Gr 7 Up-Mixing original illustrations, first-person prose, and lyrical interludes with gorgeous reproductions of photographer Graciela Iturbide's work, Quintero and Peña patiently reveal their subject's many angles, producing a "kaleidoscopic unraveling" of the artist. In this presentation, time is fluid, the text moving between pivotal moments in Iturbide's career to explain reoccurring themes and concepts in her work. The graphic novel format lends itself particularly well to this nonlinear style, as Peña deftly portrays Iturbide over the course of 50 years. The illustrator incorporates much of the artist's signature motifs into the visuals, and his choice to use a black-and-white palette is another nod to Iturbide's point of view. This mesmerizing book conveys profound ideas yet also adheres to the artist's vision. (Quintero reminds readers that the use of words such as magical and surreal to describe Iturbide's work is incorrect; "her images are as real as they get.") Teens will come away with an evolved sense of how to look at a creator's life and work and how to think critically about art as a process. The importance of being seen, specifically in regard to indigenous communities in Mexico and Mexican Americans in the United States, as a narrative thread will resonate strongly with readers. VERDICT Quintero and Peña have set a new standard in artist biographies. A must for teen collections. Della Farrell, School Library Journal

Photographer Iturbide's story is told in comic-panel format, with striking black-and-white illustrations, high-quality reproductions of her own photographs, and spare first-person narration drawing upon her writing and interviews; interspersed are section introductions in a more conversational third-person, direct-address text. A powerful homage to the five-decade evolution of an artist still working--and still evolving--today. Additional biographical information is appended. Reading list.

Starred Review Quintero and Peña's biography of Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide is far more than an account of her life. Quintero captivatingly muddles the line between objective observer and participant in the narrative, directly addressing readers at times and adopting Iturbide's voice at others. And for a woman like Iturbide o sees fragments of herself in her subjects, who views photography as participation in a moment of shared reality is conspiratorial tone is essential to understanding her as an artist. Iturbide's conservative childhood and marriage at 19 is touched upon, but the bulk of the book examines her formative projects and evolution as a photographer. It begins in 1979, with her commission to photograph the Seri people of the Sonoran Desert, introducing samples of her work and her artistic philosophies. Reproductions of her black-and-white photos (the medium of reality) are folded into and echoed in Peña's black-ink illustrations, which scatter, layer, and extend images beyond their frames, conjuring the "in-between" space in life that Iturbide seeks to capture. Her work shows America through the faces of the White Fence gang of East L.A. It reveals the strong women and respected muxes (nonbinary individuals) of Mexico's Juchitán. It finds perspective in birds, art in cacti, stories in objects ways uncovering a new vantage point for glimpsing truth. A concise, linear biography concludes, along with captions for the 25 of Iturbide's photos included in the text. Eye-opening and masterfully rendered.

Quintero (Gabi, a Girl in Pieces) and newcomer Peña weave together Graciela Iturbide's award-winning photography, her own words, and narrative snapshots of her life into an artistically powerful graphic novel homage. Instead of creating a straightforward biography, the duo has opted to capture the impressions, intentions, and influences that were central to the photographer's work, which often focused on Mexican and indigenous culture, lives, and environments. Like Iturbide ("I see reality in black and white"), Peña works in grayscale, focusing predominantly on each panel's forms and faces by omitting the often-rich colors of Mexican landscape and dress. Archival materials recreate moments surrounding Iturbide's most famous photographs, guiding readers to an understanding of Iturbide's work-predominately that from the late 1970s-without explaining it outright. Though true biographical information is limited to elements of the artist's upbringing, the graphic novel honors a provocative life by taking a provocative form. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)