If you want to understand the emotional-psychological repercussions for journalistic integrity in Naples, read I’m Still Alive. Since so much of the graphic novel explores Saviano’s memories and subconscious, the art is crucial for conveying the emotional tone. Fortunately, Hanuka’s art is quite striking—and vividly expressive of his interior monologues. Full review up here: http://www.jbspins.com/2022/10/im-still-alive-roberto-savianos-graphic.html

This entire book is exquisite, deeply moving and essential reading for everyone who knows their nation is touched by corruption.

Roberto Saviano's new book titled I'm Still Alive is humbling and heartbreaking. The vulnerability presented in this book is deep, and I hope that the memories, the happy memories, he shares are what continue to take things day by day.
As soon as I saw the book cover I knew it was a Roberto Saviano book, and I was thrilled that there would be another book written by him. I'm Still Alive, even being in the medium of a graphic novel, makes the message clearer. This is not a man living his best life with police escorts doing whatever he wants. Saviano brings you into his mind, his heart, and his space in the only way he can do so safely, via the illustrations of Asaf Hanuka.
As a reader, I cried and felt proud that he continues to stand tall and strong, even when it seems too much. May he continue to push forward, heal, and write some more. Roberto Saviano, although living a life of somewhat captivity, still has a lot to tell us, I'm sure.

I’m Still Alive is a graphic novel memoir of the Italian writer and journalist Roberto Saviano. In 2006, he wrote his best-known work, Gomorrah. In the book, he exposed the Neapolitan mafia, the Camorra. It became a bestseller in Italy and sold 10 million copies worldwide. He was receiving constant threats because of this book. And after fifteen years, Saviano still has a permanent police escort. In I’m Still Alive, he remembers his youth, shares his personal thoughts, and writes about his life in the last fifteen years.

I didn’t read Gomorrah yet or watched the series, but it is on my mind.

Asaf Hanuka illustrated the graphic novel, and the art is beautiful and realistic. I liked the choice of colors and different styles that Hanuka used. He sometimes added basic colors (red, green, blue, and yellow) to the grayscale illustrations.

Thanks to Archaia for the ARC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review, and all opinions are my own.

Roberto Saviano, an Italian journalist, debuted the book, Gomorrah, a thorough exposé of the Camorra, the Neapolitan mafia at age 26. Since then the writer's life has been continuously threatened. And he was forced to leave his native Italy and live under permanent police protection.

The author primarily discusses the experience of being under police protection and receiving death threats, which results in isolation, a lack of freedom, and being deprived of normal existence in this graphic novel, which is exquisitely illustrated by Asaf Hanuka. He is open and honest in his sharing of his thoughts and feelings. Beautiful and perfectly enhancing the narrative, the artwork is beautiful.

I haven't read the book or watched any of the Gomorrah adaptations. But regrettably, I am aware of organized crime, its connections to tainted politicians, and its effects on people's lives. In the past, there have been many journalist assassinations in my nation. I'm happy that Mr. Saviano is still alive and able to convey his tale even though he lives in difficult conditions.

Thank you first for ARC of this book. This is definitely a nice retelling of what Mr. Saviano had and possibly still has to go through. Capturing the history of a Neapolitan crime family. Constantly being a man of his word, refining the craft of journalism. It was nice to also get a glimpse of how he felt with his feeling and unfortunate relocations within the past 15 years.

Roberto Saviano upset organized crime when his novel, Gomorrah, gave him the opportunity to confront their wickedness. In this graphic novel Roberto exposes how a death threat from the Camorra Family has changed his life. Yearning for the freedom in his pre-novel days, Roberto searches for stability in a life hidden and guarded from the those who wish him harm.

Artist Asaf Hanuka works well with the author to set the proper emotions with the use of color and symbolism. The simplicity of the art captures the childlike moments perfectly but is more complex in more mature moments.

I had a couple objections while reading. The self comparison to other authors, while accurate in the threat given, comes across at times as pompous. Also there are moments when the art symbiology misses in it's effort to express to many emotions.

Overall this was a powerful presentation of what must be difficult circumstances.

When you're someone that threatens the business of organized crimes, you face a lot of danger. Roberto Saviano is a journalist that has been under protection for 16 years after his novel Gomorrah, in which he exposes the Camorra clans in Naples, got extremely popular, also publicly insulted the head of the Casalesi crime family.

This graphic novel is an insightful look at how's his life, the limited freedom, the threats, the hate messages, the isolation, how he can't contact his family, nor have relationships, etc. It's obvious he can't put much detail on his wherabouts, the few anecdotes serve to cover basic aspects of his life thus his self reflections might fall a bit repetitive or that there lacks something else to fill truly complete.

