Refresh, Refresh

Refresh, Refresh by Danica Novgorodoff, James Ponsoldt, and Benjamin Percy

I saw this graphic novel sitting on the shelf at the school library and knew I had to read it. On the cover is Josh, the story's main character, in a desperate stance staring out at potential readers with a bloodied face and wife-beater shirt, arms down with his fingers crossed. This story is one of three boys in rural Oregon whose fathers have left for the war in Iraq. In their struggle to grow to be men without their fathers around they've created a sort of backyard fight club.

Refresh, Refresh is a very short, intense experience that offers an interesting look at the effect of the war on our soldier's children. Although the gritty illustration captured the unsettling tone in the story, I was really left wanting much more from the story itself - like I was just starting to sink my teeth into the graphic experience and then it was over.

I've discovered that Refresh, Refresh is only one in collection of Benjamin Percy's stories about rural life in the Pacific northwest titled Refresh, Refresh: Stories. You can be sure I'll be trying to get my hands on this collection soon because this graphic novel has pulled me in.