In late 2015 and early 2016, I read both of Kate Beaton's comic collections, Hark! A Vagrant, and Step Aside, Pops. It is somewhat difficult for me to describe, but there was something about Beaton's comic timing, and how it came through on the page, that delighted me. I was delighted once again when I discovered that Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, would be available to readers in mid-September. But upon reading the description, I could tell this would be a very different kind of book, one which may include humor, but the point would not be to make readers laugh.
Genre, Themes, History: This graphic memoir chronicles the two years that Beaton worked in the oil sands of Alberta, Canada after graduating college. Starting in 2005, Beaton would make the journey from her home in Nova Scotia on the far East coast of Canada, all the way to the other side of the country, with the promise of good money for hard work. Beaton received a degree in a subject she loved, but did not see what she learned earning her enough money to help pay her student loan debt. So she risked entering a field that was mostly dominated by men, in a place very far from home. While the money did come in, Beaton would experience loneliness, isolation, and near unending harassment from the men around her. And the situation would either get worse, or stay the same as she changed locations, positions, and companies. The question of whether these men were only acting this way because Beaton was only one of the few women on site was something she wrestled with her entire time there. It was only after a year or so in the Beaton would begin working on her comics and set up a website, and this is the passion she continues to pursue today.
My Verdict: Graphic memoirs are something I am trying to read more of, and if any of them are half as interesting, or eye-opening, or even heart-breaking as this one, pursuing more of them can only be a win. First, Beaton spares no detail or story, as this collection clocks in at over 400 pages (most of the graphic memoirs I have read up to this point rarely reach 250 pages). She fully explores the thought process and panic over her student loan debt, which led to her decision to take such a massive leap (at least from my limited view). Beaton also brings up the aforementioned issue of seemingly ordinary men - often men with families back home where they are from - acting the way they did simply because of where they are currently working and the conditions they are subjected to. And there are Beaton's own conflicted feelings when it comes to indicting these men, as they are trying to do the same as her, which is earn money in a landscape where money is hard to get for those from where she grew up. I will issue a trigger warning for this book, as the attention Beaton often received from the males around her was questionable at the best of times...and there seemingly were not that many 'best of times.' But I cannot recommend it enough, and hope many people decide to check it out.
Favorite Moment: During her time in the Albian Sands, Beaton worked with a Warehouse Foreman named Ryan. While Ryan certainly had his own issues, I appreciated his honesty about the situation, often confirming Beaton's own assessments. When asked by a frustrated Beaton whether or not they worked with adults, he plainly states that no, they do not.
Favorite Quote: "But people kid themselves if they think the only life they're living is somewhere else." - Brent, a mechanic in Aurora.
Recommended Reading: Both Hark! A Vagrant, and Step Aside, Pops made me laugh out loud. But another graphic memoir worth getting ahold of is Almost American Girl by Robin Ha.
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