias (a great deal of which he had). Still, the artwork was amusing, and I did not regret reading it. Three stars.

[Melissa Borsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This comic/graphic novel is a very personal account of life during the pandemic in Taiwan since travel was stopped and it was not possible to travel back to the states, although the author was still able to follow what was going on back in the states through online and through television. I absolutely loved everything about this and appreciated the humor that the author was able to interject into the story.

[Wendy Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading “2020: A Year in Taiwan.” I liked how Ray was optimistic, as I am always trying to be optimistic myself. I think this shows a lot about Ray. In this book, Ray talks about a number of things, including various jobs he held and politics. I liked how Ray’s drawings captured his life. This makes the book very original. This book is great for people who love graphic novels. Ray was really moved by what was going on in his life and enjoyed sharing it with us.

[Daniel Clausen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! It only took me 10 minutes to read (15 pages) and was a nice addition to Ray's book "Always Goodbye." If you need a little catharsis from 2020, this is the book for you. But...you should probably read "Always Goodbye" first. Keep them coming, Ray.

[Lake · Rating 3 out of 5]

In case you'd forgotten how terrible 2020 was

I thought this was gonna be about Taiwan, but it's about the US from a guy who lives in Taiwan. What a time capsule of American politics in 2020 though whew.