"This game of ours always began the same. Dad would draw a picture of Ziggy happily strolling along, unaware of some horrible misfortune about to befall him. Ziggy might be zooming off a cliff, walking unknowingly into an open manhole, or oblivious to a meteor plummeting head-on his way. After Ziggy had been drawn into one of these dire circumstances, Dad would flip the placemat around, hand me his pen, and say, "Tommy, it's time for you to SAVE ZIGGY!"
This book is a cross between the memoir and inspirational genres, as Wilson writes about his experiences taking over responsibility for Ziggy from his aging father, dealing with the early death of his wife, battling depression, wrestling with faith, and finally founding his marketing firm Character Matters and finding a place for his pain and Ziggy.
I enjoyed the memoir, and wished Wilson had written more about his personal life and included fewer inspirational platitudes, although I understand why they're mixed in. The first portion of the book is the strongest, where Tom talks about his relationship with his father and how Ziggy played into that dynamic while he was growing up.
The book also has a Ziggy cartoon mixed in for every 5 pages or so--offering Ziggy's insight into the situations as Wilson relates them, which is a great touch for the book. All in all, Zig-zagging is an interesting peek into the private life of the man behind the Ziggy cartoons I love to read in the paper.
Buy Zig-zagging: Loving Madly, Losing Badly How Ziggy Saved My Life by Tom Wilson
SEE TOM DRAW ZIGGY (AND TALK ABOUT HIS BOOK):
This book is currently on tour with TLC. View the tour schedule and visit the publisher for a chance to win a copy of Tom Wilson's Zig-zagging.
1 hour ago
8 comments:
Nice review! Thanks for participating in the tour. I love that youtube video of Tom drawing Ziggy!
i've seen this book featured on a few other blogs--it looks really good and ziggy always reminds me of my childhood. i'm a horrible doodler but my sis-in-law is a professional cartoonist and artist. i really appreciate people who can make characters come to life with a pen/pencil and piece of paper!!
Hey Meg! I have given you an award! Come by and check it out! http://imlostinbooks.blogspot.com/2009/03/thank-you-for-award.html
I've always loved Ziggy, so I am really interested in this book. I had read a bit about the creator of the comic, but I am glad this book is out there to feed my curiosity.
Hey, Meg! I gave you another award! lol You can pick it up here: http://imlostinbooks.blogspot.com/2009/03/award-for-me.html
An award awaits you at A Novel Menagerie in the Sunday Salon post.
I nominated you for an award-you can check it out on my blog!
Hope you have a wonderful day!
Hey got another award for you-same place!
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