Akim Aliu：夢想家

The signed copy arrived with a genuine signature on the title page, not a printed one, which made it feel worth the extra cost. I'm not even a huge hockey fan, but Aliu's story about being a Black prodigy in Canadian youth hockey pulled me in fast.

I read this whole graphic memoir in two sittings, and the way it handles Aliu's childhood as a hockey prodigy in Canada hit harder than I expected. The signature on the title page is a nice touch for my shelf, and the art carries the heavier parts without overselling them.

The graphic memoir format makes Akim's story hit so much harder than a plain text biography would. I read the whole thing in one sitting, and the art during the hockey scenes really pulls you into what he went through as a kid prodigy.