'In Real Life' by Cory Doctorow is a graphic novel that follows the story of a young girl named Anda who gets introduced to the world of online gaming. Through her experiences in the game, Anda learns valuable lessons about herself, friendships, and the impact of her actions on others in both the virtual and real worlds. The book's plot revolves around themes of identity, cultural differences, economic exploitation, and the power of solidarity, all presented through the lens of gaming culture. The writing style is described as concise yet engaging, with a focus on character development and exploring serious issues in a way that generates discussion.

Characters:

Characters in the story, particularly Anda and Raymond, are relatable and diverse, with Anda's development serving as a central focus while also highlighting economic issues.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is characterized by an accessible and engaging tone, catering to younger audiences while incorporating poignant moments that provoke thought.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around Anda, a young gamer girl, as she navigates the complexities of online gaming, learns about the intersection of game and real-world economics, and develops friendships that challenge her understanding of global issues.

Setting:

The setting alternates between a vibrant multiplayer online game world and real-life scenarios, emphasizing the global effects of online interactions.

Pacing:

The pacing is brisk, allowing for a quick read; however, this brevity results in limited character and plot development.

Notes:

'In Real Life' is a graphic novel by Cory Doctorow, based on his short story 'Anda's Game.'

The story follows a young gamer girl named Anda who plays an MMORPG called Coursegold Online.

Anda learns valuable lessons about capitalism, workers' rights, and the global nature of the online world.

The comic is targeted at female teens and is suitable as a gift for that age group.

The artwork combines influences from Bryan Lee O'Malley's style and Hayao Miyazaki's animation style.

Anda's friendship with a Chinese gold farmer named Raymond highlights issues of racial discrimination and classism.

The story explores the impact of online actions on real-life situations and ethical considerations in gaming.

It's a short read, about 150 pages long, making it a quick but enjoyable experience.

The book encourages discussions on serious topics, making it suitable for classroom use.

Despite being short, it effectively conveys important messages while maintaining a fun narrative.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The book contains moderate language and discussions of socio-economic issues, which may require some context for younger readers.

From The Publisher:

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From acclaimed teen author Cory Doctorow and rising star cartoonist Jen Wang, In Real Life is a sensitive, thoughtful look at adolescence, gaming, poverty, and culture-clash.

Anda loves Coarsegold Online, the massively-multiplayer role playing game that she spends most of her free time on. It's a place where she can be a leader, a fighter, a hero. It's a place where she can meet people from all over the world, and make friends. Gaming is, for Anda, entirely a good thing.

But things become a lot more complicated when Anda befriends a gold farmer - a poor Chinese kid whose avatar in the game illegally collects valuable objects and then sells them to players from developed countries with money to burn. This behavior is strictly against the rules in Coarsegold, but Anda soon comes to realize that questions of right and wrong are a lot less straightforward when a real person's real livelihood is at stake.

This title has common Core connections.

Ratings (4)

Loved It (2)
It Was OK (2)

Reader Stats (14):

Read It (6)
Want To Read (8)

1 comment(s)

hhnpal051

It Was OK

3 months

It was the artwork that drove me to this. I really just was attached to it visually. I read the premise and thought "why not?"

Now this wasn't a bad story but it doesn't stand out either. There was a few places where it felt like it was lagging. Maybe it was because some of the events felt a little to "PSA" for me.

What can you read after
In Real Life?

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In Real Life

Cory Doctorow