Raised by Ghosts - Paperback

by Briana Loewinsohn (Author)

Harvey Awards WINNER Best Young Adult Book Award 2025

ALA's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table Outstanding Young Adult Comic, 2025

New York Public Library Best Comics for Adults 2025

Best Graphic Novel of 2025 - The Guardian

Best Teen Graphic Novel of 2025 - The Chicago Public Library

The Missouri Association of School Librarians Denny O'Neil Graphic Novel List, 2026-2027

National Cartoonist Society Awards NOMINEE Graphic Novel Award 2025

Set in the author's own teenage years, Raised By Ghosts begins in 1991 with semi autobiographical Briana in middle school. Classes are a bummer, but lunches are worse; either spent alone, or being teased. Traditionally a good student, Briana is not doing well in her academics, but keeps it a secret. Her parents (divorced) are a mess, and largely absent. She spends a lot of time by herself. By high school, she makes friends, and those connections are her only source of happiness as they help each other navigate adolescence. But life at home with each parent remains fraught. When her relationships at school begin to falter, she has no one to turn to, forcing Briana to grapple with her sense of self-worth, her longing for belonging, and her desire for authenticity in her relationships.

Raised By Ghosts is a powerful, affecting graphic novel for young adult readers. The story is told by shifting between Briana's first-person class notes and diary entries. In her understated yet masterful approach to comics storytelling, Loewinsohn eschews dramatic confrontations and overt sentimentality, preferring instead to underscore the idea that sometimes acceptance and love can be communicated through quiet, everyday moments and close family bonds.

Back Jacket

There is a mix of nostalgia and timelessness to Raised by Ghosts that makes it a real treat of a read.