72%

We've got a good story on our hands, but it felt kinda preachy and forced at times - I mean, no one really talks like they did in real life, and it felt weirdly awkward. I get that it's important to show healthy relationships and boundaries, but you can show me a nail's purpose without hammering it into my skull, you know?

I also wasn't a fan of Mia planning to ask the librarian to remove a book out of the collection because she didn't like what it said, especially since she herself pointed out that it taught her how other people view Native Americans - asking for more relevant books is awesome, but banning books just doesn't sit right with me.

I think some cultural resources to aid further research would've been nice to see at the end of the book, especially since this story is aimed at a younger age-group that may not know how to research things properly.

Mia, who is half Jewish and half Muscogee, learns to navigate both parts of her identity. I loved how she learned to appreciate both cultures and speak up for herself. I loved how her family and the Rabbi were all willing to learn, grow, and change.

I really loved the concept of this story! This follows a young woman struggling to balance her Jewish identity and Muskogee identity. She lives with her Jewish mother and is exposed to many Jewish traditions, but she is curious to learn more about her Muskogee identity. I appreciated how this book addresses anti-Indigenous racism, the lack of validation of BIPOC Jewish folks, friendship, family dynamics, and mixed-heritage. Although a minor character, I really enjoyed the friendship the MC had with an Asian Jewish person. This would be a great book for middle schoolers. Also, the illustrations are gorgeous!

This is a stunning graphic novel that is quite unique in it’s nature. I have spent a few years now reading Native books and have yet to come across one that offers a Jewish Native perspective. There was some intrigue in it for me as it was so parallel to my own life in a lot of ways and I know it will do that for others. One example is me being Native with Jewish ancestry, though unlike Mia, I’m far more disconnected from my Jewish side than my Native side. But I felt that same curiousity that is represented on the page. This graphic novel has potential for more than the intended target audience because of the story’s depth and the elements it explored.

Two Tribes does deliver on what is stated in the description. Our protagonist Mia is part of a divorced family, her mother and step father being Jewish and her father being Native. She lives with her mother and doesn’t often see her father, and after being heckled by a student at school, she decides she wants to see him. From there we follow Mia as she tests boundaries, figures out her place in both parts of her life, and starts mending fences.

What worried me a little was the depiction of Mia’s father. Without giving spoilers, the readers are clued in that he made mistakes in his marriage with Mia’s mother and in her childhood. Mia doesn’t hold a grudge but it plays a role in her disconnect from her family. The overall message smoothes this out, and shows how a lot of the characters in this story make mistakes and have a lot more to learn. A central theme seems to be the importance of responsibility and accountability, which worked really well in the context of this story. Especially since it can overlap into different aspects since most people come from more than one culture.

I also think this is a graphic novel that a lot of kids and teens will enjoy. Mia seems relatable, and there is just enough humor sprinkled in that it keeps your attention when things get intense.

Overall, an interesting graphic novel that centers Jewish Natives and being mixed.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Heartdrum for an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

What a great story! Emily Bowen Cohen's TWO TRIBES is compelling story of a young teen who's struggling with finding her identity between her divorced parents; her mother is Jewish, her father is Indigenous. Mia, the main character, makes some big mistakes but her decisions are relatable. It's easy to imagine a kid's logic justifying her actions. Mia's Indigenous family is warm and welcoming; they clearly love her very much. Mia's mom comes across as a bit dimensional, a bit like she's stuck being a victim. However, the ending of the book is heartwarming and feels aspirational--an example of how families can come together even if it's not perfect.

Quick read detailing a teen girl's feelings surrounding her mixed heritage. Living with her mom, she's inundated with Jewish culture, but she also wants to learn more about her dad's Native culture as well. The author does an excellent job providing background about both cultures and demonstrates the similarities and differences between the two. Great book for a classroom library.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I loved this GN. A debut GN that tells the story of Mia’s Two Tribes: Jewish and Muskogee (Creek). She is struggling in her personal life because she wants to learn more about her Muskogee side and her mom doesn’t want to discuss anything that has to do with her father. Mia sneaks off to Oklahoma to stay with her dad and his new family where she reconnects with family and learns the ways of her second tribe. I learned a lot about both the Jewish and Muskogee backgrounds that I didn’t know before. A beautifully drawn GN focusing on acceptance and learning to love more than one side of your self.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Two Tribes is a graphic novel about Mia who is half Muscogee (Creek) and Jewish. Mia lives in California with her Jewish mom and step dad who don't encourage her to connect with her Muscogee side. The first quarter is really difficult to read. Mia is bullied at school and her rabbi makes some very inappropriate comments concerning Indigenous people. Angry at this side of her family, Mia uses her Bat Mitzvah money to visit her dad in Oklahoma. Her time spent in Oklahoma was my favorite part of the book. Mis learns about her tribe, gets to know her family, and really connects with the Muscogee part of her.

