Jonathan Todd/Graphix
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Jonathan Todd/Graphix
Many Americans assume that shyness – or its close cousin, timidity – is exclusively a negative trait. In our culture, calling an individual timid suggests that they carry fear, anxiety, and a lack of confidence. And while some of these associations may be correct, we can also choose to view this attribute for its potential values. Shyness can go hand in hand with thoughtfulness, deliberation, and even a rich and full inner life.
Meet the new middle grade graphic novel by Jonathan Todd, Timid. The book's bright cover hints at the potential of all these characteristics, from bad to good, captured in one image. A black tween sits behind an oversized red notebook with cartoon sketches scattered across the cover. He has big eyes and his oversized glasses stick out from behind the book. The rest of his face is almost completely hidden, as four giant beads of sweat jump from his forehead. He is clearly worried and holds his book with two folded arms. But what else happens behind the surface?
Images by Jonathan Todd Timid.
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Jonathan Todd/Graphix
The semi-autobiographical book was written and drawn by cartoonist and comics teacher Jonathan Todd, who dedicated the book to 'anyone who has ever felt alone'. Timid follows the boy on the cover, 12-year-old Cecil Hall. He is in seventh grade and his family is moving from Florida, where they have lived most of his life, to Massachusetts. From the start, it's clear that Cecil knows exactly who he is and who he wants to be: a future famous cartoonist. But it is not always easy for him to express his desires or act on them. It is also clear that others around him, partly because he is so quiet, do not always take his preferences into account.
Cecil's father, who grew up in a public housing project, believes his son should be tougher, because it was that toughness that got him through his own childhood. His sister thinks he isn't showing enough pride in his blackness, and she advises him to immediately make friends with other black kids at his new school.
Cecil knows that his relatives only care for him, but it is his kind, gentle mother who makes him feel the most relaxed. Although their relationship is often relegated to the sidelines, the few quiet scenes where they are alone together reflect a Cecil completely at ease. His mother knows how to just let him be himself, and she trusts him to find his way on his own terms.
Pages from Jonathan Todd's Timid.
Jonathan Todd/Graphix
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Jonathan Todd/Graphix
Meanwhile, Cecil struggles to fit in at school, especially finding a group of friends. He is confused by the difference in social composition between his previous school and this new one. Among other changes, he notices almost immediately how children at Webber Middle School are much less integrated. This is problematic, for example, when he has to figure out which table to sit at for lunch: the black children mainly sit at their own, separate table.
Organized into 14 chapters illustrated in wonderfully bright colours, TimidThe unusual, cartoonish drawing style captures the powerful emotions that drive the lives of young people. Above all, Cecil wants to be recognized as an artist by his peers and the adults around him – to create an identity for himself based on the activity that brings him the most joy and fulfillment. Although he sometimes has difficulty asking for what he wants in a direct manner, he takes risks in his own way. After several false starts, he befriends Sean, another black student. They share a love of storytelling and Star Trek. They participate and come second in a comic strip contest.
On the outside, Cecil may seem overwhelmingly timid, but upon closer inspection, it is clear that he is full of courage. Sometimes courage simply comes in disguise.
Tahneer Oksman is a writer, teacher, and scholar specializing in memoir, graphic novels, and comics. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
