A very timely and sweet exploration of how to hold on to one's heritage even as outside forces try to force you to forget it.

☽𝔹𝕆𝕆𝕂 ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎☾

I requested an ARC of this story because the ghost grandfather concept seemed intriguing and amusing. In addition to the portrayal of the stated culture.

But I didn't expect to laugh, weep, or fall in love with this narrative. I laughed because the interactions between Iggy and his grandfather were both amusing and delightful. I felt emotional as well, largely because of Iggy and his grandfather. Iggy has grown up unaware of his own culture. His parents emigrated to North America, leaving behind not just relatives but also traditions. Iggy doesn't even speak Spanish. As a result, it's heartbreaking to see how Iggy doesn't fully grasp most aspects of his culture, beginning, as I mentioned, with the Spanish language. As such, I was delighted to watch Iggy learn Spanish and discover his culture. Yes, Iggy began learning Spanish to impress a girl, but watching him grow to love the language and desire to learn more and more was fantastic. Even more so to have his grandfather's ghost stay with him.

Then there's Marisol, whose position is totally different because she is an illegal immigrant, and learning about the various worries she had to live with was nothing short of awful and anxiety-inducing. I believe that even if you have never been in this situation, you will feel anxious and devastated by Marison's fear, and it will make you think about what you are learning and reading.

This graphic novel is lovely, sentimental, and enlightening, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.


(I'll be providing a link to my social media post about this graphic novel, as soon as the publication date approaches and I'm authorised to do so!)

Thank you NetGalley/the publishers for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The book felt a little slow at the beginning but it quickly picked up the pace and reeled me in. I loved the message that the author tried to convey in the book.
Iggy is an Ohio born Columbian and is trying to learn more about his culture and his roots. There are some serious topics that are talked about. I loved Iggy's character growth and overall loved the story.

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Iggy lives in Ohio with his Columbian-American family while starting freshman year in high school. From his brother ignoring him in the halls to video gaming with his best friend, Iggy has a smooth-sailing life as a teenager Until he visits the basement of his house and breaks the urn of his grandfather. As his grandfather's spirit comes alive, he gives Iggy Spanish lessons and some not-needed love advice. But the streets of Ohio are filled with political votes and voices as the 2016 General Election comes to a vote. Worried for his family, Iggy takes each day one step at a time.
Not quite the graphical novel I'd thought it would be, but it was hilarious at times of Iggy's life. As a reader, you definitely see how immigration affects foreigners in a racist environment and an open-opinion world. The love advice from Iggy's grandfather is funny, even though it is totally old-schooled.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun graphic novel to read, despite some heavier elements. I laughed and smiled several times which is rare when I’m reading. Normally I find something funny but keep moving along and I actually stopped to reread certain parts that made me laugh. It was very much needed!

Iggy has grown up in Columbus, Ohio though his family is from Colombia. It rooted that history in the foundation of the story, with him being disconnected from it until he stumbles upon his abuelito’s urn in the basement. We see him learning spanish, learn traditional dances, and how to cook, among other things with his abuelito’s guidance.

I loved Iggy as a character, and I loved seeing him as a pair with his abuelito. They are really dynamic, and I’m personally a fan of grandparent/grandchild relationships in books so this was exciting for me anyway, but their chemistry was amazing. They bounce off eachother really well and they grow a lot together. Abuelito is also a funny character, with his teasing and good humor.

Marisol is another character in focus and I think she’s another great representation of culture, and a great pairing to Iggy in terms of connectivity. She is beyond her culture/home country as well but she’s connected. And still, she’s a bit out of place in a way that Iggy both is and isn’t.

All of this is in the midst of the 2016 election, not at all shying away from commentary on Trump and MAGA, and mirroring real opinions people had in favor of him during the election. The foundation of the country is shifting amongst Iggy’s reconnecting journey and Marisol’s determined efforts to gain citizenship while being a DACA recipient.

There is so much to this story like heritage, connectivity, impacts of assimilation, political changes, and guidance from your ancestors. It’s a beautiful novel and I will be recommending it highly.

It was a nice, quick read. There was a lot going on all at once but it wasn't too much. I really liked watching Iggy's growth, his understanding of his heritage and how his abuelito led him towards this understanding. It was beautiful. It also made me really want to learn Spanish!

I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Ignacio (Iggy) Garcia is an Ohio-born Columbian teen. He decides that he wants to know more about his culture. Although he is clueless at first, he gradually starts to learn more about his heritage.

