Emotions, puberty, gender... What does it mean to be a boy today? And how can we fight toxic behavior, which is still too often linked to masculinity? Author and journalist Karim Ouaffi addresses these issues in Être garçon, a humorous and informative, yet touching, graphic novel.

 

Even today, in 2024, being a boy undeniably leads to male privilege. "A boy will be able to get a better education, he will have more opportunities, he will be more present and he will be allowed to do all this because he is male", explains the author. Ouaffi, who looked into this subject at the birth of his daughter, found that, "at nursery school, the little boys have swords and castles, they climb and jump everywhere. And the little girls? They have their little pink dresses, their pigtails and a small corner in the playground and everyone thinks it's normal. It clicked for me.”

 

Questioning the women around him, the author quickly realized that all of them have been victims of harassment and/or aggression by a man: "in the metro, in clubs, within the family, and all of them have had at least one insistent male friend."

                                                                                                                                                              

The book’s five stories address subjects such as homosexuality, feminism, managing emotions and domestic or intra-family violence. At the end of each story there is backmatter pertaining to the issues raised, with information and practical advice, such as the organizations to contact. The talented Mikankey’s art with its touch of humor and tenderness gives power to Ouaffi’s text.

Être garçon is aimed at a 12+ readership but is a work that should be read by all, as it is an important contemporary subject.

 

More than 3,000 copies of this work were sold in France in its first six weeks. German, English (North America), Italian, Basque, Spanish and Catalan translation rights have been sold.

 

Katja Petrovic 

November 2024