In Limbo

In Limbo

By Deb JJ Lee

First Second

2024

Ever since Deborah (Jung-Jin) Lee emigrated from South Korea to the United States, she's felt her otherness.

For a while, her English wasn’t perfect. Her teachers can’t pronounce her Korean name. Her face and her eyes―especially her eyes―feel wrong.

In high school, everything gets harder. Friendships change and end, she falls behind in classes, and fights with her mom escalate. Caught in limbo, with nowhere safe to go, Deb finds her mental health plummeting, resulting in a suicide attempt.

But Deb is resilient and slowly heals with the help of art and self-care, guiding her to a deeper understanding of her heritage and herself.

This stunning debut graphic memoir features page after page of gorgeous, evocative art, perfect for Tillie Walden fans. It's a cross section of the Korean-American diaspora and mental health, a moving and powerful read in the vein of Hey, Kiddo and The Best We Could Do. 

Deb JJ Lee

Deb JJ Lee is an award-winning Korean American artist in Brooklyn, NY. They have collaborated with Apple, BMW, Google, LEGO, and more. Books they have published include In Limbo (First Second Books, 2023) and The Other Side of Tomorrow, co-created with Tina Cho (Harper Alley, 2024). Their cat Marlie has three teeth.