Asaf Hanuka's art gives a lot of life to the story with the use of magic realism compositions, and plays a lot with the color palettes with a different color accent each chapter; mantaining the readers engaged throughout the book. This is what i liked most about the graphic novel in general.

I haven't read Siviano's work, though I watched the movie adaptation of Gomorrah. His life made me think of all the journalists that have been killed where I live because the impunity is so big in this country the narcos can turn upside down whole towns and kill anyone that steps in their way.

Roberto Saviano’s book, Gomorrah, about the warring Camorra clans in Naples, was published in 2006. Due to the enormous success of the book and Saviano publicly insulting the head of the Casalesi crime family, he has had to live under police protection for the last 16 years. Together with Israeli cartoonist Asaf Hanuka, Saviano’s first comic, I’m Still Alive, explores his feelings on his situation as well as relating anecdotes and showing the realities of his way of life.

I really wish I liked Saviano’s writing more because the adaptations that have followed his work have been some of my most favourite media ever. The movie version of Gomorrah is great but the TV series? I honestly believe it’s one of the best shows ever made - it’s unbelievably good and I highly recommend it to any fans of crime drama.

As a result, I’ve tried to read Saviano’s books intermittently over the years and haven’t ever really gotten that far. I’m Still Alive is the only book of his I’ve finished and even then I’d say I didn’t totally dislike it in large part to Hanuka’s enormous illustrating skills.

I knew nothing about Saviano’s personal life prior to reading this book so it’s compelling to begin with to realise the very strange and extreme lifestyle he’s had to lead since 2006. I think it’s entirely laudable that he took such a principled stand against the criminals destroying Italian communities and some of the stories he relates of near misses and various threats he’s received over the years are interesting.

Then - and I know this sounds very shallow and arsehole-y of me, considering we’re talking of a man’s real life - it gets quite repetitive and dull: he used to have the freedom to do stuff and now he doesn’t, he’s isolated and lonely, etc. etc. I get that the reality of his life is unknowable to anyone who hasn’t gone through it themselves - which he notes as well - and that the repetition of the book is nothing compared to what he must go through, but it’s also a narrative that feels a bit thin to read.

And the hell of it is that Saviano is smart enough to be aware of these things himself, mentioning the repetition and how it must seem to others. I initially thought he’d basically been living in a cell these past 16 years but he’s lived all over the world, travelled to book festivals, and so on - it’s not as constricting as I first imagined, though he’s had an ever-present armed guard. And he’s aware of revealing details like this too, that it undermines the perception of his situation as less than life-threatening. He’s obviously an intelligent man to observe all of this, in addition to his many artistic accomplishments, but there’s only so much to his situation and, even for a comic, it feels padded.

So it’s hats off to Asaf Hanuka whose beautiful and creative art really enlivens what would otherwise be a rather dry and one-note narrative. He throws in fantasy sequences, like in Sliding Doors, when Saviano imagines his life if he hadn’t published Gomorrah, or magic realist moments when a dozen Savianos are pointing guns at him, or he’s floating above the 9/11 memorial.

Hanuka occasionally breaks the fourth wall, injecting himself into the story to quiz Saviano on particular details, and he mixes up the colour palette for each chapter so that it’s always visually appealing to the reader. The conjugal visit sequence in particular, done without words, was especially inspired. Hanuka’s a brilliant cartoonist in his own right - his Realist strips are worth a look - and he’s a superb choice as collaborator to Saviano for this book.

I’m Still Alive is an insightful look at a brilliant man’s unusual life, though the story becomes less engrossing long before the end, and is buoyed up by the artist’s talents. If you’ve never seen the Gomorrah movie or TV series, definitely check them out if you can - they are spectacular works of art and are a lasting tribute to Saviano’s bravery in speaking up.

The author writes about his life and how it changed after writing his book Gomorrah. In it, he spoke out against the Camorra mafia clan in Italy and had to go into exile in 2006. He’s been that way ever since, and has had to learn to live like that, both in Europe and the US. A quick reading graphic novel.

This graphic novel is one that I feel will go down in history, potentially one that i feel should be taught in classrooms, studied.
I’m Still Alive tells the true story of Roberto Savianos life for the last 15 years, living in solitude, only his bodyguards and favourite books to keep him company.

I don’t know much about the italian mafia, and I haven’t read Savianos other works, so I was a bit lost at some points. Never the less though, this story gripped me. I was hooked after the first few pages and I read it all in one sitting.
This book is heartbreaking. Thinking about all this man has sacrificed, his entire life, his freedom, to speak out against the violence of his home, weighs on my heart.
On top of the emotionally treacherous story, the visuals in this graphic novel are absolutely gorgeous. The symbolism of him as a gorilla in a cage on his fathers bike nearly made me tear up.

This novel is a heartbreaking true crime story that I think is worth the read.
Solid 4.5/5 stars for me.