Work-Life-Balance | Contemporary German Graphic Novel Book Club

Welcome to book*ish, our new reading group for contemporary German graphic novels! Throughout 2024 and into 2025, we will host four book club sessions, each dedicated to discussing a different book. Our goals are to engage in German language practice through discussing each book's main themes and the author's stylistic choices.

We aim to foster a blend of casual get-togethers and conversing in German alongside deep dives into critical thought. Together, our aim is to cultivate an environment for thought-provoking debate and cultural analysis. Join us, regardless of your language proficiency—all are invited, whether you just started learning or are already fluent in the German language.

Our first book club session will kick off on July 23rd with Aisha Franz’s graphic novel “Work-Life-Balance,” which was published in 2022 and awarded the "Max und Moritz-Preis" for Best German Graphic Novel.

About Work-Life-Balance

Aisha Franz’s cartoonish approach to narration and her anti-pretty stance on illustration are masterfully depicted in her latest graphic novel, "Work-Life-Balance." In “Work-Life-Balance" Franz explores the tangled lives of Anita, Rex, and Sandra, three disparate souls bound together by their eccentric therapist's misguided attempts at “healing”. Anita, a talented sculptor navigating the complexities of social media fame with her ceramics; Rex, a delivery messenger whose stolen code catapults a wellness startup to success; and Sandra, a volatile office worker turned influencer whose pursuit of intimacy ends in scandal. As their individual struggles unfold against the backdrop of their therapist's chaotic methods, their paths intersect and diverge in unexpected ways.

Centered around themes of isolation, self-optimization, and the pursuit of personal fulfillment, the graphic novel examines the conditions of labor in late-stage capitalism throughout the narrative. Ultimately, Franz's evocative artwork and storytelling style encourage readers to reflect on the delicate balance between work and personal life, offering a critical portrayal of contemporary life.

About Aisha Franz

Aisha Franz, a Berlin-based author and illustrator, was born in 1984 in Fürth, Bavaria, the daughter of Chilean-Colombian immigrants. Long before pursuing comics professionally, she enjoyed doodling and illustrating for fun, creating her first comic zine at the age of 12 with a friend. Reflecting on her youth, Franz realizes that storytelling through drawings alongside text has always been her passion.

In 2010, Franz graduated from art school in Kassel, Germany, specializing in visual communication with a focus on comics and illustration. Her creative process typically begins with exploring mundane situations or brief narratives, which she enriches with her personal experiences and observations. For Franz, creating comics is a means of self-understanding and discovery, blending the inner and outer worlds of her characters to reflect how personal realities are shaped by external and internal forces.

Further Goethe Resources

Aisha Franz - Goethe-Institut Kolumbien

Get your own copy!

Work-Life-Balance - Franz, Aisha: 9783956403088 - AbeBooks

'Work-Life-Balance' von 'Aisha Franz' - Buch - '978-3-95640-308-8' (thalia.de)

Work-Life-Balance - Franz, Aisha - Dussmann - Das Kulturkaufhaus

>> make sure to buy the German version (because there is also an English version available)

Or borrow a copy from us!

Several copies will be available to borrow for free from the Goethe-Institut Chicago. If you are interested, please contact us at: [email protected]

We look forward to sharing these resources with you!

>> All books and discussions are in German.

>> Details regarding the selected books dates for upcoming sessions will be announced shortly.

Host or Publisher Goethe-Institut Chicago