The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures by Noelle Stevenson

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures by Noelle Stevenson Kate Quealy-Gainer, Assistant Editor Stevenson, Noelle The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures; written and illus. by Noelle Stevenson. HarperTeen, 2020 208p Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-06-227827-2 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-06-227828-9 $12.99 R Gr. 8-12 Stevenson, author of the popular webcomic and book Nimona (BCCB 7/15), co-writer of the similarly popular Lumberjanes, and current show runner of Netflix’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, tracks both her personal and artistic journey, beginning as an insecure undergrad in her first Sequential Arts class to a rising and then award-winning artist and writer, all the while dealing with confusing relationships, questions about sexuality, fears of failure, and bouts of depression and anxiety. Comic-styled vignettes are punctuated by end of year reflections, and the chronological reviews give a solid framework in which her authentically complicated and messy thoughts and feelings play out. Fans will appreciate the opportunity to see Stevenson’s growth as an artist, and her use of visual metaphors will feel especially resonant for readers sorting out their identity and future paths. She thankfully avoids the oversimplification of mental health struggles that places a direct line between sadness as Point A and happiness as Point B; instead she acknowledges the chaos and range of human emotion and acknowledges that successes and stability bring their own set of complications. Stevenson makes herself vulnerable here, and readers will appreciate her honesty, compassion, and hard-won wisdom. Copyright © 2020 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois