A-Okay by Jarad Greene ’17 releases on November 2 from HarperAlley (An imprint of HarperCollins). This vulnerable and heartfelt semi-autobiographical middle-grade graphic novel is about acne, identity, and finding your place. When Jay’s acne goes from bad to worse, he is prescribed a powerful medication but it comes with some serious side effects. It’s no help that all of Jay’s friends are in different classes, he has no one to sit with at lunch, and his best friend is avoiding him. To top it off, Jay doesn’t understand why he doesn’t share the feelings a boy named Mark and a girl named Amy have for him.
“Liberal amounts of comedy interspersed with drama make this an enjoyable read, while the ace/aro protagonist and depiction of a teenage boy’s poor self-image keep the otherwise familiar storyline fresh.” —Kirkus Review
“I spent the entirety of 2020 and almost half of 2021 working on A-Okay. I am so thrilled to be finished and finally holding it in my hands! I can’t wait to hear what people say when it hits bookshelves on Nov. 2nd.”
—Jarad Greene
Jarad Greene ’17 released his debut graphic novel Scullion: A Dishwasher’s Guide to Mistaken Identity with Oni Press. Scullion was Jarad’s MFA thesis project at The Center for Cartoon Studies. In addition to his graphic novels, Jarad Greene is the administrative and development coordinator at The Center for Cartoon Studies. His mini-comic Memories of a Former Porcelain Doll won a 2017 MICE mini-grant. You can read an interview with Jarad about Scullion on the CCS site.
Available everywhere and please support your local bookstore:
HarperCollins • Bookshop.org • IndieBound • Support black-owned book stores
For more information about Jarad, visit his site: jaradgreene.com.
Tags: A-Okay, CCS Alum, Harper Alley, HarperCollins, Jarad Green, Middle Grade Graphic Novel, new book, on sale now, Thesis Project
