A comedic, illustrated, and unapologetic memoir to look back and remember our first unprecedented year of COVID-19, in a different light.
Yes, there were challenges, and there were also triumphs to be celebrated. This book surely doesn’t forget those. Along with each cartoon, comes a time-stamped reflection of whatever was flipping the world on its head that day. Some snapshots are happy. Some are sad. Some are hilarious. Summed up, it’s truly a diary of the coronavirus that everyone can relate to.
Everyone’s coping mechanism was different. Mine happened to be cartoons. As abruptly as our world came to a screeching halt, my foray back into drawing began. Art has always been my passion, but life got in the way for a decade.
To bring some humor and for my own therapy, I began cartooning in lockstep with the world changing daily. With nearly every week of the pandemic changing our cultural norms, I continued chronicling our evolution as a society. After sharing a few cartoons on social media and getting such a great response and momentum, the collection started to build.
Here we are, our first year of COVID-19 over, and I’m ready to share them with the world.
Keep this book on your coffee table, in the bathroom, or as a guidebook for the next (year of this) pandemic. A keepsake with perspective that all adults won’t soon forget.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
Everyone has been affected by the covid pandemic. We felt it in our wallets. Store shelves dwindled down to almost nothing. We lost jobs and businesses because of it. Schools went to remote learning. Family members could no longer hug their child(ren). Worse, we lost families and friends to the virus.
Jon Bowerman’s cartoons for Sanity for Humanity in a Calamity: A Cartoon Journey of Our First Year through COVID-19 made me smile. Barney the dinosaur’s mugshot was funny. Loved the nods to DC Comics (Batman and Bane). I loved ALL the pop culture references!
There was one cartoon that was hard to read. Senior Defender-19‘s image was sideways with tiny lettering, which made it virtually impossible to read. I could zoom in on the pdf (author-issued copy), but I could not rotate the image.
Covid Safety Tip #3 – Day 123 – One Sheet conservation Method: OMG, I spit out my drink, reading the instructions and looking at the figures A-F. Seriously, that one was funny as heck!
Jon Bowerman was correct in people’s worry about how others would view someone wearing a mask. Were they being cautious, or are they contagious? He also spoke of how to wear one properly. FYI: It’s not helpful if you don’t cover your mouth AND nose. Just sayin’.
Jon Bowerman gave props to his wife during the remote-learning days. He also gave a shout-out to all teachers, showed his appreciation for all their work, and encouraged increasing school funding. I agree!
It’s hard to imagine speaking of covid, reflecting on what it’s done worldwide, and laughing or cracking a smile, but that’s precisely what Jon Bowerman has made me do through his witty text and funny cartoons. He brought lightness to a rather dark time. Thank you, Jon Bowerman. Well done! Oh, and I love the cover too!
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest)
Score: ❤❤❤❤❤
Meet the Author
A tech entrepreneur in marketing, Jon founded a non-profit focusing on increasing the mental health of children through art. Jon enjoys spending most of his personal time denying his kids more screen time, scrambling for par on the golf course, smoking ribs low and slow, and cracking open a beer.
(Cover by Adrian Baldwin; original artwork by Roberto Segate)
