The Golden Hour

Smith, Niki. The Golden Hour. 2021. 256p. ISBN 9780316540339. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Living in Kansas, Manuel was in the room with his art teacher when the outside door opened and an intruder came in and shot her multiple times. Manuel ran out, and pulled the fire alarm, saving the teacher's life as she would have otherwise bled to death. Returning to school, Manuel is plagued with PTSD and has trouble focusing. Forced to sit at a different table by the substitute art teacher and forced into a group project, Manual meets Sebastian and Caysha, and they become fast friend. In therapy, Manual is told to try and anchor himself to a situation when he feels flashbacks, and he uses his phone to take gorgeous photos.

Invited to spend time at Sebastian's house, on a farm outside of town, Manual begins to slowly heal, and his friends provide him with the support he needs to grow and understand what happened to him. As his affection for Sebastian grow, Manuel must navigate a rocky path filled with obstacles but also opportunities to become a better person.

Beautifully illustrated, with gorgeous colors, readers will cheer Manuel on as he learns about himself as a person and develop techniques to lessen the grips of PTSD on hi life.

Sebastian lives on a grass-fed cattle farm outside of town, and Manuel finds solace in the open fields and in the antics of the newborn calf Sebastian is hand-raising. As Manuel aides his new friends in their preparations for the local county fair, he learns to open up, confronts his deepest fears, and even finds first love.