Mike Curato’s (compassionate) truth

Modern Minorities

Mike Curato is an award-winning author and illustrator of a more than a few incredible kid's books, as well as the more recent graphic novel FLAMER, which is a MUST-read no matter your age, gender, or sexual orientation. Author Jarrett J. Krosoczka put it best: “This book will save lives.”

Mike’s children’s books include the "Little Elliot" series - about an adorable polka-dotted elephant, of whom Raman’s daughter is a BIG fan. Mike’s also created beautiful kid’s stories like "Where is Bina Bear?" He’s illustrated other moving and important stories like "Worm Loves Worm", "What If", and "The Power of One." And in October he’ll be releasing the book “What Are you” alongside Christian Trimmer. Beyond Mike’s work being always elegant and beautifully illustrated, there’s a much deeper sentiment just beneath the surface that will appeal to parents and kids alike.

FLAMER - Mike’s 2020 graphic novel debut - is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel set in 1995 at a Boy Scouts summer camp, and tells the story of a young teen Aiden who is bullied for being who he is. But the story goes much deeper, and hits a lot of notes and nerves that are both important and all-too-familiar (the liberal mentions of the X-Men, Lord of the Rings, and Nirvana don’t hurt either). Flamer isn’t just a must-read book for those of us who can relate, but it’s one that we should read for greater empathy for the people around us.

LEARN ABOUT MIKE

  • Mikecurato.com
  • FLAMER (comic): goodreads.com/book/show/52751434-flamer
  • LITTLE ELLIOT (kids books): macmillan.com/series/littleelliot
  • instagram.com/mike_curato // twitter.com/MikeCurato

MENTIONS

  • QUOTE: “The best revenge is a life well lived.” -Chloe Neill
  • COMIC: Jean Grey (X-Men) - wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Grey
  • SONG: Weezer - “Say it Ain’t So” - youtu.be/ENXvZ9YRjbo
  • TV: The Assassination of Gianni Versace - American Crime Story - imdb.com/title/tt8010592/
  • BOOK: Part Asian, 100% Hapa - goodreads.com/en/book/show/233959.Part_Asian_100_Hapa
  • PERSON: Fiona Apple - wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiona_Apple

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada