Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey Paperback – November 17, 2015

I loved this book. It reminded me Persepolis. It is a very nice quick read. It is mostly about growing up in Turkey but there are also a lot of content which is universal like following your dreams, going up aginst the tide, being bullied, being different, etc. I think this would be a great read for all ages specifically teenagers. It also provides great insight for tiger parents or other parents alike who might want to think twice before forcing their kids to make certain choices. After all of her struggles, it is very comforting to know that the author at the end followed her dreams and pursued her passion. The artwork and the drawings are also very original and pleasing. Big kudos to the author.

"Dare to Disappoint" is a captivating memoir of a girl's journey to self acceptance. Raised in war-torn Turkey, Özge seeks to meet the expectations of her parents and her country. This graphic novel is charming read that discusses the difficulties of coming of age, and growing up in a militaristic country. The author provides an accurate account of life in Turkey during the 1980's. While I expected it to be a heavy story, I was pleasantly encaptured by the lightness and quirkiness of Özge. The illustrations are whimsical and add a level of depth to this true story. I would recommend this book for middle to high school age students, but anyone could enjoy this self-searching, gripping story.

I love this book! As a Turkish person living in the US, Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey is a fantastic gift for my friends who are curious about my home country and culture. The book is not only informative but also has a great sense of humor. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand what it’s like to grow up in Turkey.

I loved the the rush of childhood and teenage year memories the beautiful illustrations brought. I, too, grew in Izmir, Turkey in the same time as Ozge and I was in awe as I noticed the similarities. Growing up in Turkey, in Izmir, our experiences were alike in many respects and looking back through her lens was such a fun, heartwarming, at times emotionally tense journey. I applaud her persistence and I hope she publishes many more books; she is truly talented!

"Dare to Disappoint" was assigned to me in a college level course and it was a book I actually enjoyed reading for school! I found myself reading ahead of the assigned pages because I was fully immersed in Özge's world. Not only were the illustrations beautiful but the memoir was incredibly relatable. Readers follow Özge throughout her adolescence and she has some big decisions while numerous outside variables are affecting her choice. The graphic memoir is also educational in the way that it touches on some of Turkey's history as well! I believe this novel is a great one to read independently because it is an addictive read but it could also find a home in a classroom because it also provides somewhat of a history lesson!

Drawn from the kaleidoscope of her personal experiences tied to the larger cultural and political structures of the last quarter of the 20th century Turkey, the book is a fine example of comic storytelling. The amount of detail work on illustrations is noteworthy.On the personal side, I let my 10-year old read the book (minus a few age inappropriate content ') and I think it helped her understand my upbringing and her heritage better. A few other kids of our book club members read the book as well; all with mostly positive points of view. Emboldened by these observations, it is this reviewer’s humble recommendation for the author to venture into children’s books segment.

Beautiful graphics. I love how she was able to express her emotions in graphics. Great story. Inspiring. Very sweet how she could remember very cute details of her childhood. Informative of a different culture. Great book for adults and teenagers alike. Highly recommend it.

The book is a random collection of things that happened during the author’s childhood. Nothing insightful or special.

"Dare to Disapprove by Özge Samancı is a compelling graphic memoir that takes readers on a deeply personal journey of the author's quest for self-actualization while navigating the difficult balance between individual goals and the pressures of family and society.It resonates closely with the experiences of the author's peers, including myself. Together, we endured the rigid educational framework in Turkey that followed the coup of the 1980s - with lasting scars, though some of us managed to persevere through good times and bad.This book, however, reveals a truth: that the toll of the system was not selective, but affected even the easiest and most successful among us. Those who seemed to be thriving, and even those with a passion for learning, were not immune to its effects.I find this memoir particularly remarkable for its frank and raw portrayal of our shared experience. I would urge anyone who is curious about the driving forces behind our generation, the realities of life, and the nature of expectations of Turkey to read this book.Özge Samancı's honesty and the raw power of her narrative will leave you in awe. As will the drawings. I cannot believe how much essence she has captured in the design, the sentences and the rich images that go with them.

A story of hope, despair, double standards and dreams. A story of growing up, a story of wanting to always remain a child, a story of a country and a generation. I loved this

This is a wonderful book: amusing, insightful, charmingly honest and heart-warmingly uplifting. It will inevitably have a special resonance for those are interested in Turkey but it also works as a delightful coming of age story -- a tale of self-discovery about daring not just to risk disappointing others' expectations but to follow one's own dreams. To be honest, I was initially sceptical about the format, particularly about whether Samanci could sustain a narrative that would be both entertaining and say something meaningful. But I was wrong. Not only did I have great difficulty putting the book down (I read it in two sessions on successive days) but, when I got to the end, I was left wondering how she could have said what she wanted to say in any other way. As I said above, this is a simply wonderful book.

Ozge Samanci dar pinceladas de su niñez y juventud como hija de dos funcionarios en Izmir, Turquía, y como hace todo lo que está en su mano para que se cumplan las expectativas que tienen sus padres de ella. No quiero conar más de la historia, pero tanto el estilo de dibujo es muy bonito y la historia acerca más las vivencias de la clase media durante los años 80 y 90 en Turquía. Me hubiera gustado que hubiera sido más largo y detallado, pero aún así me ha encantado. Lo recomiendo mucho y espero que se traduzca al castellano.

Great graphic book, I recommend it to everyone who attended a school in Turkey or passed through somehow. Big thanks to Ozge.