The Power of Community and Friendship in Raina Telgemeier's "Drama"

 Tyra Alexander

13 March 2024

EN*499

Dr. Ellis

The Power of Friendship in Raina Telgemeier's “Drama”



    My overall impression of the novel Drama was more pleasant than I remember. My first reading of this book started in sixth grade. In my reading class, we were required every day to read a book of our for 15 minutes before class. Drama along with Telgemeier’s other pieces became very popular in my class and although these were quick reads for an 11 year old, they were hard to come by since someone was always quick to snag it from our classroom library. From the lens of a sixth grader, this book was one of the easier reads since it was a graphic novel. It was fun to zip through it quickly. However, my reading of this now being almost 20 years old, I am now able to see the deeper meaning in this novel. 

     This book isn't about boys being gay and kissing other boys. It’s about friendship. Friendship between adolescents who currently think they have the entire weight of the world on their shoulders. I see that tremendously with the character Callie. She’s designing sets for the school musical and wants to do her part making sure the show is spectacular. With her canon, she’s under so much stress trying to make it perfect while also juggling the typical tween boy crush. But with the support of friends like Liz, Jesse, and Justin, Callie essentially comes into her own and is able to do her best. In addition, I see the topic of friendship being funneled through the concept of theater. As someone who used to do drama club, I can say it's not a team sport at all. Therefore it was almost nostalgic to see the play come together and to see the characters lean on each other for the purpose of a common goal. It was especially inspiring to see Jesse step up and take Bonnie’s role, and it's not for the reason some people may think. Despite having no desire to step on stage, Jesse took initiative and faced his stage right for the sake of the group which was honestly a power move.

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