Ignacio (Iggy) Garcia 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. A mishap in cleaning at home leads Iggy to discovering his dead abuelito's ashes -- and speaking with his ghost -- and soon his abuelito's advice has Iggy succeeding in class and in impressing the girl. Until the advice turns sour, that is, and Iggy must turn to Marisol to plead for her tutoring in Spanish. And along the way, Iggy might just learn a little more about himself and his heritage.

Set in 2016, this graphic novel not only captures the daily drama of high school, it also provides a look at how the political atmosphere affected communities in different ways. Iggy's brother and father seem inclined to support Trump, while Iggy's distaste for the future president becomes a deeper concern as he learns more about Marisol's situation as an undocumented person (one of the DACA Dreamers). The story explores the different struggles of different immigrants and reveals that their lives are much more multifaceted than political soundbites can portray. A poignant story, beautifully illustrated. 4 stars.

Thank you, First Second Books and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Call Me Iggy was a fascinating graphic novel to read. It's set during 2016, right before that year's presidential election and tells the story of a boy, Iggy, and how he learns to connect with his Colombian heritage after he accidentally conjures up the ghost of his grandfather. The artwork is beautiful and the story does a great job of showing a wide variety of experiences of one's heritage, as well as accurately capturing the different responses people had to the 2016 election.

Iggy accidentally gets put into a Spanish class, and it sets off a series of events that make him realize he knows nothing of his heritage. Though his parents are Columbian, Iggy and his brother do not speak Spanish. Frustrated by what he sees as a pointless class, he stumbles upon his grandfather/abuelito's ashes in his basement, waking his ghost. Initially, Iggy sees it as an opportunity to get help with Spanish, but slowly realizes he was missing a lot more. Thanks to abuelito and a new friend, Iggy discovers who he is and where he comes from.

I really enjoyed this one.
Especial the understanding the main character gets throughout the comic.
Iggy or Ignacio is a gringo latino teenager, meaning his parents worked really hard to give him and his brother the life they currently live and the boys don't really seem to understand what life is for other immigrants whom weren't as lucky as they are. So when Ignacio stumbles on his grandfathers ashes , his ghosts turns up and starts to teach Ignacio Spanish, but also about their history and about values.
Ignacio learns and grows throughout the comic into a wonderful young man who learns and knows what really is important in this world.
Their was so much love here!
the way they showed the discrimination, disrespect and the hurt, the work and the losses some people must go through to get what others are just handed, it was magical.
Just a beautiful comic!

Graphic novels are SUPER popular at my library currently and once this one is published in February 2024, I know this will be a VERY popular read. I imagine we will have to order multiple copies of this book because it will be THAT popular.

Very enjoyable read. It had ghosts, and crushes, and characters learning to embrace their heritage. The only thing that threw me off was the structure of the Spanish class in the book. No entry-level Spanish class starts with verb conjugation.

One of my favorite graphic novels I’ve read this year. I loved this humor and universal adolescent themes in this story but most of all I loved how the book talked about remembering your family and your roots. Readers who feel disconnected from their culture will be moved by this book. Highly recommend.

I enjoyed the art style of this book very much. The story was very well paced and I enjoyed the different languages used. I will be ordering it for my library's connection.

A beautiful story about immigration. We get a look at one family that holds onto their culture and traditions strongly as they immigrate in America vs another family that assimilates as quickly as possible. I really enjoyed this book and its open and honest look at what it must have been like for thousands of immigrants during the elections with Trump as a runner. Very thought provoking and inspiring.