French Milk by Lucy Knisley circa 2000 is a graphic memoir about her month-long trip to Paris with her mother. While they were there, Lucy turned 22. She sees this moment as an official entry into adulthood. I was twenty when I spent a year in Paris, and for me, it was an experience that changed my life (literally) since I became a French teacher. I loved reliving with Lucy the excitement of discovering the sites and tastes of Paris. We seem to be with Lucy as she draws what she sees through her unique filter. There is plenty of humor – I loved her rendition of St Denis, who picks up his decapitated head and nonchalantly walks off with it. I was hungry throughout the whole book – Lucy lets us in on her meals from pain aux raisins breakfast to her mother's homemade oyster chowder to duck confit in a cozy stone cellar. Another trip to Paris – it's on my bucket list.
