I love it when a graphic novel can tell factual information and also be emotional and entertaining. I love the character connections in this story and also how it shared factual information about a difficult situation in Poland. Novels like these are the best way to reach struggling readers and students. Great read!

This was absolutely incredible. It was also absolutely terrifying at the same time coming from a United States reader following the 2024 election. I'm fearful of where we're headed, especially when it comes to women's rights and minority rights. It was a truly beautiful book.

Breadcrumbs is a memoir about Kasia's life growing up in Poland in the 1990s as the country grappled with the transition from communism to capitalism. There was a bit of information about the history of Poland in the beginning to give context for all of the social and political turmoil as a result, which I found interesting to learn about. The book follows Kasia and her friends as they grow up, the ways in which their friends and families reacted to all of these changes, and discusses the social issues that were most important to them. Babis talks a lot about women's issues, politics, and the influence of the Catholic Church in Poland.

Overall I really enjoyed this memoir. It talks about a lot of issues that I am personally interested in and I found the discussion to be incredibly relevant in the current political climate. I do wish that Babis had gone just a little bit deeper into these issues and explored them just a bit more, particularly how they impacted her and her friends. I thought the art style was really nice with a limited color palette of black, white, and red. I enjoyed learning more about Poland, its history, and the political issues that are being dealt with there. This would be a great book for anyone who enjoyed Persepolis or who has any interest at all in politics.

Thank you to NetGalley and 23rd St publishing for letting me read this early. I really enjoyed it as a Polish-American and found it very interesting. With that, I would agree that the timeline is hard to follow at times and know what is happening in the story. Dzięki Kasia for sharing your story!

I enjoyed the artwork but this memoir was impossible to follow. I'm so confused about what I just read. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

I love when I'm happy I picked up and read a certain book. This was one of those books. I am not usually a graphic novel reader (on occasion), but this one felt personal and raw, and I'm thankful to NetGalley and First Second Books for the ARC. The messages and stories laced together in this graphic novel and the art with splashes of red to highlight a moment or emotion were beautiful, and I'm so glad this author put her story into words. I think it was a bit choppy in structure, but necessary to give a background history on why Poland had such groups / decisions / laws in place. I'm forever moved by what I've learned about post-soviet Poland, and think this is an excellent "quick education" for anyone wanting to learn more on the subject (with the personal pieces sewn between).

I had a lot of favorite quotes throughout, especially one with regard to men's anger (and how it always seems to take her by surprise), and generational trauma and how we hope future generations can do better. Here is one more:
p.20: "I still can't get over how much we normalized the practice of forcing children to share their most intimate secrets with a stranger in the confession booth."

I am a huge fan of graphic memoirs, but I had trouble connecting with Breadcrumbs. The author Kasia Babis gives background information interspersed with the events of the people throughout her life. However, I kept confusing the people--maybe due to the black and white sketching, relying on other characteristics to tell them apart? Or maybe it was the time order and pacing that was confusing? I did learn a lot about Poland and topics affecting the people and country historically and today. I appreciate her attempt and think there's a good audience for this book, but it may be better suited to someone who has a little background in the topic already. Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for the ARC.

By and large, did not like the art. Really made me disconnect with the story as a whole, which is a shame.

Graphic novels are a good way to present biographical and historical information. I know very little about this time period in Poland, but found it interesting. The moody illustrations fit the story just right.

This critical piece of world history is presented in an engaging format. The roll out of factual information is alarming while the narrative works alongside to keep the reader engaged in the interpersonal drama.