Unflattening Paperback – April 20, 2015

Personally I felt like this was one of those books that could only be read a handful of pages at a- time for risk of missing some of the brilliant ideas and connections that were drawn. I often found myself viewing the images before the text, then going back and forth between the two, and then back and forth again to the other pages that were connected to each recurring image, and it didn't feel tedious, but filled with even more insightful.Some of the text, quotes, and references truly went over my head, but I am looking forward to rereading this and researching the information I know I missed the first time but I think the quote at the end of the book by Alfred North Whitehead sums it up nicely, "philosophy begins in wonder," and quite inline with the philosophy of the book, the quote is left UNfinished, "and, at the end, when philosophic thought has done its best, the wonder remains."I added the rest of the quote to the margins of my book, and throughout the book even left some extra notes, doodles, and on one page I even taped a drawing onto it. A lot of my friends have expressed interest in reading this book asked that after I finish it, to lend it to them, so I am going to lend it to them, and suggest they fill in the margins and extra space with whatever they wish as well. When I get it back- I will have a brand new but familiar book each time.It starts with illustrations of "flat," orderly, machine-like people, trapped in a machine-like world, seemingly ruled by one perspective and machine-like laws, with seemingly inconsequential lives.The next chapter they step out of the machine and into a maze, equipped with only their own limited point of view. With wonder, and multiple perspectives, they find something of their own, a new perspective- one of the many that exist.These separate points of view combine into a larger whole, cratering new thoughts, dynamics, common ground and complexities- bridging gaps with newly formed, multidimensional ways to relate to the world.I think the third chapter was my favorite combining the most text with very thought provoking images, tempting us to step out of language all while using the same language as a tool to do so.. but I'll leave the rest of the play-by-play for the book.I think if you're not able to at least appreciate the illustrations and allegory in this work, that really goes to show how, "flattened" societies influence and prevents certain points of view and relation. I find it highly ironic that one review of this book just says... "Toxic," seems pretty flat.

I had this book for a class of mine, and the book really made me think about everything from different perspectives. It's mostly a visual book which is great for me since I don't do well with large blocks of text.The images are ones you have to comb over sometimes to really get the overall picture. There are many details and ways to think about what is being said in a visual way depending on which parts you focus on such as smaller details versus the larger picture. It's a great book that makes you think a bit more about the world in a different perspective. I recommended this book to a friend of mine, and she still likes to read it even though we've both read it at least twice at this point.

In "Unflattening", Nick Sousanis adapts his Ed.D. dissertation, "Unflattening: A Visual-Verbal Inquiry into Learning in Many Dimension," into a full-length graphic novel that explores the privileged place that text has long held in our culture, arguing that text and image must work together as an educational tool. Necessarily, any written review will not capture the point of this work, so any oversimplifications are my own. Sousanis writes of the history of comics, "At this juncture, it's time to attend to the intricacies, peel away and delve into the inner workings of this hybrid form (meant to be both read and viewed). First, it's name - ever a prickly topic. The one it came with conceals its potential. [comic books, comics] Hence, a quest for respectability: grander varieties put forth [graphic novel]; more descriptive titles adopted [sequential art]; each highlighting specific features [picture writing, image-text, graphein, commmix]. From different climates [manga], distinct offshoots arose [bandes dessinées, fumetti]. While often seen as a budding form, it's an evolving dialect, in constant cultivation. Its lineage runs deep. Its history our own. A means of grappling with experience before we had names for it. Comics, as I prefer, 'by any other name would small as sweet'" (pg. 60). As to their use, Sousanis writes, "Perhaps in comics, this amphibious language of juxtapositions and fragments - we have such a form" to fulfill Bertrand Russell's longing for a language that expresses "all relations by analogous relations" (pg. 67). In the course of his work, Sousanis draws upon other comics theorists like Scott McCloud, thereby contributing to the growing field of comics studies. Furthermore, Sousanis makes extensive use of Edwin Abbott Abbott's 1884 novella, "Flatland: A Romance in Many Dimensions", which used metaphor and satire to open readers' minds to the role of dimensionality in our conception of the world. After summarizing the story, Sousanis extends this metaphor to the role of image and text in how we conceive of ourselves and the world around us, thereby engaging with theories of phenomenology. Sousanis concludes, "The means to rise up and upend our thinking are found in this tumbling of relations. Unflattening, we remind ourselves of what it is to open our eyes to the world for the first time" (pg. 151-152). "Unflattening" belongs in the libraries of any who study comics theory, cultural history, or phenomenology.

I purchased this book for a graduate-level university course and I was not prepared for how much I would get out of it. It is beautifully illustrated and the content is very meaningful. I felt that it really expanded my concepts of scholarship and helped me think of ways to become more creative in my work. It doesn't matter what you are studying or what profession you are in, I really think this publication can help anyone who feels they are in a rut with their thinking, even on a personal level. This was a wonderful read and I cannot recommend it enough.