Iggy has a rough first day of high school, his older brother Billy wants nothing to do with him, he bumps into a girl, Marisol and spills coffee over her papers, and he finds himself in Spanish class instead of French. But even though he hasn't learned Spanish from his Colombian parents and would rather learn French, he sticks with Spanish in order to impress another girl, Kristi.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for give an advance copy in exchange of an honest review.

Una novela gráfica muy rápida de leer y con muchas reflexiones: la migración, la superación, las raíces, la familia, el racismo, la cultura y el intercambio cultural, etc.
Iggy (Ignacio) es un "gringo latino" es decir, un ciudadano estadounidense pero de ascendencia latinoamericana, en específico, Colombiana. Por un error en la malla escolar, Iggy queda inscrito en la clase de español en vez de la de francés. Esto de alguna forma lo lleva a conectarse con sus raíces y el pasado familiar.

El toque fantástico de la historia: Iggy encuentra las cenizas de su abuelo y de sorpresa comienza a interactuar día a día con el fantasma de su abuelo, quién le da consejos y le cuenta sobre su vida y la relación que tuvo con su hijo, el padre de Iggy.
Paralelo a esto, Iggy conoce en la escuela a Marisol, una niña Mexicana que vive en Estados Unidos en forma indocumentada, con el miedo constante a ser deportada y sufriendo del racismo hacia los inmigrantes ilegales.
A medida que avanza la historia Iggy descubre muchas cosas, hechos de su pasado familiar, hechos del presente y cómo afectan a las personas (especialmente la política), y con ello su visión de mundo cambia y sus formas de reaccionar a él. Se vuelve más consciente de su entorno y más atento a las injusticias sociales.

En resumen, creo que lo que vemos principalmente en esta novela gráfica, es el crecimiento de un adolescente en lo personal, social y cultural.
La recomiendo mucho.

Call Me Iggy is a story about a Columbian high schooler who has lived all his life in Columbus, Ohio. He never learned Spanish or knew his grandfather but when he knocks over his urn in the family's basement, his grandfather's ghost shows up to teach him a few lessons. I enjoyed the deep dive into the culture that the main character - and the reader - got throughout this lovely journey of Iggy getting in touch with his roots and finding out what is truly important in life. I'm looking forward to future work from this author and artist!

Following Iggy in his journey to learning about his heritage and more about his father's experiences as a Colombian-American man making a life for himself, Call me Iggy is a funny and fun read. When bumps into Marisol Iggy's highschool career (which just started) changes entirely. As he navigates his life through highschool and having to learn Spanish, Iggy learn about his culture and heritage. In the background of this narrative is the underlying political setting of November 2016, when Trump gets elected. It's an important read to understanding the diversity in Latin-American community, especially the varying socioeconomic and political backgrounds.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest, spoiler-free review!

Themes: Family, Culture, Politics
Representation: Columbian MC and SCs, Mexican SC
Content Warnings: Racism

PERSONAL COMMENTS
I flew through this book. It was a short and lighthearted story that still touched on larger issues. I liked how the author formatted this book. I liked the pacing, and I especially loved the art. I have no complaints about this book. However, although I liked this book, I didn’t love it.

CHARACTERS
I think that the characters in this book are well-written.

Iggy is an Ohio-born Columbian teen. He decides that he wants to know more about his culture. Although he is clueless at first, he gradually starts to learn more about his heritage. I think that the author does a good job of trying to capture the essence of a Columbian character that is born in America. Someone who is American but doesn’t feel American enough.

Marisol is pretty well-written. I liked her and Iggy’s friendship. I also liked how her character helped to give Iggy a different perspective on things. Finally, I liked that Marisol also has her backstory as well which gives depth to her characters.

As for Iggy’s friends and family. I would say that his friendships and crushes are respective to that of a typical teenage boy. However, I would say that some of his friends are ignorant and I wish some more accountability was taken. As for his family, I liked that Iggy had a generally positive relationship with them. I loved Abeulito and his backstory. I also liked how the author dealt with the dad’s backstory. However, I felt like there could’ve been more depth and focus on Iggy’s friends' and family’s backstories.

PLOT
Overall, this book had a fast pace since it is a graphic novel. So if you’re looking for something that you can read in about two hours or less, then this is the book for you!

In terms of plot, it starts with a bit of backstory (which will be relevant to the book). Then, it quickly jumps into things. There’s enough conflict and tension to keep the story going and keep it interesting in my opinion. It’s not repetitive, and the main characters learn a lot.

