I enjoyed this graphic novel such an honest read. Great for those that are experiencing long hospital stays, heart surgery, illness and recovery. At times I found the biological references hard going and tricky to read.

Open-Hearted is a memoir of former Disney animator Nicolas Keramidas. Keramidas was born in the 1970s with Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart disease that consists of the combination of four different heart defects. At the age of 1, he became one of the youngest babies to undergo open heart surgery. The disorder never bothered him again, and he had a pretty normal life - until one fateful football game with his children in his 40s. And suddenly Keramidas is faced with his own mortality once again, this time old enough to experience the melancholy and claustrophobia of being ill.

Visually, this graphic novel is stunning and you cannot fault it in anyway. Afterall, Keramidas has decades of experience in one of the biggest creative studios in the world. The story-telling is pretty linear and straighforward, it reads more like the author telling you his life-threatening experience over a dinner party, and less reflective as one would expect a memoir to be.

After reading this, I have had a hard time putting the experience into words. And I think I've come to terms with why as I've thought on it. I think it comes down to is that I feel like I'm just supposed to sit at this moment.

Nicolas Keramidas' writing and art very much feel like he is sitting next to you recounting his life story to you, or at least this portion of it. It felt much less impersonal than sometimes reading a memoir can be. The sense of it being a story someone is telling you is there, and I don't feel like I'd pick up any other book and read about the beauty of being able to pee while looking out over a green. But that's the kind of stuff friends mention when they are telling stories.

The only thing I couldn't bring myself to like about this book was the anthropomorphic heart, which scares me. But beyond that, it is beautiful.

I received an e-ARC from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Open-Hearted is not the kind of graphic novel I usually gravitate towards, so I went in with very few expectations. I should probably more accurately describe it as a graphic memoir.
It follows the story of the author from birth, when he was born with tetralogy of fallout (four separate heart defects occurring simultaneously), to his mid-forties, when his heart started to fail him again. It was at once a personal reflection on life, and a primer on his particular heart conditions. I think that the choice to use art was a wonderful choice, and I suspect quite cathartic for the author himself.
As someone who was born with congenital abnormalities (cleft lip/palate) myself, I found myself being able to relate to a lot of the emotions and hospital-humour. It was refreshing to be reminded that other people have experiences similar to my own.
While the art style is not to my personal taste, it is still expertly wrought, and the colouration is superb. I particularly commend the artist for the hospital corridor scenes being that sterile, depressing, bluish sort of tone. Even that made me laugh, because it so accurately conveys the feeling of being in a hospital.

Overall, a moving memoir, in an unusual, but effective medium.

Light-hearted and a great, quick read for anyone needing a pick-me-up. If you're feeling down or alone, a wonderful comic to read.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
I am quite tired + I just have a heard time finding words, so this will be a short review.
A great book about a man who was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, had an open-heart surgery. 43 years it went OK, check-ups were fine, and then things go wrong. In this wonderfully written book we see him go through the whole process from finding out the bad news, to operation, rehab, and further than that. I loved that we saw personal (emotions, feelings, all that) but also got information on his condition, on the hospital, on procedures. It was very interesting.
I loved that next to his experiences we also saw his wife's and parents.
I found it extremely weird that despite everything he just keeps smoking. WTF? Dude, just no...
The art, I quite liked it, it was a fun and nice style with quite some details. Though at times I wasn't sure if it fitted the serious and harsh reality of things. On other times it did bring some lightness to the story when it was needed.
All in all, I really liked this book, it was at times heartbreaking, other times hopefully, and all times well written. Recommended.

Excellent illustrated memoir of the author whose childhood heart defect returns in his 40s and necessitates major heart surgery and recovery. The pacing, tone, and artwork are wonderful and there's the perfect balance of humor, sadness, and fear. I'm dealing with my own heart issue, and what Kéramidas is so incredibly true to life!

The story is an autobiography of the author himself, made up of drawings and illustrations that show his life and his syndrome. He was also born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a rare combination of four heart defects that in 1973 made him one of the youngest children ever to undergo open-heart surgery.
He has this heart problem and although he initially passes it off as a thing to brag about to his friends, the fact that he has that big scar on his chest is a strong and brave man.
The illustrations didn't totally freak me out, I have to be honest. Too dull and dull, gloomy and they didn't hit me as I wanted.
Despite this, I find this autobriography bold, strong and at times even funny. Like when he is in the military for example.
It wasn't the story that made me mad because I found a way to tell his life in a sweet and simple way as well as ironic. I was not driven mad by the drawings that instead of easing the situation drastically worsen it by making everything too closed, too bleak and too oppressive.
For the vote I left a 4 for the story which is really incredible and I really appreciate graphic novels as autobiographies because they are absolutely powerful and transmissive, even more than a written book. The illustrations did not convince me.

It was a very unique story, a documentation of an open-heart surgery by a comic book writer. I have really liked how he documentated it, it was especially good to read because my father had gone through the same surgery, so it was interesting to read how it is made in other places. It was also very emotional, I have liked the drawing as well.

This book broke my heart. It felt like i was feeling everything the writer felt. It was so emotional and heartbreaking. It was wonderful

It feels strange to review such a deeply personal book. But this was someone being completely transparent in their feelings and it was done with such a sense of humor and reflection. You understood exactly how he felt and often would be equally lost when he started describing the medical procedures he underwent. The way he presented his wife was with admiration and awe. While he was undergoing recovery, she was going through her own pain. It was hauntingly beautiful. It was therapeutic to read. The art work captured the mood and intensity of every scene and you giggled at the funny moments.

