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“This four-color atomic bomb of a comic signals the arrival of a formidable talent.”
— ★ Publishers Weekly Starred Review

About The Book

[A] hauntingly shocking debut graphic memoir.”
— ★ Booklist Starred Review

A landmark graphic novel debut and groundbreaking work of trauma recollection told in the style of post-war children’s comics.

Pages: 196

Format: Hardback

Color: Full-color

Dimensions: 7.5" × 10.8"

ISBN-13: 9781683969280

“If an exorcism can ever be slow and quiet, then every panel I’ve finished has felt something like an exorcism. The gutters give me space to make sense of things: to connect dots and close gaps. To remember.” Kayla E.’s Precious Rubbish is an experimental graphic memoir drawn in a style that references the aesthetics of mid-century children’s comics and tells the story of a childhood shaped by maternal emotional dysregulation, rural poverty, and incest. The author’s childhood is portrayed as a collection of short-form comics and gag panels punctuated by interactive elements like paper dolls, satirical advertisements, games, and puzzles. ​

 

While the work is concerned with violence and a particularly Texan brand of Pentecostal fanaticism, it is presented in a playful visual language with a deadpan humor that elevates the material beyond mere graphic memoir. Precious Rubbish is a landmark work of comics storytelling and graphic medicine.

 

The debut graphic novel from artist Kayla E., Precious Rubbish asks the reader to do the extratextual work of filling out narrative gaps, which mirrors the challenge of trauma recollection. The reader is invited to co-labor in the meaning-making process, an exercise that facilitates an intimacy (between the author, the subject, and the reader) that is at once horrifying and hilarious.

Preview

precious rubbish
BOOK TOUR

Philadelphia, PA
Richmond, VA
New York, NY
Greensboro, NC
Chicago, IL
Asheville, NC

Greensboro,
North Carolina

Date: April 5, 2025
Time: 6:00-7:00 PM
Host: Scuppernong Books

Location: 304 S. Elm St Greensboro, NC

In convo with Jennifer Whitaker +Q&A & signing

FREE + No RSVP

Richmond,
Virginia

Date: April 7, 2025
Time: 6:00-7:00 PM
Host: The Graphic Narratives Lab at VCU + Rae Whitlock

Location: VCU STEM Building Rm 217

817 W Franklin St Richmond, VA

In convo with Dr. Francesca Lyn +Q&A & signing

FREE + No RSVP

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New York,
New York

Date: April 8, 2025
Time: 7:00-8:00 PM
Host: P&T Knitwear Bookstore

Location: 108 Orchard St New York, NY

In convo with Heidi MacDonald +Q&A & signing

$5 + RSVP Required

Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania

Date: April 9, 2025
Time: 7:00-8:00 PM
Host: Partners & Son

Location: 618 S 6th St Philadelphia, PA

In convo with Kelsey McKinney +Q&A & signing

FREE + No RSVP

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Chicago,
Illinois

Date: April 10, 2025
Time: 7:00-8:00 PM
Host: Pilsen Community Books

Location: 1102 W 18th St Chicago, IL

In convo with Ivan Brunetti + Q&A & signing

Free + No RSVP

Asheville,
North Carolina

Date: April 16, 2025
Time: 6:00-7:00 PM
Host: Malaprop's Books

Location: 55 Haywood St Asheville, NC

In convo with Tessa Fontaine +Q&A & signing

FREE + RSVP Required

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