Spinning

In Spinning, Tillie Walden charts her own adolescence through the lens of competitive figure skating, weaving a memoir of identity, isolation, and the quiet courage it takes to step off the ice. Published by First Second beginning in 2017, this single-volume graphic novel distills years of early-morning practices, grueling competitions, and the slow realization that the sport she was raised in no longer fits. Walden’s luminous, atmospheric art and unflinching honesty make this a defining work of the modern memoir genre, capturing the ache of growing up and the freedom of choosing your own path.