“An exceptionally beautiful book about loneliness, labor, and survival. “ blends her trademark wry humor with sharp social critique and raw personal experience.”-Dan Kois, Slate

Easily one of the most impressive graphic novels of this year, or works of any kind in the past decade.”-Graeme McMillan, Wired “ A serious, moving, and heartfelt piece of cartooning that is as kind as it is fearless. Her experience there… gave her an insider’s view into a place and piece of Canadian history few outsiders ever see.”-Robert Ito, New York Times Kate Beaton headed west one of the world’s most environmentally destructive oil operations, where workers lived in barracks-like camps and men vastly outnumbered women. “ What a difficult, gorgeous and abidingly humane book.”-Rachel Cooke, The Guardian “ A monumental synthesis of history, politics, and herself… Ducks weaves Beaton’s own experiences with warm, humane portraits of the many people she met on the oil sands… 55,000 square miles a controversial locus of the Canadian economy, culture, and politics, a byword for both prosperity and environmental destruction.”-Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture 'The stories in this illustrated memoir are as gritty and harrowing as you might expect, but there’s humor here, too, as well as compassion and tenderness.'- New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2022 “ Complex and unforgettable.”- TIME Top 100 Books of the Year New Yorker, Time, and Washington Post Best Book of 2022 Her first full length graphic narrative, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands is an untold story of Canada: a country that prides itself on its egalitarian ethos and natural beauty while simultaneously exploiting both the riches of its land and the humanity of its people.

Katie encounters the harsh reality of life in the oil sands, where trauma is an everyday occurrence yet is never discussed.īeaton’s natural cartooning prowess is on full display as she draws colossal machinery and mammoth vehicles set against a sublime Albertan backdrop of wildlife, northern lights, and boreal forest. With the singular goal of paying off her student loans, Katie heads out west to take advantage of Alberta’s oil rush-part of the long tradition of East Coasters who seek gainful employment elsewhere when they can’t find it in the homeland they love so much. “An exceptionally beautiful book about loneliness, labor, and survival.“-Carmen Maria Machadoīefore there was Kate Beaton, New York Times bestselling cartoonist of Hark! A Vagrant, there was Katie Beaton of the Cape Breton Beaton, specifically Mabou, a tight-knit seaside community where the lobster is as abundant as beaches, fiddles, and Gaelic folk songs.

A New York Times Notable book! One of Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2022! Winner of Canada Reads 2023!

Graphic novel ducks