This vivid story provides an overview of modern Polish history from the perspective of the author. While that story isn't a pleasant one, the author's reflections make the history feel much more personal.

Babis's story, set against the historical background of post-Soviet Poland, feels alarmingly familiar to the political climate we find ourselves in today, which feels like the exigence for this short graphic memoir. Throughout the story, Babis recounts her life and the people surrounding her as they navigate a culture that runs against their beliefs and morals, which in her thesis Babis claims is the result of men's anger.

Prior to reading this, I was unfamiliar with Poland and its cultural/social movements in the 80s and 90s. I'm sure this text will remain center in my mind over the next few years. I didn't, however, enjoy the art style as much as other graphic novels. I found some of the characters too similar in facial structure and the structure of the main narrative visually wasn't super compelling. I did love the illustrations and layout for the pages that explained the historical backdrop more.

We gain insight into the transition from a teen experiencing the moment. Kasia shares the impact on her parents and family as Poland is freed from Soviet rule and transitions from communism to capitalism. Vignettes highlight how the change impacts Kasia throughout her life.

Kasia artfully relies on the reader to read images adding meaning to this profound memoir. The minimalist greyscale artwork is exceptional, with moments of emotion-heavy red that draw attention to generational trauma.

Great for fans of Persepolis historical graphic novels.

Thank you to First Second Books and NetGalley for the advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Breadcrumbs is an emotional memoir laced with deep historical context for fans of Persepolis and other graphic memoirs. The story follows Kaisa as she grows up in an ever-changing Poland, moving from a communist political system to a capitalist system. If you've never been educated on the work going on in Poland to change a system, let this be your guide. Babis' coming-of-age tale weaves in context ranging from slightly before she was born, to present day.

Babis is a normal teenage girl who befriends a group of other girls when she moves to a new village. These friends have great personalities, and the drawing style for each of them reminds you of a cartoon character in a mid-2000s show (not a bad thing). Their friendship is realistic and supportive, and demonstrates the highs and lows of a companionship that lasts through several decades. It is highly relatable and quite touching in that aspect. As Kaisa becomes older, she grows out of her shell and becomes a prominent and outspoken activist in Poland. Her fight is quite the battle, and I see reflections in the Polish government to modern-day America.

The dialogue is quick-witted and theatrical but can be deep when necessary. Perhaps the strongest aspect of the novel is Kaisa's drawing style, with minimal color throughout except for emotionally-jarring splashes of red to represent sources of trauma but also generational trauma. This was a topic that could have used some more refining, I could see what Babis was going for here but would have liked some more direct connection to the experience she was trying to portray with her parents and their trauma.

Breadcrumbs is real, relatable, and hopeful. The art style is visually pleasing but fits for the theme and message of the book. Readers will be hungry for more historical graphic novels from Babis after reading it--I know I certainly am.

I found this graphic novel to be an interesting look at life in Poland after Soviet rule. The art was interesting, but I found it difficult to connect with and care about the characters in such limited vignettes.

I really enjoyed how this graphic memoir feels as if the author is recounting her story while we are hanging out. The time jumps and "getting ahead" feel so natural and familiar. (Speaking of familiar, so much of this feels, unfortunately, very timely.) I loved the grayscale + red artwork. The art was lovely despite the often unlovely content of the story and I think the story was captured well by limiting color. While I knew a lot about Poland during WWII, I was lacking in knowledge of Poland during this time period and Kasia's story really paints the picture of it. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I wanted to connect more with this story, as I think it is one I did not grow up hearing about, and I would love for young library patrons to have mpre exposure and understanding to global issues and their influence on coming of age stories. Yet I found the art sharp, dull at times, and while the re accents were striking at times, not quite sufficient. The pacing was scattered and it was challenging to keep track of characters at time, but I think the story will connect with some readers.

I love it when a graphic novel can tell factual information and also be emotional and entertaining. I love the character connections in this story and also how it shared factual information about a difficult situation in Poland. Novels like these are the best way to reach struggling readers and students. Great read!

This was absolutely incredible. It was also absolutely terrifying at the same time coming from a United States reader following the 2024 election. I'm fearful of where we're headed, especially when it comes to women's rights and minority rights. It was a truly beautiful book.

Breadcrumbs is a memoir about Kasia's life growing up in Poland in the 1990s as the country grappled with the transition from communism to capitalism. There was a bit of information about the history of Poland in the beginning to give context for all of the social and political turmoil as a result, which I found interesting to learn about. The book follows Kasia and her friends as they grow up, the ways in which their friends and families reacted to all of these changes, and discusses the social issues that were most important to them. Babis talks a lot about women's issues, politics, and the influence of the Catholic Church in Poland.

Overall I really enjoyed this memoir. It talks about a lot of issues that I am personally interested in and I found the discussion to be incredibly relevant in the current political climate. I do wish that Babis had gone just a little bit deeper into these issues and explored them just a bit more, particularly how they impacted her and her friends. I thought the art style was really nice with a limited color palette of black, white, and red. I enjoyed learning more about Poland, its history, and the political issues that are being dealt with there. This would be a great book for anyone who enjoyed Persepolis or who has any interest at all in politics.

Thank you to NetGalley and 23rd St publishing for letting me read this early. I really enjoyed it as a Polish-American and found it very interesting. With that, I would agree that the timeline is hard to follow at times and know what is happening in the story. Dzięki Kasia for sharing your story!

I enjoyed the artwork but this memoir was impossible to follow. I'm so confused about what I just read. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

I love when I'm happy I picked up and read a certain book. This was one of those books. I am not usually a graphic novel reader (on occasion), but this one felt personal and raw, and I'm thankful to NetGalley and First Second Books for the ARC. The messages and stories laced together in this graphic novel and the art with splashes of red to highlight a moment or emotion were beautiful, and I'm so glad this author put her story into words. I think it was a bit choppy in structure, but necessary to give a background history on why Poland had such groups / decisions / laws in place. I'm forever moved by what I've learned about post-soviet Poland, and think this is an excellent "quick education" for anyone wanting to learn more on the subject (with the personal pieces sewn between).

I had a lot of favorite quotes throughout, especially one with regard to men's anger (and how it always seems to take her by surprise), and generational trauma and how we hope future generations can do better. Here is one more:
p.20: "I still can't get over how much we normalized the practice of forcing children to share their most intimate secrets with a stranger in the confession booth."

I am a huge fan of graphic memoirs, but I had trouble connecting with Breadcrumbs. The author Kasia Babis gives background information interspersed with the events of the people throughout her life. However, I kept confusing the people--maybe due to the black and white sketching, relying on other characteristics to tell them apart? Or maybe it was the time order and pacing that was confusing? I did learn a lot about Poland and topics affecting the people and country historically and today. I appreciate her attempt and think there's a good audience for this book, but it may be better suited to someone who has a little background in the topic already. Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for the ARC.

By and large, did not like the art. Really made me disconnect with the story as a whole, which is a shame.

Graphic novels are a good way to present biographical and historical information. I know very little about this time period in Poland, but found it interesting. The moody illustrations fit the story just right.

This critical piece of world history is presented in an engaging format. The roll out of factual information is alarming while the narrative works alongside to keep the reader engaged in the interpersonal drama.