Everyone remembers that first love. Or the first all-out fight with a parent or sibling; the feeling of being let down by someone you love; losing something or someone that matters to you; struggling to fit in. I.D. collects 12 first-person accounts about life’s pivotal moments and offers each as an incisive graphic narrative.

With raw honesty, and illuminated by Peter Mitchell’s bold, gritty illustration style, these true stories tackle the universal experiences from childhood and adolescence that stay with us forever. Each anecdote, and accompanying reflection, reveals how individual identity can be shaped by common themes of growing up. By turns thoughtful, painful, funny and fierce, I.D. powerfully demonstrates that what happens to define us in youth doesn’t have to confine us forever.

Kate Scowen has worked with teens and families for over 20 years as a youth counselor, the manager of an inner-city youth center, and a consultant. She lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her husband and three daughters.

Kate Scowen's profile page

Peter Mitchell is an award-winning illustrator whose work can be found in the LA Times, the Boston Globe, and the Globe and Mail. He lives with his young family in Toronto, Ontario.

Peter Mitchell's profile page

• Short-listed, Book of the Year Award finalist, ForeWord Reviews

“… discovering what other people felt as they tackled a particular issue is incredibly interesting, and is of much use to the teen reader.”

Resource Links, 06/10

i.d. Stuff That Happens to Define Us

The struggle for identity is a theme that rests at the heart of so many books geared towards teens. In a market saturated with titles capitalizing on these ideas, Kate Scowen offers a refreshing and gutsy take on the topic. i.d. is a book that will resonate with teens quite simply because its stories are based on real experiences.

The strength of Scowen’s collection lies in her ability to resist the urge to tell stories that have happy endings. The personal accounts in this book are honest and heart wrenching. Language is sparse — there is no room for unnecessary embellishments. Each story gets straight to the point, packing its punch and hitting the reader with full force. It is clear that we are not to read this book and expect to find joyous resolution. We are reading to discover we are not alone in our experiences; that what hurts us does not have to define us.

i.d is a visually appealing book. The ‘handwritten’ text encourages a feeling of intimacy; it almost seems as though you are reading a diary. Peter Mitchell’s illustrations bring to life the voice of each narrator, skilfully enhancing rather than intruding on the story. The illustrations give a sensation of movement, as though we are swirling in the mind of the person recounting their experience. Together, these features create a book that is rich in both content and design.

Teenagers aged 13 and up will enjoy i.d.’s brutal honesty and the fact that, rather than preaching a message, this book encourages independent thought. Kate Scowen’s i.d. is a book that should be in every high school library and would provide an excellent springboard for discussion in the classroom.

i.d.: Stuff That Happens to Define Us

Everybody has a story, and this book encourages young people to think about their own stories and how those stories are shaping the person they are becoming. With raw honesty, and illuminated by bold, gritty illustrations, these 12 first-person accounts reveal how one’s identity can be shaped by pivotal moments during adolescence.