Review: I Know You Rider by Leslie Stein

Full disclosure. I love Leslie Stein. I love her use of color, how economical and expressive her lines are, the way she pays attention to unexpected things. I remember the first time I saw her work. I was in a book store, waiting for the rain to stop so I could walk home. I’d made a bee-line for the comics section and between Spiegelman and Thompson sat the loveliest, multicolored spine of a book I’d ever seen: ‘Bright-Eyed at Midnight’. And I bought it on impulse.

From Leslie Stein’s instagram, https://www.instagram.com/lesliemstein

‘I Know You Rider’ I’ve been waiting to come out for the last couple of months since Tom mentioned that Leslie Stein had a new book coming out. “It’s a memoir about abortion.” He said. “Like yours.“

Which is true. I did write a memoir about abortion. In 2016. Before I found “Not funny ha ha” by Leah Hayes, and before the anthology “Comics for Choice”. When I was writing it felt like I hadn’t been able to find my experience in the media around me, and definitely not in recent comics.

Now in 2020 I’ve a whole catalog of material on abortion that I’m so excited has made it to the mainstream. The latest contribution being ‘I Know You Rider’. And Leslie Stein has bought all her tenderness, playful storytelling and engaging illustrations to this book about her experience with pregnancy, and the complex nature of reproduction.

The story moves backwards and forwards through time across a twelve month period. The various narrative threads are woven together to wrap the reader in a safety net of personal experience and conversations with friends and family.

Illustration from ‘I Know You Rider’ by Leslie Stein.

The abstraction of her figures demand the reader spend time with the images and move through the story slowly. She relieves the natural intensity of this pace with quiet moments like walking through the park, reading philosophy and coming home to her apartment.

My favorite part of this book is that Stein doesn’t give the reader too much information. She trusts them to piece the different parts together and come out the other side with a greater understanding for other people.

Highly recommend this for anyone who likes a good, contemplative story.

- Emma at SAW