A Boy’s Own Story
With artist Igor Karash and co-writer Michael Carroll, an adaptation into a graphic novel of Edmund White’s 1982-classic, A Boy’s Own Story, for Top Shelf Productions/ Penguin Random House.
IN THE PRESS
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"The graphic novel version of A Boy’s Own Story, White’s 1982 autobiographical coming-out novel long considered a classic by generations of readers, LGBTQ and otherwise. Now, it has become an illustrated book (Top Shelf Productions, $29.99), written by Carroll and writer, artist, and filmmaker Brian Alessandro, with dreamy, Edward Hopper-ish illustrations by Igor Karash. The book has been in gestation for around five years, said Alessandro, and the group worked on it concertedly during the pandemic."
— The Daily Beast
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"Alessandro and Carrol have abridged White’s complex, time-shifting tapestry smoothly, while Karash’s muted color scheme evokes a rich, bittersweet nostalgia. This artful, heartfelt adaptation illuminates a modern classic for a new generation of readers."
— Publishers Weekly
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"EDMUND WHITE'S A BOY'S OWN STORY: The Graphic Novel adapted by Brian Alessandro and Michael Carroll. White's story about a 14-year-old boy growing up in the Midwest in the 1950s was considered groundbreaking at the time. And it remains so more than 40 years later for its unnamed protagonist who deals with his homosexual awakening as well as his dysfunctional family dynamics. Sparking this new adaptation are Igor Karash's stunning illustrations. (Top Shelf Productions, $29.99)"
— Newsday
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At the risk of having my gay card revoked, I came very late to Edmund White’s work. It was 2016 and I was 39 years old. Genet was the first of his books I read, and it has remained my favorite. In January 2017, I befriended Ed and his husband Michael Carroll, joining them for weekly dinners in their Chelsea condominium, which Joyce Carol Oates calls “elegant,” but which Michael himself describes as “shabby.” Perhaps it is shabby elegant.
— Interview Magazine