Unfortunately, the artwork can be inconsistent at times. Backgrounds always look polished while characters and people are sometimes awkward and stiff. There are certain panels you can tell more time was spent on them while others are rushed. I do appreciate that it's full color though.

Two Tribes contains a beautiful message for kids like Mia who walk the line between two cultures.

This beautiful graphic novel is an exposition on how we are all human and we all make mistakes, kids, teens, parents, step parents, even the rabbi and of course dear old Jonah.

The story of a half-Jewish, half-Muscogee girl who, on the eve of her bat mitzvah, sneaks away to visit the estranged Native American side of her family in Oklahoma. Mia just assumes her mother would never let her visit her father and his family.. After all, her mom and stepdad regularly made derogatory comments about her father, Van. They had good reason to as Van truly messed up in marriage and fatherhood with Mia and her mother. But it’s never okay to bash a parent in front of a child. So Mia devises a clever plan to travel from her home in Los Angeles to Oklahoma to spend time with her father and family and learn about her Native American heritage and customs. That’s pretty noble of Mia, but also deceptive. She uses her Bat Mitzvah gift money to fund the trip and involves her friend in her deception as she is actually supposed to be attending a Shabbation. She even has her mom sign a permission slip for her to attend. It’s an ingenious plan for a young girl and it almost works.

She arrives via bus and is greeted warmly and becomes so enamored with the new life she wants to to abandon her life in Los Angeles and devote herself to life with her Muscogee relatives. She tells dad she wants to move and live with him.

Mia keeps in touch with her mom via cell phone telling lie upon lie to cover her story. But lies tend to catch up with us just as it did for Mia and the wayward prophet Jonah.

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish as there is so much content….
The Jewish customs, the Muskogee customs, the punishment she incurs spending time with the rabbi where a study of Jonah is used to teach Mia a lesson. I was impressed with how the author allowed the characters to make mistakes and bad decisions, then each has the errors of their ways revealed to them and they then chose to make amends. That’s the way it should be. Own up to your bad choices and simply say I’m sorry, I was wrong. .
The part of the book that keeps readers engaged is waiting for the next shoe to drop as one knows Mia’s deception is going to finally catch up with her as well as the stiff consequences.

Two Tribes is a beautifully illustrated book illuminating a troubled teen who takes on her identity and exploration of self. I highly recommend this wonderful debut graphic novel.

Beware of some terms used in this story and understand there is a point being made if it feels offensive. The author’s afterward addresses this quite succinctly.

Coming of age, blended families, religious references, cultures of the Jewish and Muskogee come together to make a fine graphic novel.

Drawing on the author's own experiences, Two Tribes explores what it means to belong to two cultures at once: in middle-schooler Mia's case, Jewish and indigenous (Muscogee). Some great character work in this comic; I especially liked Mia, as well as Gramma, Nova, and Rebbetzin Goldfarb. The dialogue was pretty stiff throughout, and I thought the ending wrapped up a little too neatly and abruptly, especially with Mia's mom and stepfather. I liked Mia and the Rabbi's conversations, though. I wasn't loving the art style at first, but it grew on me over the course of the book. Great to see this representation in middle grade, even if the execution is a little clunky.

Not sure I understand why Mia's necklace in the book is a hamsa while the cover shows a Star of David?

TW: racism, divorced parents, mention of past infidelity, white settler colonialism, reference to the Trail of Tears

I enjoyed this graphic novel. I don't know what level it's being promoted to, but felt it was written at the level of high middle grade. Working within a high school it definitely could fit too, but I think higher reading level students might want a little more within it to follow.

Two Tribes is an important middle grade graphic novel about personal identity and navigating a bi-cultural existence. This book is a rare exploration into life for a tween who is both Muscogee and Jewish, and readers will empathize with Mia’s questions and struggles. While I wish the illustrations were better and the story was less preachy in parts, I do think this is worth reading, and I look forward to reading whatever this author writes next.