The author/ illustrator is clearly talented but I do wonder why he chose the graphic novel as the medium to tell the story? There’s no doubt that it’s brave and well-informed, but I wonder if it could have been expressed better in traditional book format, mostly because sometimes the information feels ‘squashed in’ to the graphic novel

This was an honest look at the author's experience with open-heart surgery. I appreciated that he didn't shy away from using medical terminology and graphic drawings. It was raw and real, as was his experience.
The art style wasn't my favorite, but that is just my personal preference and nothing against his talent. It was definitely 70's cartoon-ish, which fits the story as his story begins in the 70's!

First off, my massive disclaimer is that I dont usually read graphic novels (this is one of a handful I have read in my life).

This book takes you on the autobiographical story of Nicolas Keramidas who was born in 1973 with 4 heart defects, resulting in him being one of the first babies to undergo open heart surgery. The reader is gently taken through the life of the young Nicolas and how he managed his condition through childhood until, age 43, when he becomes unwell whilst playing football with his kids. His world is quickly turned on its head as he has to undergo further heart surgery.

I enjoyed reading this for the main reason that it was easy to understand how the act of putting together such a book might have aided the authors recovery and given him a focus through his long rehabilitation. That said, I can't imagine I would want to reread this book, or really consider purchasing it as a gift for anyone.

I found I skimmed the sections where medical reports were written verbatim, as the detail went over my head, as I'm sure they would for most people without first hand knowledge of cardiology. When the little heart started speaking, I mentally switched off and skimmed ahead.

I'm glad I read this, and did enjoy it, but not really sure who it might appeal to.

This book is about the author's heart condition and his subsequent surgery in his 40's. I liked how he wasn't maudlin and tried to make the best out of it. He showed that having a heart condition wont mean you end up being depressed but can have a full life. I like how he showed each part and tried to make the reader understand the process and his feeling

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

'Open-Hearted' is a graphic novel/memoir written and illustrated by Nicolas Keramidas, who has a rare hear condition called congenital heart condition. The book is written with a comical tone in order to deal with the heavy subject of surgeries.

Tw: surgery, blood, hospitals, and nudity

Keramidas chooses to start telling about his childhood and how he has seen the heart condition as something easy to forget about except when he had to visit the doctor every once in a while. But one day his hear condition catches up with him and he gets hospitalised. His experience is told in quite a playful tone except when he is in pain and the usage of colours represent his mood alongside. I expect it must be a really hard subject to write. I appreciated the artwork and the hard work that must have gone into this. It is not easy to write a memoir and a graphic novel about a hard subject: hospital journeys, pain, and the two surgeries. Everyone experiences hospitals different and lives their pain in a different way. This was a great find and I am glad to have joined Keramidas on his journey.

Open-Hearted was a memorable and brilliant graphic novel. I have only praise for this very personal memoir written and illustrated by Nicolas Keramidas, who has undergone two open-heart surgeries for a rare congenital heart condition.

With the subject matter being something as serious and traumatic as open-heart surgery, he managed to add in comic relief and references to every day activities to gain some sense of relatability for readers regarding that dehumanizing feeling one goes through during a medical procedure or hospital stay. The story naturally flowed and covered much of the good, the bad, and the ugly of undergoing major surgery.

I loved the inclusion of his own and his wife’s journals along with the medical terminology from the surgeon’s OR notes and how the author explained everything both visually and in more general terms for those unfamiliar with cryptic medical jargon.

There’s a lot of to love about this graphic novel and I'd give it a 4/5 star rating.

A graphic novel/memoir documenting a man's experience with heart surgery. The author is a graphic artist & had kept a journal of his journey from the pre surgery to the recovery phase. He accurately captures the fears, pains, people, time frame, thoughts, physical & mental aspects. Anyone having had surgery themselves, or accompanied someone going thru a heart surgery will find something to relate to, & sympathize/empathize with, here! His artwork is very telling too!
I received this ebook from Europe Comics via NetGalley, in return for reading it & offering my own fair & honest review.

thought this was deeply moving and brilliant. The author's memoir tells us about his open heart surgery. Born with a heart murmur, the author doesn't fully realise what he went through as a small baby. He was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a rare combination of four heart defects that in 1973 made him one of the youngest children ever to undergo open-heart surgery.

The author survives his childhood heart problems and has creative ways of explaining his scars. Life goes on. He has his wife, parents, in laws, brother and his children. Life is good until it isn't and the author realises he needs to have open heart surgery and so his journey begins.

We are told about this journey through the notes that both he and his wife kept. There are tests, hospital rooms, exercises, inactivity, and the boredom that comes with stays in hospital. Eventually after progress, setback, progress the author leaves hospital and it has been a journey!

The artwork is good, managing to convey the frustrations and the fears of the author and those around him. The cartoon drawings have a humorous aspect to them which helps tell the story in a light way even though the subject matter is traumatic and painful. This is a very meaningful graphic novel and told in such a powerful way. Well worth reading.

Copy provided by Europe Comics in exchange for an unbiased review.

Open-Hearted is a detailed account of one man’s struggle through his open-heart surgery and recovery. There is a lot of medical jargon to read through, but it adds to the reality that he was living. Thankfully my mother is a nurse so I grew up fascinated by health things and I have a good medical knowledge base that helped as I was reading.

Recommended for: graphic memoir readers

Content warning: animated surgical scenes & nudity

I received a digital ARC of this from NetGalley in exchange an honest review.