We All Got Something

by Lawrence Lindell

Overview

When you’re always searching, you might just surprise yourself with what you find

After a rocky attempt at living in London with his partner, Lawrence finds himself single,broke, and back at home in Compton with his mom and great-aunt, moping from bed tokitchen table and back to bed again, with long layovers on the front porch to sit and watchthe world pass him by. Everything had been so good—a degree, an animation internship,paid music gigs, the perfect girl. How the heck did Lawrence get knocked so far down,with such little semblance of his former life remaining to hold him together? Well, that’s along story…

Set to a cacophonous soundtrack of church praise, playground noise, bus-stopcamaraderie, and Pacific Ocean waves, Lawrence Lindell’s heartbreaking—andheartwarming—We All Got Something recounts a tragic and random act of violence, thePTSD that follows, lost love, and coming to terms with the underlying mental health crisessabotaging it all. A testament to the healing power of art and the vital role community playsin the process, Lindell’s graphic memoir is deeply personal and specific, but also relatable—because we all got something.

The follow-up to Lindell’s Eisner-nominated and Excellence in Graphic Literature Award-winninggraphic novel Blackward, We All Got Something brings Lindell’s love of thecomics community into a different light, and shows the author exploring deeper and darkercorners of his past, with his signature blend of humor, heart, and cartoony lines.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781770467736
Publisher:	Drawn & Quarterly
Publication date:	04/29/2025
Pages:	168
Product dimensions:	5.65(w) x 7.85(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Lawrence Lindell is an artist, musician and educator from California who works in many artistic disciplines, including comics, music, illustration, and mixed media. He is the co-founder of Laneha House.

Editorial Reviews

Lindell’s loose, expressionistic drawings burst with energy, humor, and bright colors.” —Publishers Weekly

“Lindell’s colorful panels imbue energy on every page while his empathically expressive characters and dynamic hand lettering—in spirited caps, with plenty of bold highlights, even old-school bubble letters—add multilayered vibrancy.” —ALA Booklist

“Vibrant and dynamic.” —New York Times

“Charming.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“Vibrant, lively, animated, panel-breaking art.” —Kirkus

From the Publisher

2025-03-04
Art comes to the rescue.

Lindell’s life as a nomad musician/artist who moved from California to Canada and Europe and back again was anything but glamorous. In this graphic memoir, he chronicles how he stopped running from the personal history that fueled his restlessness. The narrative begins with the author, back from a stay in London, at his mother’s house in California. Broke, isolated, and depressed, he accepted an elementary school aide job that his aunt helped him find. Through conversations Lindell has with fellow school aides, his story emerges in edgy, black-and-white comic book–style drawings. Once, he had pursued his dreams of becoming an animator through an internship and later a never-submitted application to graduate school. His failure to act haunted him, as did a near-fatal shooting/car crash that involved both him and his girlfriend. Realizing that there “was a lot of shit [he] needed to resolve,” Lindell made peace with his girlfriend, then began working his way back to art by attending a San Francisco zine fest. A chance encounter with a female illustrator offered the chance of a new relationship. His revelation that he suffered from both bipolar disorder and PTSD—which she accepted without judgment—offers further insight into Lindell’s struggles while revealing the depth of his personal transformation. As it explores loss, vulnerability, and the power of art to heal, this brief but moving book celebrates the enduring resilience of the human spirit.

A candid, heartfelt story of one man’s triumph over his own demons through creative self-expression.

Kirkus Reviews