PASSPORT
An unforgettable graphic memoir by debut talent Sophia Glock reveals her discovery as a teenager that her parents are agents working for the CIA.
Young Sophia has lived in so many different countries, she can barely keep count. Stationed now with her family in Central America because of her parents’ work, Sophia feels displaced as an American living abroad, when she has hardly spent any of her life in America.
Everything changes when she reads a letter she was never meant to see and uncovers her parents’ secret. They are not who they say they are.
An unforgettable graphic memoir by debut talent Sophia Glock reveals her discovery as a teenager that her parents are agents working for the CIA.
Young Sophia has lived in so many different countries, she can barely keep count. Stationed now with her family in Central America because of her parents’ work, Sophia feels displaced as an American living abroad, when she has hardly spent any of her life in America.
Everything changes when she reads a letter she was never meant to see and uncovers her parents’ secret. They are not who they say they are. They are working for the CIA. As Sophia tries to make sense of this news, and the web of lies surrounding her, she begins to question everything. The impact that this has on Sophia’s emerging sense of self and understanding of the world makes for a page-turning exploration of lies and double lives.
In the hands of this extraordinary graphic storyteller, this astonishing true story bursts to life.
- Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Hardcover
- November 2021
- 320 Pages
- 9780316458986
Buy the Book
$24.99
About Sophia Glock
Sophia Glock is a cartoonist who lives and draws in Austin, Texas. She attended the College of William & Mary and the School of Visual Arts. Her work has been featured in the New Yorker, Buzzfeed, and Time Out New York. She talks to her sister every day.
Discussion Questions
1. At the beginning of the story, Sophia notes that she hasn’t lived anywhere long enough to “be from there” (page 3). How does the novel discuss the concept of home? How does Sophia’s viewpoint on fitting in change over the course of the story?
2. Sophia doesn’t want to each lunch alone because, “Nothing will happen” (page 56). What does that mean? Why does she want “anything” to happen (page 57)?
3. Why does Sophia want her family to love the play but also wants them to hate it?
4. How does Sophia’s family dynamic change when Julia goes to college? When does Sophia start to feel differently about her role within this dynamic?
5. Sophia writes, “What’s a lie if everyone gets what they want?” (page 93). Why does she use this justification? Do you agree with it?
6. Imagine you were assigned Sophia’s persuasive essay topic: the literary value of comics. How would you defend your stance? How does the graphic novel format enhance Passport as a memoir?
7. Why does Sophia’s mother tell her she doesn’t have any friends where they live (page 228)? What does she mean by that?
8. When Sophia’s parents tell her their secret, she reacts positively and logically but her father mentions that not all children react well. How do you think you would react? Can you relate to finding out a large secret?
9. Despite her elaborate plans to sneak out of her house while grounded, Sophia decides against it. Why?
10. The novel ends with Sophia starting over again. Sometimes starting over is a good thing, but do you think Sophia feels that way? Why or why not?
11. In the author’s note, Sophia says, “Secrets are sticky.” What does she mean by that? How is that reflected in the story?