Siberiak

Told in bold black and white illustrations and through adorable non-human characters, Siberiak is part travelogue, part coming-of-age memoir. The teen protagonist, a budding activist, signs up for a peace mission to the then-USSR. By rowboat, bicycle and raft, American and Soviet youth travel through Siberia camping along the River Ob. In her first trip without her parents, the recent high school graduate slowly comes out of her shell to make friends with both Russian and Americans. Through the discomforts of communicating without language, staying with host families with customs so different than their own, mechanical difficulties and the unwanted attentions of a grown man, ultimately our American girl ends up admiring the Siberians and their community-centered way of life.

Jaeckel is an award-winning illustrator living and working in Victoria, British Columbia. She has two other graphic memoirs that are forthcoming, as well as a collection of short stories.