In this EthnoGraphic entry, Toxic uses a very lightly fictionalized version of real "toxic tours" to tell the story of oil exploitation in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Donald has lived in Lago Agria his whole life; he leads "toxic tours" that show people various parts of the oil production process and the havoc it's wreaked on the environment. People from a variety of backgrounds go on the tour; a Black American woman, an Ecuadorian from the coast, an Italian aid worker and more. Their reactions to what they see are depicted.

Toxic is strongest when it is showing either facts or indvidual narratives like that of Yola, a teacher with chronic health issues due to water contamination. The reflections of the tourists are not handled in a particularly nuanced way and don't read as authentic; possibly, this is the result of archetyping/condensing some commonly seen types of visitors into individuals represented here. The art style is interesting - it uses bright colors with black splotches all over. The splotches mimic spilled oil.

Overall, this is....fine. It's an important story but lacking a compelling overall narrative.

Covering important knowledge from environmental science to colonialism, this graphic novel would do well in a school curriculum.

The art style was really cool - particularly the blocked shadows and the inky quality to them evoked oil and its inescapable presence. Another reviewer mentioned it's great for research if you're looking to break up the monotony of large blocks of text, and I agree with that and would add I could see it being used in a school curriculum for that reason. It's not really a graphic novel to just pick up and read.

I enjoyed reading this graphic novel. I think it would made a great addition to anyone's graphic novel collection.

Thank you Netgally for providing this ARC in exchange for honest and review.

This graphic novel is packed with vital information regarding the effects of oil-drilling, and reads like an article paired with some cool illustrations to make it a bit more interesting. Great for research if you are looking to break the monotony of standard educational text. The characters feel like filler, no real depth to any of them. Quick read.

#toxic

Toxic is an accessible, creative and raw account of oil extraction in Ecuador.

Fiske does a great job to incorporate multiple vantage points when looking at the impact of oil in Ecuador. The incorporation of a development worker, someone from a neighbouring town, a tourist (with exposure to oil at home), and a local guide create a diverse dialogue around the impact of oil beyond a locationally specific context. Especially relevant is how Fiske tackles the conversation of working for the oil industry despite the impact it has had on local livelihoods.

The art in this novel is incredible. Evidently, a graphic novel conveys much of its emotion and storytelling from the visual components present. Fischer does not miss on the emotion and symbolism of the oil and the lives it touches.

As someone with an educational background related to the topic, it is difficult to gauge the audience that this book should be marketed towards. Although I think it would be well received by young adults (11-18), I do think this book is marketable to university level students (particularly those studying environment and development related topics). Assuming that the book was written with the intent for wide scale accessibility and readership, the dialogue reads very surface level. I personally would have liked to see critical dialogue and greater depth to the conversations had in the book. Overall, Toxic is a creative project with a powerful message.

This was a very education and enlightening book on oil operations in Amazon region of Ecuador. The art creates the atmosphere like you’re in the toxic tour yourself, you feel so immersed. I learned so much information about destructive and dangerous practices of Texaco that are killing the population. It was crazy to know that a class action was won against the company and still the company hasn’t paid a cent to the victims. I really liked how all the aspects of toxic tour and the stories were portrayed and how you start feeling a personal connection to the inhabitants of Lago Argo. Would recommend to everyone!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher University of Toronto Press for allowing me to read this graphic novel!

Publishing date: 19.03.2024

Thank you to NetGalley and University of Toronto Press for the ARC- My opinions are my own.

The book as a meal: A wake-up-call kind of food. It wasn't tasty, but the message came across
The book left me: Thinking of how lucky I am to live where I live, and sad for others who aren't

Negatives:
A lot of dialogue
Some panels had a lot of "noise" that got distracting

Positives:
The oil like details in the art fit very well
Cool artstyle
Informative

Features:
Colorful panels, an insight into the culture and daily life in Lago Agrio, a different perspective around oil extraction, informative of pollution

Why did I choose this one?
The artstyle of the comic called me right in. I love a stylistic read, and this served it right up. I also felt like reading something a little more informative and educational.

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?
Mostly pick-up-able. It had a few "lows" where the dialogue was at an all time high, but nothing was really being said. This is where I struggled a little to continue reading the story. Otherwise, it moves fast and lets you read it in mostly a single sitting.

What was the vibe and mood?
Surprisingly positive, considering the circumstances. It did have a certain "darkness" to it, delivered by the choice of shading in the panels. Even so, the characters had a hopeful outlook to the future.
Sadly, when the characters started talking more formally, I felt like I sat in a classroom again. It lost my attention a little bit then.

Final ranking and star rating?
A tier. Great artstyle and very informative. Will be thinking about this for a while longer.

“They came and polluted your land, and gave you some cheese in return?”

I absolutely loved reading this. The artwork was striking. The way the black spots signified the pollution of oil really gave me pause for thought. The way it was presented, I felt like I was on a tour with the characters. I have learnt so much about the oil and in particular, the effects it has had on the Amazon and Ecuador. I appreciated how the dialogue was at a level you’d use to help a child understand something. It helped me learn in an easy way and encouraged me to do my own research. It really is worth a read.

A really informative and beautifully illustrated graphic novel, it was fantastic to hear the first-hand testimony of those impacted by pollution from the oil industry. Stories like these are so important to realise the personal behind environmental issues that can too often seem like sweeping statements or politically-motivated arguments. At the end of the day, companies should take accountability for the damage caused by the way they make money, and corners shouldn't be cut at the expense of people's health. I'm really glad to have read this book - it's challenging and uncomfortable, as it should be.

I really enjoyed reading this. For me, it was an incredibly unique learning experience and it felt shockingly fitting for the topic.

To start, the imagery is deeply fascinating and heartbreaking - oil rising and spilling across the pages, swallowing everything in its path. The book aimed to move and immerse, and that’s what it did. I truly loved that about it. It’s also highly effective as education. It takes something somewhat complex in its scientific process and social/environmental impact and makes it digestible for adolescents and the unfamiliar. I especially appreciate the book’s success in making knowledge accessible.

I oddly feel like it could’ve been a little shorter. I think the unexpected brevity of presenting the oil industry outcomes without all of the small talk from the tourists would have been even more powerful. Though, I will say that I loved the discussion between the characters at the end in the restaurant, it was a really great way to close such a powerful novel.

Overall, this is a wonderful read that taught me quite a bit in such a short amount of time. I think most people now know that oil production is disastrous, but this just forces you to see the effects from a personal angle, creating an entirely different learning experience, one that’s infinitely better than a few paragraphs in a textbook.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this Graphic Novel. 4/5 stars.

I requested this long before I took my Education for Sustainability course and my research diving into Climate Literacy, but I love how this graphic novel could be used to not only teach about the impacts of oil, but also become a deeper starting point into the stories of communities impacted by oil, particularly indigenous groups. I loved how the art style depicted oil staining everything throughout it, and I found it very informative of a specific impact of oil in Ecuador. I also didn't know Toxic Tours were a thing, so I was glad to learn about them more.

I thought this was a interesting book, I think however it just wasn't the book for me. I think it does a great job explaining toxic tours but it fell short a little bit for me.

This book was so interesting yet difficult. Explaining to us the damning effects of big oil through the lens of a 'toxic tour', we become privy to diseases, health problems, pits, economies, and families and how oil affects them all.

This highly stylized graphic novel also increases its use of black ink over the course, showing how oil affects everything we do. It's makes bottles, chairs, car parts--it's not just fuel. It's a large part of our lives, and for those where oil is found, their livelihoods.

Instead of wanting to go back to how it was before oil--because it is impossible--it is suggested that we enforce better policies, create cleaner and greener jobs, and ensure that there are reparations for harmed persons.

A powerful book.

In a word, wow. This graphic novel is powerful. It's well-researched and well-written. The art is fantastic. It took me a bit to realize that the shadows in the artwork resembled oil smudges or stains. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the free ARC!

When I picked up this book, I had no idea the problems with the oil industry were this bad. I knew there were waste products when extracting oil, but I'd never really thought about what happened to them - which I'm aware is a privilege. I learned so so much from reading this book, but what I liked was that it didn't feel like someone was giving me a lecture on the subject; instead, it felt like I was right there with the characters of the book, going on the toxic tour with them. I was horrified to learn about all the ways the oil industry has poisoned nature and all of the people living there, and how they still continue to do so, even though a lot of it could actually have been avoided, if the companies cared about anything but just making as much money as possible.

Finally, I wasn't the biggest fan of the art style at first, but I quickly changed my mind. It might not be the kind of art, or drawing style, I usually prefer, but for this particular story it fit really well.

Toxic is a graphic novel that exposes the problems caused by oil extraction in Lago Agrio region of the Amazon. The story gives a lot of information on how Texaco and other companies operated in the area without any concern about how they were harming the environment and the health of people living in the area. The text is easy to understand and engaging. The illustrations are amazing, and they show how oil is an ever-present problem clearly, with blots of black staining all the pages. The graphic novel is education without being boring. It's certainly a great resource to inform people of the problems caused by oil extraction.

This incredible book takes us on a toxic tour led by Donald Moncayo in the Ecuadorian Amazon. As we go through the tour, we learn about how the surrounding communities have been impacted by oil extraction in the area. The illustrations are very well done, adding depth to the stories shared. This is a great, powerful book that I think everyone should read! It would be a great resource for educators, students, and anyone who is interested in environmental justice.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an early copy of this!

I've been reading a lot of memoirs and nonfiction for school and wanted to try and check out more in formats I'm familiar with on topics I don't know a lot of. So when I saw this covering greed within oil corporations, I decided to pick it up. Normally I save the beginning authors note for the end but I'm glad I looked at it first to get a better idea of what the setting and pace will be, compiling notes from a series of events into a one day trip for the book. And I was already a fan of the art style within the character/participant bios.

The atmosphere is drawn in a way that almost reminds me of a platform puzzle game and the doodles found on a magazine, absolutely loved it. The dialogue bubbles were a little hard to follow for most conversations but it wasn't too much of a hurdle to get through to figure out who was saying what, just the order. I was impressed at how most of the conversations didn't feel like info-dumping even though things are set up to explain what others may not know, but it's still a lot of information to digest so while the book pacing occurs in a day, take your time reading it part by part.

Loved the addition of links for further reading at the end too.

This book was a really engaging and interesting way to spread knowledge about a serious issue plaguing important parts of the natural world.