Opening
Bibliographic Information:
The
Stuff of Life: A Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA /
(authored)
by Mark Schultz
ISBN-13:
978-0-8090-8947-5 / Hill and Wang
p. 151 / $14.95 (Retail)
2009
Body of Content
Summary: The Stuff of Life is a
graphical novel with an educational bent – attempting to explain and delineate
scientific processes attached to genetics and DNA. The book is broken into five chapters – “How
the System Works: The Molecular Story” – “How the System Works: Sex and
Cellular Life” – “How the System Works: Everyone Gets an Inheritance” –
“Applying All That Stuff: For the Greater Good” – and “Applying All That Stuff:
Into the Future through the Past”. The
graphic novel is a black-and-white formatted book – with graphics and pictures
– but sorely lacks color.
Critique: The
novel tries a creative means to the issue of literary point-of-view. Since the DNA of humans is the chief subject
matter, the author uses an alien species – watching Earth from orbit in their
spaceship – as the narrator of the book.
As such, it attempts to provide the view of an outside source – an
objective source not constrained by the messiness of the human condition. And in this way, the alien view serves an
objective view similar to science – which attempts to observe phenomenon
without interfering with the natural processes.
Such an approach is somewhat creative. At the very least, it is certainly different
from the 1950s voice-over documentaries – teaching teens the importance of
proper manners – while the director makes occasion video cuts to the
suit-laden, hair-parted narrator. The
alien perspective is not the content of the novel, but it is the means that the
authors chose to deliver their message.
For the functionality of the book – and the intended audience – I
believe it works better than the know-it-all 1950s approach to educational
material.
Teaser: This graphic novel distills the difficulty and complexity
of DNA strains down to visual explanations.
Information about the Author: Mark Schultz is a comic and
author. Besides this graphic novel,
Schultz writes various spin-off comics of Superman
– and more to his own creations, he writes a series called Xenozoic Tales (MacMillan, 2011). The latter entry features a dystopian future
where two protagonists run a car garage – recreate formerly extinct species –
fight dinosaurs – and use dinosaur excrement as a fuel source – in their
car-friendly but fuel-ridden future (Wikipedia, 2011). Most of his projects run through the DC
Comics and Marvel Comics routes (MacMillan, 2011).
Supplemental Material
Genre: Science / Nonfiction /
Graphic Novel
Curriculum Ties: Science – anatomy, biology,
evolution, DNA, genetics
Booktalking Ideas: 1)
Have you ever wondered the DNA relationship between humans now and humans thousands
of years ago? 2) Want to read about sex – from the perceptive of a petri dish?
Reading Level: While students read about
biology and anatomy during their freshman and sophomore years, this title can
apply to the later years of high school, too.
Overall, interest level fits the scope of high school (15-18).
Challenge Issues and Defense: The last chapter deals with
evolution – as it pertains to DNA. Sex – from a strictly academic, cellular
process – is also discussed. Some
religious groups may take note (of the former issue) – overall, having a
balanced school collection for a library is the strongest approach to defending
this title.
Personal Reasons for Inclusion: This
is a good example of taking a complicated issue and finding a way to lower the
entry-level for readers.
Last Thoughts
References:
MacMillan.
(2011). Mark Schultz [Webpage]. Retrieved from
http://us.macmillan.com/author/markschultz
Wikipedia.
(2011). Mark Schultz (comics) [Webpage]. Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenozoic_Tales
Listening to (Music):
Artist – Evanescence / Album – “Evanescence”
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