A lighthearted, cute, sometimes humorous and sometimes serious graphic memoir. I liked the ingenuity of the comic style. It’s the first time I’ve seen a memoir laid out this way. As a Priest’s daughter who is both religious and spiritual, I empathized with a lot of the story. Well told and original.

Another delightful and humorous graphic biography, this time about the life of a hippie. Anthropomorphic-style that kept me turning the page, wanting to learn more about this child of a Swedish Baptist Minister. One of those books that would sit nicely in anyone's collection for when they need something positive and upbeat to lift themselves.

Birth of a Hippie was a refreshing and retrospective look into the hippie lifestyle as experienced by JoDee Samuelson

This was such a fun short read and an interesting insight into the life of JoDee Samuelson. The themes of finding out where you belong and who you are as a person are themes that a lot of people can relate to no matter their journey in this world. The emphasis on the need to follow our own individual paths instead of the paths that people have placed before us, really makes you think about your own life and what has lead to where you are on your journey, and if the path you are on is truly your own and not just what is expected of us by others.

I really enjoyed this memoir in a Graphic Novel format as I felt it gave an extra layer of insight the authors life that sometimes just reading a memoir can not give.

For me this was a solid 4 Star Read and I would recommend this to all even if your not interested in the hippie lifestyle there are so many lessons that we can learn about ourselves within these pages.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pownell Street Press for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Birth of a Hippie by JoDee Samuelson is all about her life as a hippie in Canada. I loved the themes of self-discovery and finding out who you are and where you belong. Samuelson’s emphasis on following your own path and not the path chosen for you is the perfect message for graphic memoir readers. Just because someone else has placed a path for you does not mean you have to follow it.

I knew very little about the Canadian prairies, and what I learned was very interesting. The graphic memoir format does much to add an extra layer of the author’s life. At first, I couldn’t figure out why the illustrations of the author were of a chicken. Then, I remembered that some people call women “hippie chicks.” The illustrations really help to tell Samuelson’s story in a vivid manner.

The LGBTQIA+ lens and coming-of-age identity work echo the neurodivergent and queer themes I’ve been gravitating to lately. The back-to-the-land thread dovetails with the climate-and-food-system curiosity I’ve also been reading more of lately. This quiet, reflective graphic memoir was a hit for me.

A very sweet graphic novel that tells the story of a young woman from Canada who unknowingly became a hippie.
Lots of memories here for me, my sister was a bona fide Hippie. And boy, was I jealous! Living off the land, making things to sell, loving who you want with no judgements... hippies were the coolest people around.
The artwork is well done e, though it's hard to read all the dialog on my phone.
Highly recommended. Expected publishing date; Sept. 02, 2025

Thanks to @netgalley and Pownal Street Press for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion