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Kiss and Tell: A Romantic Résumé, Ages 0 to 22
From her father and mother's interracial marriage to her own "you show me yours, I'll show you mine" moments on the playground—from drug experimentation to sexual/identity questions—MariNaomi lays her inner life bare. Kiss & Tell is her funny and frank memoir in graphic a fresh and offbeat coming-of-age story unfolding against the colorful backdrop of San Francisco in the '80s and '90s. Through deft storytelling and charming illustration, MariNaomi carries us through first love and worst love, through heartbreak and bedroom experimentation, as she grows from misfit teen to young woman.
331 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2011
About the author
MariNaomi
34 books434 followersMariNaomi (they/them) is the award-winning author and illustrator of Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Resume, Ages 0 to 22 (Harper Perennial, 2011), Dragon’s Breath and Other True Stories (2dcloud/Uncivilized Books, 2014), Turning Japanese (2dcloud, 2016), I Thought YOU Hated ME (Retrofit Comics, 2016), the Life on Earth trilogy (Graphic Universe, 2018-2020), Dirty Produce (Workman Publishing, 2021), and the collage-comics memoir I Thought You Loved Me (Fieldmouse Press, 2023). Their work has appeared in over ninety print publications and has been featured on websites such as The New Yorker’s Daily Shouts, The Washington Post, LA Times, The Rumpus, LA Review of Books, Midnight Breakfast and BuzzFeed. Their comics have been translated into French (Devenir Japonaise, Editions IMHO, 2021), German, and Russian.
MariNaomi’s comics and paintings have been featured in the Smithsonian, the de Young Museum, the Cartoon Art Museum, the Asian Art Museum, and the Japanese American Museum.
In 2011 and 2018, Mari toured with the literary roadshow Sister Spit. They are the founder and administrator of the Cartoonists of Color Database, the Queer Cartoonists Database, and the Disabled Cartoonists Database. They have taught classes for the California College of the Arts Comics MFA program, and was a guest editor for PEN Illustrated. They were cohost of the Ask Bi Grlz podcast with author Myriam Gurba.
MariNaomi lives in Northern California with their spouse and a menagerie of beloved rescue animals.
MariNaomi’s comics and paintings have been featured in the Smithsonian, the de Young Museum, the Cartoon Art Museum, the Asian Art Museum, and the Japanese American Museum.
In 2011 and 2018, Mari toured with the literary roadshow Sister Spit. They are the founder and administrator of the Cartoonists of Color Database, the Queer Cartoonists Database, and the Disabled Cartoonists Database. They have taught classes for the California College of the Arts Comics MFA program, and was a guest editor for PEN Illustrated. They were cohost of the Ask Bi Grlz podcast with author Myriam Gurba.
MariNaomi lives in Northern California with their spouse and a menagerie of beloved rescue animals.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
October 29, 2010
Yeah, I'm giving my own book five stars. What of it?
September 12, 2023
This is part of an interesting sub-genre of books on kissing and telling. . . or how I lost my virginity. . . or sexual coming of age stories. . . let's see: Unlikely, or How I lost my Virginity by Jeffrey Brown, or his Every Girl is the End of the World to Me. Not Anais Nin sort of erotic fantasies, but loser stories, regular, every day people struggling to figure the stuff out. Well, Marinaomi does not set herself up as loser here, but also not as a sophisticated Sex in the City girl, either, as she often humorously details every single sexual experience (more about kisses than anything else) she can remember from her early life.
I recall Spaulding Grays' Sex and Death to the Age 14. Marinaomi is unafraid, unashamed, and we learn about ourselves in the process of her sharing. And maybe some readers might be encouraged to make their own lists?! Or it's carefully preserved in a diary with the clasp and small golden key? My early account would be much shorter than this review, maybe 2-3 lines. . .
I recall Spaulding Grays' Sex and Death to the Age 14. Marinaomi is unafraid, unashamed, and we learn about ourselves in the process of her sharing. And maybe some readers might be encouraged to make their own lists?! Or it's carefully preserved in a diary with the clasp and small golden key? My early account would be much shorter than this review, maybe 2-3 lines. . .
March 5, 2019
Kiss & Tell by Japanese-American artist MariNaomi is quite the hypersexual graphic memoir. (Which was recommended to me by a friend who compared this work to my own comic project, if I may say so.) To be honest, these tales have left me with mixed feelings. I always like a good uncensored tell-all, and I certainly respect the bravery of the artist to share all her most personal intimate moments.
But that sure was a whole lot of underage teenage sex, and it seemed wrong to me somehow. Am I losing my own “edginess”, or is it that in the post-Metoo era this 2011 book hasn’t aged well, and now we all know better when reading about high school girls fucking guys in their twenties… Like, is that what everyone in the Bay Area was like in the 80s and 90s? For this reader anyway, it was a bit much.
(Not that these experiences are celebrated exactly, but the straightforward way the memories are swiftly paged over makes one wonder if there’s some kind of a lesson missing or not. Perhaps I’m just missing the point though.)
The narrative is scattered, from one youthful vignette to the next, that is okay as a work of this nature. The most engaging parts do seem to have a greater story structure however, such as when she was a teen runaway or dated the guy who was in and out of jail–is it too judgey to point out her apparently questionable taste in men– and then the most interesting sort of storyline is towards the end when the author is in her first longterm relationship fraught with the challenges of an open relationship. That always makes for interesting drama! The same-sex encounters once she hits her twenties also somehow come across deeper than the earlier dramatic flings. Oh, and lest I forget to add the LSD psychedelia experiences were also drawn with much heart. Both sex and drugs make for a good read…
Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Resume, Ages 0 to 22 is presented in the understated indie comics style, with simple pure art and it works well in that context. I’d definitely agree that an autobiography the cartoon form is an excellent way to delve into the roughness that is one’s own memories. As a whole considering the emotional depth, art, and storytelling (discomfort or not), I’ll give it 3.5 stars and I’ll even round up.
I humbly thank MariNaomi for sharing.
But that sure was a whole lot of underage teenage sex, and it seemed wrong to me somehow. Am I losing my own “edginess”, or is it that in the post-Metoo era this 2011 book hasn’t aged well, and now we all know better when reading about high school girls fucking guys in their twenties… Like, is that what everyone in the Bay Area was like in the 80s and 90s? For this reader anyway, it was a bit much.
(Not that these experiences are celebrated exactly, but the straightforward way the memories are swiftly paged over makes one wonder if there’s some kind of a lesson missing or not. Perhaps I’m just missing the point though.)
The narrative is scattered, from one youthful vignette to the next, that is okay as a work of this nature. The most engaging parts do seem to have a greater story structure however, such as when she was a teen runaway or dated the guy who was in and out of jail–is it too judgey to point out her apparently questionable taste in men– and then the most interesting sort of storyline is towards the end when the author is in her first longterm relationship fraught with the challenges of an open relationship. That always makes for interesting drama! The same-sex encounters once she hits her twenties also somehow come across deeper than the earlier dramatic flings. Oh, and lest I forget to add the LSD psychedelia experiences were also drawn with much heart. Both sex and drugs make for a good read…
Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Resume, Ages 0 to 22 is presented in the understated indie comics style, with simple pure art and it works well in that context. I’d definitely agree that an autobiography the cartoon form is an excellent way to delve into the roughness that is one’s own memories. As a whole considering the emotional depth, art, and storytelling (discomfort or not), I’ll give it 3.5 stars and I’ll even round up.
I humbly thank MariNaomi for sharing.
April 10, 2011
I'm in the midst of a rich vein of luck when it comes to books lately. Everything has been a joy to read -- even the hopeless and depressing books I’ve been reading -- and late last night, with the kids all in bed and Erika on nights at the hospital, I started to read one of my rare “first reads” wins in earnest, only to stay up until Kiss and Tell was finished, which took me into the wee wee hours before sunrise.
Raw, courageous, honest, funny, tormented and true, MariNaomi’s graphic memoir is pure joy.
MariNaomi is a woman who lives in the life she’s got. She wears her life like tattered old jeans, lovingly repairing the holes with multi-coloured patches that offer a Levi Strauss tapestry of experience, making the jeans far more valuable than any crisp, unworn pair could ever be.
I have a confession: I am in love with MariNaomi. I wish I’d had a chance to know her when we were teenagers, but we were separated by 1,618 km. I wish I’d had the chance to snort coke with her, or make love to her, or hold her head while she puked up too much alcohol, or experiment with open relationships with, or bring her flowers, or write her poetry, or have her write poetry to me, or kiss her anywhere or anywhen she wanted. Kiss and Tell made me want to be part of her life and experience so badly that I nearly cried when it was over. And I wanted more. I still want more. I want MariNaomi to give me another glimpse, a glimpse of her years from 23-37. Please, please, please, MariNaomi. I’ll make you a mix tape. I promise.
I have another wish, impossible like all my other wishes, but I wish that I’d had this graphic novel as a teenage boy. It would have shed so much light for me on the world of the girls I loved and lusted after. I think, somehow, that Kiss and Tell would have taken the sting out of breakups and unrequited love and all the painful trials and errors; it could have made me a Zen teenager, enjoying without regret or bitterness or self-loathing my time brushing up against the girls of my life, and it would have made it so much easier to brush up against the boys I kept away too.
I wish all first reads books could be like this. Wherever you are, MariNaomi, thank you for your life, your words, your perfect art. Thank you for sharing yourself with such fearlessness.
When Miloš turns 13 (maybe before. Time will tell) this book is his. I am sure Brontë will have raided my shelves long, long before that, though.
Raw, courageous, honest, funny, tormented and true, MariNaomi’s graphic memoir is pure joy.
MariNaomi is a woman who lives in the life she’s got. She wears her life like tattered old jeans, lovingly repairing the holes with multi-coloured patches that offer a Levi Strauss tapestry of experience, making the jeans far more valuable than any crisp, unworn pair could ever be.
I have a confession: I am in love with MariNaomi. I wish I’d had a chance to know her when we were teenagers, but we were separated by 1,618 km. I wish I’d had the chance to snort coke with her, or make love to her, or hold her head while she puked up too much alcohol, or experiment with open relationships with, or bring her flowers, or write her poetry, or have her write poetry to me, or kiss her anywhere or anywhen she wanted. Kiss and Tell made me want to be part of her life and experience so badly that I nearly cried when it was over. And I wanted more. I still want more. I want MariNaomi to give me another glimpse, a glimpse of her years from 23-37. Please, please, please, MariNaomi. I’ll make you a mix tape. I promise.
I have another wish, impossible like all my other wishes, but I wish that I’d had this graphic novel as a teenage boy. It would have shed so much light for me on the world of the girls I loved and lusted after. I think, somehow, that Kiss and Tell would have taken the sting out of breakups and unrequited love and all the painful trials and errors; it could have made me a Zen teenager, enjoying without regret or bitterness or self-loathing my time brushing up against the girls of my life, and it would have made it so much easier to brush up against the boys I kept away too.
I wish all first reads books could be like this. Wherever you are, MariNaomi, thank you for your life, your words, your perfect art. Thank you for sharing yourself with such fearlessness.
When Miloš turns 13 (maybe before. Time will tell) this book is his. I am sure Brontë will have raided my shelves long, long before that, though.
November 12, 2012
Kiss and Tell came so highly recommended and my expectations were pretty high so I was really disappointed that I didn’t feel the same sense of kinship with the author that some of my female friends felt. I even read it twice to make sure my first reading wasn’t biased and while I did appreciate a few more elements on the second read, I still couldn’t accept the central through line of the book which is the life stages of a butterfly.
MariNaomi’s premise is cataloging every person she’s had a crush on, made out with, or slept with. She starts off with cute elementary stumbling’s through crushes--those awkward periods in your life when you barely know what it means “to go with” someone--then moves onto adolescent backstabbing from friends, rejection from boys, and fast hookups at parties. It did feel a bit laundry listy but I liked the confessional writing and her style of illustration and while this book was probably an important process for her I still think it needed more digging. At one point she says she was “unlocking her sexuality” and I wanted that explored more. She finally questions her actions but then quickly drops it and I didn’t feel like she was doing enough probing. Her longer stories work better otherwise you only get a few panels of teenaged groping and hurried sex.
She’s obviously troubled because she needs so much male attention but as a reader I’m still trying to figure out where it all comes from. Is it from being a hapa female? Is it from her father? It’s confusing because besides a few times when she mentions something negative about her father she doesn’t portray him as a monster. Is it the model of marriage she has from her parents? She mentions she is afraid of marriage because she doesn’t want to be somebody’s maid and doesn’t want to be bossed around (like her mother was) and I feel like she’s hinting that her parent’s relationship is part of the reason why she was so troubled. Or maybe it’s just living in a suburb, being bored, not having a strong identity and wanting to create one by being reflected in other people.
The book ends with the termination of her first long-term relationship and then we’re given an epilogue where she explains how she moves away from her chaotic old life and learns how to find self-love but we don’t ever get to see that process and that growth. When she reaches self-actualization and grows her wings she doesn’t ever fully explain how she gets there. Though there are moments of empowerment, much of the time she’s the one being rejected and hurt by men and I didn’t see how her being with all these men is that changing the dynamic. It also didn’t feel as honest as the rest of the book but was used as a device to tidily wrap everything up. Perhaps she is painting a portrait of herself and we have to figure it out for ourselves but because it was so intensely personal I didn’t feel like I could make that call.
I learned be careful who you hook up with and be careful whose heart you break. You may end up in someone’s graphic memoir and look like an asshole.
MariNaomi’s premise is cataloging every person she’s had a crush on, made out with, or slept with. She starts off with cute elementary stumbling’s through crushes--those awkward periods in your life when you barely know what it means “to go with” someone--then moves onto adolescent backstabbing from friends, rejection from boys, and fast hookups at parties. It did feel a bit laundry listy but I liked the confessional writing and her style of illustration and while this book was probably an important process for her I still think it needed more digging. At one point she says she was “unlocking her sexuality” and I wanted that explored more. She finally questions her actions but then quickly drops it and I didn’t feel like she was doing enough probing. Her longer stories work better otherwise you only get a few panels of teenaged groping and hurried sex.
She’s obviously troubled because she needs so much male attention but as a reader I’m still trying to figure out where it all comes from. Is it from being a hapa female? Is it from her father? It’s confusing because besides a few times when she mentions something negative about her father she doesn’t portray him as a monster. Is it the model of marriage she has from her parents? She mentions she is afraid of marriage because she doesn’t want to be somebody’s maid and doesn’t want to be bossed around (like her mother was) and I feel like she’s hinting that her parent’s relationship is part of the reason why she was so troubled. Or maybe it’s just living in a suburb, being bored, not having a strong identity and wanting to create one by being reflected in other people.
The book ends with the termination of her first long-term relationship and then we’re given an epilogue where she explains how she moves away from her chaotic old life and learns how to find self-love but we don’t ever get to see that process and that growth. When she reaches self-actualization and grows her wings she doesn’t ever fully explain how she gets there. Though there are moments of empowerment, much of the time she’s the one being rejected and hurt by men and I didn’t see how her being with all these men is that changing the dynamic. It also didn’t feel as honest as the rest of the book but was used as a device to tidily wrap everything up. Perhaps she is painting a portrait of herself and we have to figure it out for ourselves but because it was so intensely personal I didn’t feel like I could make that call.
I learned be careful who you hook up with and be careful whose heart you break. You may end up in someone’s graphic memoir and look like an asshole.
April 6, 2011
I wanted to LOVE this book, I really did. But really, I just sort of enjoyed it which is something quite akin to what this books is all about-- brief, superficially satisfying encounters missing that really deep profound connection. In that sense, the book and content have a lot in common. It's a drive-by rapid fire recount of the author's love life where one disappointing sexual connection follows another. It goes fast. I read it in one seating. It's enjoyable overall, don't get me wrong. It's fun and full of stories that are painful and funny at the same time. But, that's it. There's no depth to the book. There's no examination of what is really going on here. It is very much exactly what the title makes it out to be-- a résumé. The frustration for me comes with the end. I am not a fan of unsatisfying endings. This has one. It has that rushed feeling I have read in other books where it's almost as if the author's saying, "Hey whoa look at the time! I've gotta go!" And rushes to bring the conversation to a quick close. She basically says she moved, had more crappy relations and then concludes with the metamorphoses into a butterfly and declares she's a new woman. You realize in the Acknowledgements she's married which makes me wonder how on earth you can leave out the only successful romantic relationship you've ever had from your romantic résumé.
The art is great. I have to say that funnily enough the stories that were the best for me usually involved her drug use. The story of her first time on acid was absolutely perfect.
The art is great. I have to say that funnily enough the stories that were the best for me usually involved her drug use. The story of her first time on acid was absolutely perfect.
November 18, 2016
I feel like I need a head to toe condom after reading this. This was an exhausting read of the author's every sexual encounter, and I mean every encounter. That was a lot of sex and a lot of partners. How did she even remember all those names and every detail. Part two gets no better as it deals with a much longer relationship and perhaps more adult relationship. But then you realize that nothing's truly changed. She still openly sleeps or makes out with third parties all in front of her partner. In fact, there's times he volunteers her up for make out sessions. They're at a New Year's party and two guys at the party are lamenting how they have no one to kiss to welcome in the New Year. Her partner turns to them and says they should make out with Mari. She looks a little surprised but then agrees. Sure, why not. Your guy just pimped you out and it's ok? In another scene, Mari, her boyfriend, and another guy are all asleep in the same bed. She's in the middle of the two, naked. Boyfriend wakes up to go to work, leaving Mari and friend alone in bed. When he comes home, he's upset to find out that they had sex?! What did he think would happen?
Anyway, I'm not sure why we were supposed to care about this woman's sexual activity. Was there some lesson she learned along the way? No. She dedicates the book to her parents adding that they may not talk to her after this book. Frankly, I'm cringing at the thought that she considers it ok for her parents to read this book.
Anyway, I'm not sure why we were supposed to care about this woman's sexual activity. Was there some lesson she learned along the way? No. She dedicates the book to her parents adding that they may not talk to her after this book. Frankly, I'm cringing at the thought that she considers it ok for her parents to read this book.
November 29, 2011
This is the standout among a weekend of eight different comic books. It kept me up till 2am and I could. not. put it down. MariNaomi chronicles every romantic encounter ages 0-22 and boy, did she have a lot more experiences than I did.
I found this particularly fascinating to read shortly after reading Paying for It. Both are presented as nonfictional, exhaustive accounts of a particular period in the romantic (aka) sexual exploits of the author. Beyond that, wow, the differences. Someone should write a paper compare/contrasting these two books. The illustration styles are wildly different, the other is presented as an argument for a particular point of view, while this is more emotional and memoiric. And more and more. I did not stay up till 2am reading that other one.
MariNaomi's art looks like woodcuts, though I can't find verification that they are anywhere. Angular, black and white, usually less realistic than the illustration featured on this cover. She does a really amazing job of layering in visual metaphor, to the point where I forgot that she used it at all until I flipped through the book again preparing to write this.
This book left me wanting more. More about her childhood prior to beginning her relevant experiences. More about her familial relationships with her parents and sister (the Prologue tells a short version of how her parents met, which would be scandalous in some views). More about the role her cultural heritage played in her life. More focused information on her drug use, her runaway experiences, what happened after 22... The list goes on and on. And you know what they say about a story that makes you want more.
Kick. Ass.
I found this particularly fascinating to read shortly after reading Paying for It. Both are presented as nonfictional, exhaustive accounts of a particular period in the romantic (aka) sexual exploits of the author. Beyond that, wow, the differences. Someone should write a paper compare/contrasting these two books. The illustration styles are wildly different, the other is presented as an argument for a particular point of view, while this is more emotional and memoiric. And more and more. I did not stay up till 2am reading that other one.
MariNaomi's art looks like woodcuts, though I can't find verification that they are anywhere. Angular, black and white, usually less realistic than the illustration featured on this cover. She does a really amazing job of layering in visual metaphor, to the point where I forgot that she used it at all until I flipped through the book again preparing to write this.
This book left me wanting more. More about her childhood prior to beginning her relevant experiences. More about her familial relationships with her parents and sister (the Prologue tells a short version of how her parents met, which would be scandalous in some views). More about the role her cultural heritage played in her life. More focused information on her drug use, her runaway experiences, what happened after 22... The list goes on and on. And you know what they say about a story that makes you want more.
Kick. Ass.
September 6, 2018
This book is totally incredible, perfect, and fantastic. Mini stories for each and every boy and girl she loved liked and messed around with from childhood through 22, and while "honest" in relation to storytelling is a word I kind of hate--coz you have no idea whether I'm being honest or not, just because I share horrifying details doesn't mean the real story isn't helluva more horrifying--you definitely get a super genuine vibe from this book. Everything she says, it feels at ease, like she doesn't need to defend or explain anything, which is I guess mostly what honesty is.
*Sooo* much racier than I anticipated! In what now must be recognized as an honorable tradition, I of course I got to the first blowjob scene the first time I tried to read some of this on the train. Hello lady beside me.
The only thing missing is the rest of her life. Volume twwwooooo!! 23-however old you are now!
*Sooo* much racier than I anticipated! In what now must be recognized as an honorable tradition, I of course I got to the first blowjob scene the first time I tried to read some of this on the train. Hello lady beside me.
The only thing missing is the rest of her life. Volume twwwooooo!! 23-however old you are now!
November 28, 2010
Artist MariNaomi, one of the bright lights of the Bay Area cartooning scene, lays bare her checkered romantic, sexual, and relationship past in this delightful 330 page graphic novel/coming-of-age memoir that reads as quite intensely personal but also universally true and relatable. The author starts out detailing such formative experiences as "The Most Beautiful Penis I've Ever Seen" and on through childhood crushes, her deflowering and other teenage sexual and drug experimentation (all of which reads as a saga in itself), moving on through her early wild twentysomething years before reaching that sense of peace & contentment that only comes through hard-won, live-and-learn experience. MariNaomi's Manga-influenced drawings are full of charm and wit, and she especially shows off her cartooning chops in the longer pieces, such as the dark, psychedelic "The Blackout" (a real highlight) and the bittersweet "Jason" (her first real love). I read Kiss & Tell slowly to make it last but when it eventually concluded, as all thing must, it was in such a way that I was left with a big smile on my face. Brava, 5 stars.
August 9, 2011
I'm all for books about sexual liberation, etc., but this just seemed like a self-serving little black book to brag to the world about how many people the author dated/slept with.
I liked the non-linear format, where she would write the macro-story and then move into the specific details afterwards with re-occurring panels to show when the micro-story fit into the overall narrative. While the segmentation of the story by boy/girl-of-the-moment was okay, I thought that Chester Brown pulled off the format much better in Paying For It.
I liked the non-linear format, where she would write the macro-story and then move into the specific details afterwards with re-occurring panels to show when the micro-story fit into the overall narrative. While the segmentation of the story by boy/girl-of-the-moment was okay, I thought that Chester Brown pulled off the format much better in Paying For It.
November 27, 2012
I couldn't read this in public because by every fifth page or so I'd have a laugh out loud moment. If a book can make me either laugh or cry it's a keeper. There were also sad touching moments and a few truly horrifying events that made me put the book down, say "eeew" and then laugh at my own squeamishness. Naomi has had a raucous life. I'm glad she not only survived, but had the exquisitely powerful cartoonist chops to pull it all off in such an honest and unflinching way. All in all it's a great read and something I will keep on my 'to read again' shelf.
June 27, 2016
2.5 stars
This autobiographical graphic novel was overall very repetitive, boring at parts, but it still kept me wanting to read until the end.
Side note: I don't want to seem old-fashion and over-conservative, but the amount and nature of sexual encounters that the protagonist went through at a very young age were a bit unsettling.
This autobiographical graphic novel was overall very repetitive, boring at parts, but it still kept me wanting to read until the end.
Side note: I don't want to seem old-fashion and over-conservative, but the amount and nature of sexual encounters that the protagonist went through at a very young age were a bit unsettling.
August 6, 2018
MariNaomi, I sure admire your bravery. Most people would not be so open about "questionable" life decisions, but this book is full of them out in the open. I found myself very concerned for her well being throughout the reading process that it made it impossible to put down until I finished! Her artwork is cool and I can safely file this book under "books with drawings/artwork I will just sit and slowly stare at for hours". The portraits of all the romantic interests were my favorite. Thank you MariNaomi for creating such a brave and bold piece of work!
May 29, 2012
this book was cute & engaging, but i was occasionally appalled by the author. especially when she encourages her boyfriend to stop seeing his parole officer and then he gets thrown in jail! and goes to prison! i was like, jesus christ.
it's a potentially interesting idea that just doesn't have a lot of depth to it. does the world need any more cute art by cute girls whose primary focus is on how cute they are? i think not.
it's a potentially interesting idea that just doesn't have a lot of depth to it. does the world need any more cute art by cute girls whose primary focus is on how cute they are? i think not.
October 20, 2014
Makes me want to sit back and list all the boys I've ever smooched and cried over. I would never think to map out my past based on past relationships but it makes sense. This is probably a very relatable read for lots of people but parts of it made me think "hep yep oh well guess that happens to everyone."
March 17, 2011
couldn't put it down, and not *just* because i know mari and was so intrigued to learn so much about her love life and past! really good, graphic, fun, funny, and at times sad graphic novel of a history of one girl's romantic encounters.
May 20, 2011
A I loved this! I read it in a plane ride - this is a graphic memoir of one woman's romantic life (however did she remember each and every boy….inc the ones from when she was super little!). Great, hilarious, wonderful.
June 29, 2011
I just tore through this, loved it! A great time capsule of adolescence, Marin in the 80s, heartbreak, tripping, the punk rock boy dating a cheerleader, the snippets of music, the personality shining through. Congratulations Mari!
October 23, 2013
touching, hilarious, raw, and overall absolutely beautiful. I had to get copies for a couple of my girlfriends.
March 22, 2019
timeline of events
novelist Ray Hecht branches out into graphic artist and is encouraged by a friend to examine MariNaomi
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
later in March he rates the work 3.5 stars and rounds up to 4.
I ask, "is the work worth $4"
the reply: "yes"
now what do I think?
MariNaomi has a very good sense of black-space and this gives her work a professional wood-cut feel. that gives the art 4 stars.
however, although the work is quite confessional and complete, I never found the work to transgress or exceed the boundaries of what is possible. the story is just competent. 3 stars.
so, with an average of 3.5 stars do I round up or down?
I round up, because $4 gets you 300 or so pages... there's something a little off on the page count because my e-reader starts skipping ahead a lot at the end, and each new boy is introduced on a separate page with a small cameo... but $4 is not a lot to ask for a large debut work, so take the 4 and get the book if its still $4... my recommendation goes down a notch if Harper Collins raises the price.
so that is the history of how I came across the work and a history of word-of-mouth! here's to shared reading !
novelist Ray Hecht branches out into graphic artist and is encouraged by a friend to examine MariNaomi
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
later in March he rates the work 3.5 stars and rounds up to 4.
I ask, "is the work worth $4"
the reply: "yes"
now what do I think?
MariNaomi has a very good sense of black-space and this gives her work a professional wood-cut feel. that gives the art 4 stars.
however, although the work is quite confessional and complete, I never found the work to transgress or exceed the boundaries of what is possible. the story is just competent. 3 stars.
so, with an average of 3.5 stars do I round up or down?
I round up, because $4 gets you 300 or so pages... there's something a little off on the page count because my e-reader starts skipping ahead a lot at the end, and each new boy is introduced on a separate page with a small cameo... but $4 is not a lot to ask for a large debut work, so take the 4 and get the book if its still $4... my recommendation goes down a notch if Harper Collins raises the price.
so that is the history of how I came across the work and a history of word-of-mouth! here's to shared reading !
September 18, 2017
Uncomfortable and funny account of dalliances with a throbbing thread of introspection and consideration. Distinctive art style.
January 22, 2022
This made me LOL a few times. Her books are so hard to put down. Can't wait to read the other 2 I have.
May 5, 2019
It was a wild ride from start to finish!
September 21, 2011
I first heard about Mari Naomi through Sister Spit, a group of feminist and queer writers lead by Michelle Tea who travel and read their work. I love graphic novels so I was excited that Sister Spit had chosen to feature Mari Naomi, a bay area comic book artist. Kiss and Tell is Mari Naomi’s first graphic novel and is also one of the most interesting graphic novels I’ve read in a while. I would highly recommend it to any who are fans of Michelle Tea.
The books content is pretty much described in the title and is a catalogue of all Mari’s romantic and sexual encounters between ages 5 and 22. She includes stories of silly childhood infatuation along the lines of “if you show me yours I’ll show you mine.” However, the book later becomes more serious as she illustrates the thrill, heartache, and experimentation of her later relationships. While the events in the book may be shocking to some, she exposes her encounters in a very honest and matter of fact fashion. This is something I appreciated, because it just notes her encounters for what they are, without judgment. The book contains a very intimate portrayal of Mari’s experiences which include losing her virginity, having an abortion, her first love being sent to jail, and also follows her experimentation with women and with open relationships.
Although many will not have quite the experience that Mari had as a teenager, I think the book is easily relatable because of its themes of first love, first lust, and first major heartache. Its descriptions of what it is like to be young are also right on point with the recklessness, thrill and naivety of being young and feeling bulletproof.
Raised by traditional Japanese American parents, Mari rebels and as a teen even runs away from home. She quits high school and moves in with her boyfriend until he is sent to jail. She experiments with drugs and drinks and questions her identity. One thing I appreciated about the book is her feminist stance on her sexuality. She doesn’t seem to regret or feel guilt about her many sexual encounters and sex is a topic in the book that Mari is empowered by and chooses. Some of her experiences are merely hook ups or make outs but the two main stories in the graphic novel tackle her experiences with falling in love.
The only thing that left me dissatisfied about this graphic novel was its ending. She breaks up with her long-term, live in relationship and moves away. At the end is a drawing of her with descriptions of what she has become, including married and monogamous. I would be interested to see what she learned and what happened between where the graphic novel leaves off and her life at present. Luckily though, I believe she is working on a second book that may shed some insight.
The books content is pretty much described in the title and is a catalogue of all Mari’s romantic and sexual encounters between ages 5 and 22. She includes stories of silly childhood infatuation along the lines of “if you show me yours I’ll show you mine.” However, the book later becomes more serious as she illustrates the thrill, heartache, and experimentation of her later relationships. While the events in the book may be shocking to some, she exposes her encounters in a very honest and matter of fact fashion. This is something I appreciated, because it just notes her encounters for what they are, without judgment. The book contains a very intimate portrayal of Mari’s experiences which include losing her virginity, having an abortion, her first love being sent to jail, and also follows her experimentation with women and with open relationships.
Although many will not have quite the experience that Mari had as a teenager, I think the book is easily relatable because of its themes of first love, first lust, and first major heartache. Its descriptions of what it is like to be young are also right on point with the recklessness, thrill and naivety of being young and feeling bulletproof.
Raised by traditional Japanese American parents, Mari rebels and as a teen even runs away from home. She quits high school and moves in with her boyfriend until he is sent to jail. She experiments with drugs and drinks and questions her identity. One thing I appreciated about the book is her feminist stance on her sexuality. She doesn’t seem to regret or feel guilt about her many sexual encounters and sex is a topic in the book that Mari is empowered by and chooses. Some of her experiences are merely hook ups or make outs but the two main stories in the graphic novel tackle her experiences with falling in love.
