Jo: An Adaptation of Little Women (Sort Of)

A graphic novel, modern-day retelling of the classic Little Women, about the four March sisters. In this version, the focus is on Jo, the sister whom many of us read as queer even in the original. Here, she is, and her coming out arc forms a large part of the plot. I somewhat preferred the graphic novel adaptation of the story published in 2019 by Rey Terciero and Bre Indigo, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, which offers more balanced perspectives from each of the sisters (including a queer Jo) and somehow feels like a richer narrative. Beth’s illness, for example, has more of an impact on the family in Terciero and Indigo’s book; here, it never feels like she is really in danger anymore. Their book also shows the family struggling with financial insecurity as in the original, but makes the Marches into a multiracial family, while also gently weaving in some themes of social justice. Jo is a fine book, though, and a coming out story with a sweet romance, which many will likely enjoy—Little Women fans should not hesitate to read them both. One of the reasons the story is so enduring is that it can be retold in many different ways.