Lucinda Siegler

"The Book of Henry" is a 160-page graphic novel presenting a semi-fictionalized account of my brother Henry’s experiences at a therapeutic boarding school from 2019 to 2020. Therapeutic boarding schools are one type of facility that exists within a larger "troubled teen industry" in the United States, the controversial impacts of which this project aims to explore.

The Book of Henry was fully hand-drawn using pen and paper. I also incorporated archival material from Henry’s time at the school, including his original letters. The personal narratives of the other students are included as stories-within-a-story, illustrated in totally different visual styles and a contrasting colour. The book ends by transitioning into my perspective as I visited him for the first time in 2019, and then to our present-day conversations on which the entire project was based. These embedded narratives investigate the multiplicities that exist within a group traumatic experience, and express to the reader my belief that there is no single “correct” interpretation– not even mine or Henry’s.

Part of the reason why I chose comics as my medium was because of the historical connection to youth culture. I wanted this project to be accessible to the kids it was written about, especially those who may be struggling with their own mental health issues. I am uncompromising in my depiction of the troubled teen industry, which I hope will be a wake-up call for parents considering sending their kids to a similar institution.