I'm a Wild Seed

Summary: In her graphic novel memoir, Sharon Lee De La Cruz takes a deep dive into how she “came into her queerness” as an adult (2021, p. 3). By discussing her experiences in childhood, high school, and into college and her twenties, De La Cruz not only explores her own self-discovery and exploration, but how her identity exists within the higher structures of colonialism, racism, and the patriarchy. By learning about these systems, she is able to rebel against them and discover herself anew. 

Critical Evaluation: I’m a Wild Seed is a short graphic novel, coming in at a crisp 87 pages, each chock full of information and color. It’s a perfect introduction to political and social concepts such as colonialism, the patriarchy, and institutional sexism and racism. De La Cruz even states at the end of the novel, “I’ve given you the sandbox, now start digging in” (2021, p. 87). Because of its length and expressive illustrations, young adults are sure to read it quickly, however this shouldn’t be misinterpreted as a lack of depth. In fact, though the words can be read quickly, teens may find the concepts hard to digest in such a short amount of time. Luckily, De La Cruz provides plenty of resources for further reading, and her story should be inspiration enough for young adults to seek this information out. 

De La Cruz has a friendly, relatable tone, and therefore the book has the feeling that she is speaking to a close friend. She often directly addresses the reader. She doesn’t hold back when discussing her moments of anger, sadness, confusion, or joy, which makes for a compelling story. Her journey through self discovery and acceptance will look familiar to many teens who are experiencing similar struggles, and hopefully her journey of putting these struggles into the contexts discussed above will help others to do the same. 

The visuals of the novel are very engaging. De La Cruz uses rich colors, as well as blacks and whites, to tell her story, as well as convey history. Her drawing pattern also changes depending on her tone. For example, on pages 80 and 81 she uses a more blurred, loose drawing style to convey gender expression, a similar style to what she used several pages before to illustrate one of her dreams (2021). Her illustrations are also often full of information, so much so that the novel could be used as a guidebook or educational material, in addition of course to being a memoir about her life. 

I’m a Wild Seed will not only help educate young adults about the societal structures currently in place in our world, but also assure them that no matter how long it takes, it’s always worth it to discover who you truly are. 

Reader’s Annotation: Sharon Lee De La Cruz explores how she discovered her true identity as an adult, and how she plans to change the world.