The Story of My Tits

by Jennifer Hayden

Overview

"Truly moving. Hayden has created a heartfelt and often hilarious tribute to her life-and to the resilience of women everywhere." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Named one of Library Journal's BEST BOOKS OF 2015! A landmark work of graphic memoir and a cancer narrative that Gabrielle Bell (Lucky, Cecil & Jordan in New York, Everything is Flammable) calls, "comforting, straightforward and strongly connected to life." When Jennifer Hayden was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 43, she realized that her tits told a story. Across a lifetime, they'd held so many meanings: hope and fear, pride and embarrassment, life and death. And then they were gone. Now, their story has become a way of understanding her story.

For everyone who's faced cancer personally, or watched a loved one fight that battle, Hayden's story is a much-needed breath of fresh air, an irresistible blend of sweetness and skepticism. Rich with both symbolism and humor, The Story of My Tits will leave you laughing, weeping, and feeling grateful for every day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781603090544
Publisher:	IDW Publishing
Publication date:	10/07/2015
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 7.94(h) x 0.99(d)

About the Author

Jennifer Hayden came to comics from fiction writing and children’s book illustration. Her most recent book, The Story of My Tits (Top Shelf, 2015), is a 352-page graphic memoir and breast cancer narrative. Her previous book, the autobiographical collection Underwire (Top Shelf, 2011), was excerpted in The Best American Comics 2013 and named one of “the best comics by women” by DoubleX. She is a member of Activate (the premier webcomics collective in New York City), where she posts her webcomic S’crapbook, which earned a Notable listing in The Best American Comics 2012. Jennifer currently posts the daily diary strip Rushes at thegoddessrushes.blogspot.com. Her comics have appeared in print anthologies such as The Activate Primer, Cousin Corrine’s Reminder, and The Strumpet. 

After hours, Jennifer plays electric fiddle with The Rocky Hill Ramblers and The Spring Hill Band. She lives in Central New Jersey with her husband, their two college-age children, two cats, and the dog. 

You can read her blog at goddesscomix.blogspot.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 08/17/2015
Hayden (Underwire) celebrates love, laughter, and life’s many ups and downs in this affecting memoir. From prepubescent anxiety to a climactic battle with cancer, her relationship to her breasts serves as a prism through which she chronicles her life. Her honesty is blistering: every panel is a densely inked peek into the gory details of womanhood, from breastfeeding to breast cancer. Post-surgery fluid draining, bathing without ripping one’s stitches, cesarean sections—no detail is spared. Her knack for dreamlike imagery is a delightful counterpoint to this frankness: her husband grows fangs when he is angry, a sentient songbird dispenses advice for dealing with life crises, lightning crackles around her mother-in-law as she reveals her own cancer diagnoses. It is this combination of surrealism and an unflinching commitment to candor that elevates this memoir beyond simple confessional into something truly moving. Hayden has created a heartfelt and often hilarious tribute to her life—and to the resilience of women everywhere. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Heartbreaking and riveting, Jennifer Hayden's caustic, sarcastic wit streams through her quirky drawings, unfolding a survivor's tale and so much more. The Story of My Tits takes us from her flat-chested adolescence to small-boobed acceptance, then loss — until the dramatic reconstruction of Jennifer herself." — Marisa Acocella Marchetto, author of Cancer Vixen and Ann Tenna

"The pacing of her storytelling is seamless... Hayden's memoir will resonate with anyone who has suffered loss and gone on to tell the tale." — Booklist

From the Publisher

09/01/2015
In this graphic novel, author/illustrator Hayden (Underwire) examines her life using her breasts as touchpoints (no pun intended), starting out as a flat-chested youth whose first bra was the source of hilarity among her friends and family. She progressed through stage after stage, with increased chest measurements meeting increased anxiety. The text is earthy, as is the pointed black-and-white artwork. With panel headings along with text, there is a good deal to absorb. Hayden's mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. Hayden marries musician Jim, a college boyfriend, whose mother succumbs to lung cancer and whose father's mistress (yes, it's complicated) dies after her battle with breast cancer. Then, at 43, Hayden receives the breast cancer diagnosis, too. VERDICT Graphic novels aren't for everyone, but this depiction of female growth and independence deserves to be read by more than the typical graphic novel fan. Shelve with Marisa Acocella Marchetto's Cancer Vixen, which, Hayden claims, inspired her to write this book.—Bette-Lee Fox (BLF)

Library Journal