{{Short description|2017 graphic novel memoir by Tillie Walden}} {{Use American English|date=February 2018}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2018}} {{Infobox graphic novel <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics--> |title = Spinning | image = Cover of Spinning, graphic novel by Tillie Walden.jpg | image_size = 200 | caption = The front cover of the graphic novel |publisher = {{plainlist| *First Second Books {{small|(US)}}<ref name=kirkusreviews>{{cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/tillie-walden/spinning/|title=Spinning - Kirkus Review|work=Kirkus Reviews|date=July 17, 2017|accessdate=February 21, 2018}}</ref> *SelfMadeHero {{small|(UK)}}<ref name=guardianreview1>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/dec/12/spinning-tillie-walden-review-portrait-of-adolescence-on-ice-graphic-novel-skating-memoir|title=Spinning by Tillie Walden review – portrait of adolescence on ice|work=The Guardian|date=December 12, 2017|first=Rachel|last=Cooke}}</ref> }} |date = September 12, 2017 |issues = |series = |main_char_team = |origpublication = |origissues = |origdate = |origlanguage = |origisbn = 978-1-62672-772-4 |writers = Tillie Walden |artists = Tillie Walden | pages = 400 |pencillers = |inkers = |colourists = |letterers = |editors = |creators = |transpublisher = |transdate = |transisbn = |translator = |previssue = |nextissue = |US = }}

'''''Spinning''''' is a graphic novel memoir by cartoonist Tillie Walden that was first published by First Second Books on September 12, 2017. The memoir chronicles Walden's years coming-of-age as a competitive figure skater, as she navigates romance, bullying and various traumas.<ref name=kirkusreviews/> It won the 2018 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work.

==Synopsis== At the start of ''Spinning'', Walden is ten and her family has just moved to Texas from New Jersey. Walden, a competitive figure skater, finds herself having to adjust to the new environment and figure skating culture.<ref name=guardianreview1/> As Walden becomes more disenchanted with the culture around the competitive sport, she discovers her talent as an artist. Having known she was gay since she was five, Walden also struggles with the alienation and pressure she faces as she embarks on her first romance with another girl.<ref name=avclub1>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/spinning-is-a-heart-wrenching-memoir-from-a-brilliant-y-1818632736|title=Spinning is a heart-wrenching memoir from a brilliant young cartoonist|work=The A.V. Club|date=September 22, 2017|first=Oliver|last=Sava}}</ref> The novel also recounts Walden's sexual assault by her SAT tutor.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hbook.com/2017/12/choosing-books/review-of-the-week/review-of-spinning/|title=Review of Spinning|work=The Horn Book Magazine|date=December 20, 2017|first=Shoshana|last=Flax}}</ref><ref name=nyt1/>

==Development== The idea for ''Spinning'' first came to Tillie Walden when she attempted to make a short comic about ice skating at the end of her first year at the Center for Cartoon Studies. Walden realized that she had "too much baggage with skating to even make a small comic about it," and began working on the book that summer before her second year.<ref name=forbes1/> ''Spinning'' was initially Walden's school thesis and upon graduating, she worked with First Second Books to turn her thesis into the final graphic novel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/09/spinnings-tillie-walden-on-the-power-of-pursuing-a.html|title=Spinning's Tillie Walden on the Power of Pursuing and Ending Childhood Dreams|work=Paste|date=September 26, 2017|first=Hillary|last=Brown}}</ref>

Having published three fictional graphic novels before ''Spinning'', Walden noted that it was a lot harder, but far more rewarding, to write the memoir than works of fiction. According to Walden, revisiting the trauma she faced was difficult and "there were scenes in ''Spinning'' where [she] just cried the entire time [she] drew it."<ref name=forbes1>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenorsini/2017/10/03/how-lgbt-ice-skating-graphic-novel-spinning-defies-definition/|title=How LGBT Ice Skating Graphic Novel 'Spinning' Defies Definition|work=Forbes|date=October 3, 2017|first=Lauren|last=Orsini}}</ref>