Finally, the ending of the book was quite sweet.

OTHER
For the art, I thought that the art was beautiful. The artist drew with clean lines and a typical cartoon style which fits this YA book.

As for the themes of the book, I appreciated how the author addressed the issue of racism in America, especially regarding Latin Americans during the 2016 elections. It is a fundamental part of the book, and I think that author tackled it in a way that was realistic but still hopeful, focusing on things such as family, and community.

It’s always important to focus on social issues such as these so if you’re looking for a YA comic book that has humour, focuses more on family and friendship rather than romance, and tackles political issues, then this is the book for you!

RATINGS
Personal Rating: 4/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Plot: 4.5/5
Other: 5/5
Final Rating: 4.5/5 (round to 5 stars)

I absolutely adored this!! Loved the artwork, the heartwarming story, the humor, and the characters! It was a delight to read and so emotional!

I read this graphic novel after receiving a digital copy from NetGalley. In this story, high school freshman Iggy finds himself in a Spanish class instead of his first choice French. He’s sticks it out because he has a crush and through some fated magical realism gets the help of his Colombian grandfather’s ghost. Iggy ultimately turns to Marisol for tutoring, a classmate who works evenings cleaning office buildings with her family of undocumented immigrants. This is a story of family, friendship, cultural heritage, border politics, and bildungsroman. Overall, I enjoyed the colorful illustrations. While a very important sentiment especially in the context of the book, Trump hate abounded which distracted me from the story’s plot and characters. Parts of the book felt clunky and may have benefited from a bit more narrative editing. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed abuelito who provides some comedic relief but also a very touching moment at the end.

(Thank you to Rafael Rosado, Jorge Aguirre and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC)

Really liked this book and the art! It was a cute story about Latin heritage as well as finding your way back to your culture (with a tiny bit of romance of course).

I loved the characters and found Abelito hilarious with his funny comments and loved the friendship between Marisol and Iggy and how it evolved into Iggy learning a lot about being undocumented in America as well as learning Spanish and getting back to his Colombian roots throughout the story.

Not only was it an amazing plot but the art was stunning and really well done. Definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to learn a little bit about Colombian and Mexican culture.

I am a huge fan of making important stories like this one more accessible and readable for teens/youth through graphic novels. I loved the way Iggy and his dad connected (or reconnected) with their culture through the ghost of their abuelito. A lot of topics were just barely touched on and I wish they'd had more detail. I do also feel like this was more middle grade than YA but still overall enjoyed it. Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

3.75 ⭐

a beautiful story! I loved the message that was presented. It's set in 2016 when the elections where just about to happen and we see the impact it had.

I really loved Iggy as a character he goes through tremendous character growth, learning to love and embrace his Colombian heritage.

it wasn't always an easy read there are some sensitive topics such as trump supporters, racism and a few others.

would recommend!

thank you Netgalley, Jorge Aguirre and First second for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I would’ve loved to see even more of Iggy and Marisol’s relationship after they went to the cinema, but other than that I really enjoyed this.

Some of the things I loved:
• The writing and artwork!
• Iggy’s grandpa (the end nearly made me cry)
• The trump slander

Absolutely loved this graphic novel.

The art style was very professional and defined.

The characters were interesting as well.

The ending was so wholesome!

one thing that I have in common with Iggy, is my hate for Trump lol. The storyline was amazing an perfectly portrayed how kids today are not interested enough in their own roots and history of blood. Abuelito was my most favorite character in this book cuz well Iggy was really always busy being a moppy baby, instead of doing something for himself, so abuelito saved the whole plotline!!! Stan abuelito!!!

Iggy is known as a Gringo Latino, meaning he has latino heritage, but has been assimilated so much that he doesn't speak Spanish at all. It is a privilege that other Hispanics in his class do not have. For example, Marisol is a DACA, and is worried that she could be deported at any time. (And this is especially true because this story takes place in 2016, just in time for a certain orange president to come around.)

Iggy knows very little about his heritage, and it isn’t until he happens to get enrolled in a Spanish class that he has to think about it at all. That, and he knocks over the urn with his grandfather’s ashes, and he appears to him.

It is a cute story. His abuelo gives him advice that doesn’t always work, but that’s ok, it brings him closer to him and his ancestors.

A little complicated, with a lot of things happening at once, that all come together nicely.

THanks to Netgalley and First Second Books for making this book available for an honest review. This will be published the 13th of February 2024.