One Hundred Demons

Narrated in the name, form and shape of demons, One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry is the most unique autobiography I have ever read. After reading, it seems the most natural way of looking back at your life. Is it not demons we all live and grow up with?

Technically it is not an autobiography but reveals the most intimate parts of life and mind of the author. Presented in the form of a comic, it is funny and brutally honest. Right from head lice to heartbreak, from being bullied to becoming a bully, Lynda bares her feelings as she narrates episodes from her childhood and teenage. With no emotional support from her mother, how she dealt with the loneliness and anxiety of being ‘ugly’ and ‘different’ by doing some crazy things.

In her demons, you remember and begin to recognize your own demons. How I wish I had read something like this in my adolescence. I would have felt understood and not alone. That is why it may be a good book for your teenager but it may be even better for you as a parent. You will begin to place your child in the centre and see how she/he must be interacting with various elements in his/her life- school, attractions, teachers, best friend, boy/girlfriend, bullies, looks, abuse, need to prove. Once you draw the picture in your mind, you realize the pressure built up inside your child. It may just evoke the empathy, love and understanding your child may need from you.

Recommended for ages 13+ and all parents