Within this book Cohen explores the multiple identities of a young Muscogee and Jewish girl. I found the representation of Muscogee culture and families in Oklahoma to be accurate and written with love. I found Mia’s struggles with figuring out her identity well written and the emotions she experienced to be shown well. Through the art Cohen is able to show the landscapes of Oklahoma as well as different aspects of Mis family’s culture from ribbon skirts and fry bread to challah. Mia’s cousin was one of my favorite characters in the book. She’s an indiginerd who incorporates her Muscogee identity with nerd culture. She seems like she would be an incredibly cool cousin to have. Overall, I greatly enjoyed this graphic novel and would recommend it to everyone, but particularly to young people with multiple racial/ethnic and religious identities as Mia’s journey is helpful in understanding one’s own.

Identity and living your entire true self are two themes in this graphic novel debut by Emily Bowen Cohen. The story, inspired by the author’s own life, is appropriate for readers aged 8-12. The ARC, provided by #NetGalley and published by #Heartdrum - an imprint of #HarperCollinsPublishers - is filled with colorful illustrations. Mia is both Jewish and Muscogee. Living in California, she begins to feel out of place and yearns to find out about life with her dad, who lives in Oklahoma. Without telling her mom, Mia takes a journey to discover her Muscogee self and uncovers values of self, identify, and family.

An intriguing graphic novel of a girl struggling to honor both parts of her identity, and to find her place in each. Heartfelt, honest, enlightening.

I was very excited to read this middle-grade graphic novel, which tells the story of Mia, a girl who is Jewish and a member of the Muscogee Nation. I truly appreciated having a main character who is both Jewish and Indigenous, particularly because I haven't encountered many children's books that delve into the intersections of those identities, and I think Mia's story is one that needs to be told. I also appreciated that Mia's dad was his own fleshed-out character, as many middle-grade and YA books that tell stories of kids who are Jewish and biracial have an estranged parent who doesn't appear in the book. However, Mia riding the bus by herself from LA to Oklahoma felt like an irresponsible, unrealistic, and somewhat distracting plot choice. There also was something about the illustration style that wasn't entirely to my taste—some of the illustrations felt too cartoon-y for the subject matter, while some were really beautiful. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Utterly breathtaking.

I think one of the best things about the explosion in graphic novels for younger readers is the windows not just of exposure but of comprehension and empathy they open - and no graphic novel I've read recently shows that better than Two Tribes.

The story of a half-Jewish, half-Muscogee girl who, on the eve of her bat mitzvah, sneaks away to visit the estranged Native American side of her family in Oklahoma. At first, she's so enamored with the new life she finds there that she plans to abandon her life in Los Angeles and devote herself to life with her Muscogee relatives.

Of course, best laid plans and all, this cannot happen, and our heroine's search for her "other half" leads her on a journey to discover what makes her "whole".

If that synopsis sounds a bit predictable, it is, in a way. The beats of the story are familiar, as are the lessons for a character straddling the line between two cultures.

However, what makes this story unique are the dreamlike illustrations - as Mia explores her heritage, the prejudices others hold against her and her Muscogee relatives, The art style reminds me a lot of King of the Hill - striking, plain, everyday realism punctuated by the occasional extraordinary occurrence - and Cohen's casual weaving of folklore, Torah stories, and prejudicial images from popular culture and social misunderstandings happens so casually that you almost feel them before you see them.

Powerful story for readers of either of Mia's (and, by extension, Cohen's) cultures, and equally powerful for readers needing to broaden their understanding of two cultural groups often misunderstood and maligned.

This is a wonderful graphic novel about a young girl who is struggling to balance two parts of her identity—as Jewish and a member of the Muscogee tribe. It does a really nice job of addressing problems mixed race children face.

I really enjoyed this. I think it’s important to find your identity and it’s also important for adults to remember that their issues should not affect their children.

I learned a lot, but I wish it dove into some things a little deeper. It felt a little too surface in certain parts.

I actually really loved this coming of age graphic novel! It reads a bit young and the art isn't my favorite, but I thought the story was well done and I would definitely recommend it to young readers. I loved the Jewish and Native rep both were amazing and deeply personal - I loved the time our mc spent learning from her elders of both tribes, I actually wish there had been more of that part of the book. The rest of the book is a little flat (conflict with/between parents, school bully, token Chinese-adoptee friend who doesn't really get developed?) and I personally, think the cover is a crime. I wouldn't pick this up based on that cover. HOWEVER, I would miss out on a really cool story if I'd judged this one by its cover. If you are a middle-school teacher/parent/librarian I think this book is great for that audience and could provide a lot of learning moments for young readers.