The only thing that left me dissatisfied about this graphic novel was its ending. She breaks up with her long-term, live in relationship and moves away. At the end is a drawing of her with descriptions of what she has become, including married and monogamous. I would be interested to see what she learned and what happened between where the graphic novel leaves off and her life at present. Luckily though, I believe she is working on a second book that may shed some insight.
September 3, 2011
Sat down to write about artist Marinaomi’s draw-all tell-all graphic memoir “Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Resume from 0-22,” and found myself penning memories about playing tug-o-war over the one neighborhood boy on Fifth Place Northwest.
Playing boyfriend-girlfriend in a room full of girls, sitting in a bean bag chair and drinking water we pretended was spiked with “Spanish Fly.” Surely something we had seen on “Love Boat,” our faces pressed together making “Mmm Mmm” noises, our heads making figure eights.
A “Star Wars” fanatic whose friendship I forked left from the first time I saw Madonna on MTV. There she was, bed head and black lace, set against a white box. A clear line in the sand: No longer giving a rat’s about R2D2, but craving, absolutely craving tulle skirts, pouty lips, exposed stomach, flirtation and please God, rhythm.
I bet this is a pretty natural response. Especially if the reader came of romantic age to a Cure soundtrack, like Marinaomi. The premise isn’t unique. Neither are the gritty, fuck-you-dad teen tantrums. Her taste for the mohawked and dreadlocked, the homeless teens, older dudes and future inmates suggests a certain After School Special-ness I wouldn’t have dared to test in the 1980s, which makes the gawking all the better.
It start with her origin story: Her father as an officer in the army teaching English in Japan and falling for one of his students, her mother.
Things quickly shift from their story of chaperoned dates to a not-so-innocent story of a pedophile babysitter who trades her nudity for grape gum, snaps a bunch of pix, then shows her his in a chapter called “The Most Beautiful Penis I’ve Ever Seen.”
She breaks her story into sections divided by age and the stories quickly turn from cries of Cooties to sneaking a boy in her bedroom window, Billy, who is cockblocked by, simultaneously, a menstrual explosion and her mom’s footsteps in the hallway. She grows up quickly in these pages, losing her virginity in her early teens, dropping out of school, running away from home, dabbling in the ladies and maintaining a relationship with a boyfriend who is sent to jail.
They are told in negative-style panels, back backgrounds with white images of orgies and tough talks.
Marinaomi is probably one of those people who has probably gotten the old “ohmygah, you should write a book about your life” over drinks with friends. She definitely succeeds, sharing the deets on dozens of romantic relationships without blinking. It’s solid entertainment that won’t change your life, but it will definitely take you back to that time in the bushes when you played kissy face with the neighbor.
Playing boyfriend-girlfriend in a room full of girls, sitting in a bean bag chair and drinking water we pretended was spiked with “Spanish Fly.” Surely something we had seen on “Love Boat,” our faces pressed together making “Mmm Mmm” noises, our heads making figure eights.
A “Star Wars” fanatic whose friendship I forked left from the first time I saw Madonna on MTV. There she was, bed head and black lace, set against a white box. A clear line in the sand: No longer giving a rat’s about R2D2, but craving, absolutely craving tulle skirts, pouty lips, exposed stomach, flirtation and please God, rhythm.
I bet this is a pretty natural response. Especially if the reader came of romantic age to a Cure soundtrack, like Marinaomi. The premise isn’t unique. Neither are the gritty, fuck-you-dad teen tantrums. Her taste for the mohawked and dreadlocked, the homeless teens, older dudes and future inmates suggests a certain After School Special-ness I wouldn’t have dared to test in the 1980s, which makes the gawking all the better.
It start with her origin story: Her father as an officer in the army teaching English in Japan and falling for one of his students, her mother.
Things quickly shift from their story of chaperoned dates to a not-so-innocent story of a pedophile babysitter who trades her nudity for grape gum, snaps a bunch of pix, then shows her his in a chapter called “The Most Beautiful Penis I’ve Ever Seen.”
She breaks her story into sections divided by age and the stories quickly turn from cries of Cooties to sneaking a boy in her bedroom window, Billy, who is cockblocked by, simultaneously, a menstrual explosion and her mom’s footsteps in the hallway. She grows up quickly in these pages, losing her virginity in her early teens, dropping out of school, running away from home, dabbling in the ladies and maintaining a relationship with a boyfriend who is sent to jail.
They are told in negative-style panels, back backgrounds with white images of orgies and tough talks.
Marinaomi is probably one of those people who has probably gotten the old “ohmygah, you should write a book about your life” over drinks with friends. She definitely succeeds, sharing the deets on dozens of romantic relationships without blinking. It’s solid entertainment that won’t change your life, but it will definitely take you back to that time in the bushes when you played kissy face with the neighbor.
November 3, 2015
I was excited about Kiss and Tell: A Romantic Résumé, Ages 0 to 22 by MariNaomi. It's a graphic memoir set in the Bay Area by/about a half Japanese woman growing up with plenty of romantic escapades - lots of boxes to check off in my own biased wheelhouse. But I was a bit disappointed.
My biggest issue was that there was no story. It was basically a laundry list of the boys (and a couple of girls), with very little self reflection. I got more of a sense of the personalities of the people she slept with and their lives and dreams and ambitions, than I did from the narrator herself. If there had been more space in between the escapades, to draw/talk about what it meant, or why it didn't, it would have far more captivating of a book. As it was, the going got slow and I put it down for a while before slogging through to finish it. The author says towards the end that she took til her late 20s to stop seeing herself through other people's eyes and actually become someone of her own making - all of which is totally reasonable, but that's the job of the writer - to put that in there after the fact, so the reader can be in on an arc of some kind.
I also found the order of the stories a bit weird at times. There was some jumping back and forth and some stories that would have made more sense if ordered differently. It probably could have also been shorter - it felt like she had to throw every last boy in there, which makes sense for a resume format, but not for a book. The narrator herself when she does come through as a personality is self centered and scattered, and I get that this is very teenager, and also that I don't need to like the main character, but when we have so little to go on inner-life-wise, it makes it a harder read.
That all said, I support writing about sex, writing about sex by Asians, and writing about sex by Asians in the graphic novel format - all awesome things, and I'll hope that MariNaomi's next work has a bit more reflection.
My biggest issue was that there was no story. It was basically a laundry list of the boys (and a couple of girls), with very little self reflection. I got more of a sense of the personalities of the people she slept with and their lives and dreams and ambitions, than I did from the narrator herself. If there had been more space in between the escapades, to draw/talk about what it meant, or why it didn't, it would have far more captivating of a book. As it was, the going got slow and I put it down for a while before slogging through to finish it. The author says towards the end that she took til her late 20s to stop seeing herself through other people's eyes and actually become someone of her own making - all of which is totally reasonable, but that's the job of the writer - to put that in there after the fact, so the reader can be in on an arc of some kind.
I also found the order of the stories a bit weird at times. There was some jumping back and forth and some stories that would have made more sense if ordered differently. It probably could have also been shorter - it felt like she had to throw every last boy in there, which makes sense for a resume format, but not for a book. The narrator herself when she does come through as a personality is self centered and scattered, and I get that this is very teenager, and also that I don't need to like the main character, but when we have so little to go on inner-life-wise, it makes it a harder read.
That all said, I support writing about sex, writing about sex by Asians, and writing about sex by Asians in the graphic novel format - all awesome things, and I'll hope that MariNaomi's next work has a bit more reflection.
August 15, 2016
In Kiss & Tell, after telling the story of her parents' meeting, courtship, and marriage (her mom was 16 when they met; her dad was 25; they married when her mom was 19), MariNaomi recounts all of her romantic/sexual encounters from childhood to age 22—from the boy who kissed her on the cheek in kindergarten to a five-year-long relationship that lasted longer than it probably should have, with all the crushes and hook-ups in between. There are funny stories and awkward stories and stories that are kinda sad; there are drug-fuelled stories (including a really pleasing depiction of an acid trip) and alcohol-fuelled stories and threesome-stories. There are stories driven by wanting, and stories driven by being wanted, and stories about the kind of hook-ups that just kind of happen for lack of anything else more interesting.
I liked the longer pieces in the book most—like the one about a relationship with a model who was in trouble with the law for stealing car stereos, and several intertwining stories about that five-year-long relationship—but the whole thing was pretty pleasing.
I liked the longer pieces in the book most—like the one about a relationship with a model who was in trouble with the law for stealing car stereos, and several intertwining stories about that five-year-long relationship—but the whole thing was pretty pleasing.
January 25, 2022
"Kiss and Tell" is bare-all graphic memoir (or autobiographical comic) about the romantic and sexual history of San Francisco cartoonist Mari Naomi. The memoir reads like a little black book of encounters, going chronologically through each person (some of whom we meet more than once). The step-by-step, grittily honest tales touch on way more than sexual experiences and paramours - candidly revealing the entanglements and growing pains of a girl coming of age and how it shapes her relationships with family and friends. Her minimalist drawing style is as direct as the delivery of her story, both managing to come through as both matter-of-fact and heartfelt. Creating such a level of intimacy with a reader takes great courage and risk on the part of an author, especially as a woman writing on subject matter that, despite many changes over the years, still remains more comfortable as the domain of men. Mari Naomi does it humorously and artfully, and I consider myself duly charmed.
February 25, 2014
I feel like people would be more forgiving of her misdeeds had she been a man, like Chester Brown or his pals. Instead she's a female who gets around and therefore other women who read this book feel repulsed and a sense of entitlement.
Don't judge, I'm sure you have a closet full of skeletons too.
That said, Mari handles it all with a great sense of visual timing and wit. Sure, there are stronger artists out there, but not once did I feel her art detracted from the story. In fact, I felt that it was part of the charm.
Yes, people really have lives like this. I'm amazed at how sheltered some people are, and glad I no longer am because I quite enjoyed this book. It almost had that voyeuristic, living vicariously through, type feel about it.
I admire Mari for putting it all out there. It's not easy to do, and it's especially not easy as these reviews come rolling in. Stay strong girly :) and keep on writing!
Don't judge, I'm sure you have a closet full of skeletons too.
That said, Mari handles it all with a great sense of visual timing and wit. Sure, there are stronger artists out there, but not once did I feel her art detracted from the story. In fact, I felt that it was part of the charm.
Yes, people really have lives like this. I'm amazed at how sheltered some people are, and glad I no longer am because I quite enjoyed this book. It almost had that voyeuristic, living vicariously through, type feel about it.
I admire Mari for putting it all out there. It's not easy to do, and it's especially not easy as these reviews come rolling in. Stay strong girly :) and keep on writing!
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