"The art's lush, rich tones blend into luminous
blues and purples, and characters are charmingly expressive, echoing classic
children's book illustrations. Lasko-Gross has crafted a coming-of-age story
that's weird, cool, and touching." -- Publisher's Weekly (Starred
Review)
"Powerful.... The art style is
fantastical and somewhat grotesque, an homage, it seems, to Maurice Sendak.
Though the story is far more adult than "Where the Wild Things Are."
"Henni" tells the tale of a young girl, a humanoid cat creature by
the title name, as she is oppressed repeatedly by various kinds of religious
philistines, all of whom happen to be men. It's a story that champions feminism
and advocates a supreme distaste for religious extremism of all kinds."--
SALON
In a fantastical world where old traditions and religion
dominate every aspect of life, lives a girl named Henni. Unlike most in her
village, Henni questions and wonders what the world is like as she comes of age.
Striking out on her own, Henni goes out in search of truth, adventure, and more!
Written and drawn my Miss Lasko Gross (A Mess of Everything and
Escape From Special), Henni is a commentary on, religion, coming
of age, and being
yourself.
"One
of the most challenging cartoonists working today.... [HENNI is a] significant
new work"--BLEEDING COOL
"A
classic, clever, smart, timeless adventure story that builds an interesting,
scary world with layers of storytelling that will make it a rewarding reading
experience for almost anyone. It's like Maurice Sendak making A Handmaid's
Tale."--The VILLAGE VOICE's TOPLESS ROBOT
"Henni is set
in a world run by a close-minded religious patriarchy and the titular young girl
runs away when she realizes she doesn't want to live the life they've set for
her. As she goes off discovering the world, she is bravely indifferent to
questioning everything and everyone she comes across, making this kind of a
fairy tale for teens... with a strong message about not being afraid to speak up
and challenge authority."--MENTAL
FLOSS
"Henni isn't so much a coming of age
tale as it is a refutation of our formative years-the time when adults, in their
sureness of purpose, attempt to force structure upon those they can overpower. A
story about art, feminism, and the paradigm-halting power of imagination in the
face of repressive belief-systems, Lasko-Gross's vision teems with the sort
of beauty Maurice Sendak might have lent to a children's book written by George
Orwell, Virginia Woolf, or Sylvia Plath."--Samuel Sattin, LEAGUE OF
SOMEBODIES
