In graphic memoir form, Russo depicts her childhood in Queens, New York, from 1957-1967. "When I was a little girl, I took Catholicism very seriously...Despite the fact that my relatives spoke Yiddish, ate herring, and drank seltzer, it never occurred to me that I might actually be Jewish." Her divorced mother, who "became a Catholic when she lived in Italy during the war," has her own complicated relationship with the Church -- and with her Jewish mother and sisters; with Marisabina's father; and with her two sons, Marisabina's half-brothers. The author's dream was "to become a nun so that I could live a calm and orderly life far from the fermisht tummel [Yiddish for 'mixed-up commotion,' per a footnote] of my own family." She instead became a prolific picture-book creator (Waiting for Hannah, rev. 9/89; Sophie Sleeps Over, rev. 3/14; and many others) and wrote about her family's experiences during WWII in the moving nonfiction picture books Always Remember Me (rev. 3/05) and I Will Come Back for You (rev. 9/11). This snapshot of her formative years (including middle-school dances, the Beatles, and JFK's assassination) is focused squarely on her idiosyncratic family members' traits and foibles at that time, with fascinating details of their pasts occasionally and gradually revealed. For example, Marisabina's noodge-y mom had received a medal for bravery for her work with the partisans during WWII. Copious panels, with dialogue that spills out from them, depict day-to-day life in color and interspersed flashbacks in black and white, providing an unvarnished look at one complicated, opinionated, and personality-filled family. Elissa Gershowitz

This memoir introduces Russo as the quiet daughter of an absent Catholic father and a Jewish mother who survived wartime atrocities and converted to Catholicism.Raised in an opinionated, Yiddish-speaking 1950s matriarchy, Russo is enticed by the teachings of her parochial school. So enticed, in fact, that she has decided to become a nun. Horrified, her mother informs Russo she is now attending public school. The episodic story leisurely follows Russo's life in New York City as she discovers a love of visual art, endures emotional shake-ups and family dramas, and, piece by piece, begins to put together what her family endured during World War II. Notably, clichés of intergenerational trauma are sidestepped: Holocaust and wartime survivors aren't walking tragedies but fully human, everyday people with foibles as well as pain. Russo grows up both admiring and resenting her relatives-in particular, her courageous, frustrating, mercurial mother-but finds through them lessons she integrates into her sense of self at the intersection of multiple worlds: Jewish and Catholic, fully American and part of an immigrant culture. While the book meanders, and Russo sometimes becomes lost among the more vibrant personalities around her, the meticulous, detailed art is a highlight, striking the perfect tone for the quirky character of the world it portrays and rewarding repeated readings to catch every detail. Main characters are Ashkenazi.Affectionately celebrates Jewish American experiences. (epilogue, photo gallery) (Graphic memoir. 12-18)

Gr 7 Up Russo, known to her family and friends as Cookie, tells the story of growing up in her immigrant family (her mother was German, her father Italian). The graphic memoir spans 1957 to 1967. Cookie's mind races with confusion when she realizes that despite her Catholic upbringing, her family is Jewish. When she expresses her dreams to become a nun, her mother pulls her out of Catholic school, and she must adjust to life in public school. As she grows older, her mother puts pressure on her to succeed academically like her half brothers. Russo sheds light on how family dynamics were tested and changed because of World War II. Cookie knows that her mother and her fiancé were part of the Resistance, but she discovers that her aunt and her grandmother were sent to concentration camps. She also learns more about her Italian father, who lives in Geneva. Russo uses a similar style as in her 2011 picture book I Will Come Back for You ; readers unfamiliar with her style may consider the illustrations flat compared to other young adult graphic memoirs. Themes range from the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder to the yearning for parental acceptance; many readers will find the book relatable. Depictions of neglect, mental illness, and financial burden create a heavy tone, but Cookie's innocent and quirky nature provides some comic relief. VERDICT A solid graphic memoir on the impact of World War II on families years later. Angie Jameson, Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools, OH