==Reception== In her review, Rachel Cooke of ''The Guardian'' wrote: "Intimate and charming, ''Spinning'' already has the feeling of a coming-of-age classic – and yet, amazingly, its talented author has only just hit 21."<ref name=guardianreview1/> ''The New York Times''{{'}}s Douglas Wolk described the novel as "engrossing, gorgeously quiet",<ref name=nyt1>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/30/books/review/latest-graphic-novels.html|title=The Latest in Graphic Novels|work=The New York Times|date=November 30, 2017|first=Douglas|last=Wolk|author-link=Douglas Wolk}}</ref> while ''The Austin Chronicle''{{'}}s Wayne Alan Brenner called it a "powerful work of real-life storytelling".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/arts/2017-11-03/review-spinning/|title=Review: Spinning|work=The Austin Chronicle|date=November 3, 2017|first=Wayne Alan|last=Brenner}}</ref> ''Publishers Weekly'' noted that the memoir is "a haunting and resonant coming-of-age story,"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-62672-940-7|title=Spinning|work=Publishers Weekly|date=July 17, 2017}}</ref> while ''Booklist''{{'}}s Sarah Hunter called it "a stirring, gorgeously illustrated story of finding the strength to follow one's own path."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.booklistonline.com/Spinning-Tillie-Walden/pid=8976788|title=Booklist Review: Spinning|via=Booklist|date=July 2017|first=Sarah|last=Hunter}}</ref>

''The Daily Dot''{{'}}s Gavia Baker-Whitelaw concluded that: "''Spinning'' is a raw and intimate memoir, and likely to appear on many “best-of” lists for 2017. It's honest and sensitive, holding a different appeal for a wide range of viewpoints. As a coming-out story, it's painful and therapeutic. To figure skaters, the depictions of the sport and its culture will doubtless ring true. And for childhood overachievers, it's a firsthand observation by someone who grew up and escaped through an unexpected avenue."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/spinning-comic-tillie-walden-review/|title='Spinning' is a heartfelt graphic novel about figure skating and teen life|work=The Daily Dot|date=October 21, 2017|first=Gavia|last=Baker-Whitelaw}}</ref>

''The A.V. Club''{{'}}s Oliver Sava named ''Spinning'' as one of the best comics of 2017,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/the-best-comics-of-2017-1820879242|title=The best comics of 2017|work=The A.V. Club|date=December 5, 2017|first1=Oliver|last1=Sava|first2=Caitlin|last2=Rosberg|first3=Shea|last3=Hennum}}</ref> and it was tied for third place in ''Publishers Weekly'' 2017 Graphic Novel Critics Poll.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/comics/article/75675-my-favorite-thing-is-monsters-tops-annual-pw-graphic-novel-critics-poll.html|title='My Favorite Thing Is Monsters' Tops Annual 'PW' Graphic Novel Critics Poll|work=Publishers Weekly|date=December 20, 2017|accessdate=February 21, 2018}}</ref> The novel won the 2018 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work, making Walden one of the youngest Eisner Award winners ever at 22.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2018/07/23/women-make-history-and-receive-overdue-recognition-at-2018-eisner-awards/|title=Women make history, and receive overdue recognition, at 2018 Eisner Awards|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=July 23, 2018|first=Michael|last=Cavna|accessdate=August 5, 2018}}</ref>

=== Challenges === In August 2022, 62% of voters in Jamestown Charter Township voted to defund their public library system after librarians refused to remove three books from the library's shelves: ''Gender Queer'' by Maia Kobabe, ''Kiss Number 8'' by Colleen A. F. Venable, and ''Spinning'' by Tillie Walden.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Schaub |first=Michael |date=2022-08-05 |title=Michigan Library Is Defunded Over LGBTQ+ Books |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/michigan-library-is-defunded-over-lgbtq-books/ |access-date=2022-08-10 |website=Kirkus Reviews |language=en}}</ref> Community activists claimed that the presence of these books in the library's young adult and adult sections meant the library was trying to "groom" young children.<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |last=French |first=Ron |date=2022-08-03 |title=Upset over LGBTQ books, a Michigan town defunds its library in tax vote {{!}} Bridge Michigan |url=https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/upset-over-lgbtq-books-michigan-town-defunds-its-library-tax-vote |access-date=2022-08-04 |website=Bridge Michigan |language=en}}</ref> According to Library Board President Larry Walton, without fund renewal, "the library will run out of money in 2023, jeopardizing its existence."<ref name=":0" /> Despite not wanting to close the library, Walton has stated that the board refuses to ban the books.<ref name=":0" />

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== *''[https://www.tilliewalden.com/books Spinning]'' at TillieWalden.com

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Category:2017 non-fiction books Category:2017 graphic novels Category:American memoirs Category:English-language non-fiction books Category:LGBTQ-related graphic novels Category:Lesbian-related comics Category:Lesbian non-fiction books Category:First Second Books books Category:Eisner Award winners Category:2010s LGBTQ literature Category:LGBTQ autobiographies Category:LGBTQ literature in the United States Category:Books about sportspeople Category:LGBTQ-related controversies in literature Category:2017 LGBTQ-related literary works Category:Graphic novels set in Texas Category:Graphic novels set in the 21st century