Breadcrumbs: Coming of Age in Post-Soviet Poland

A moving graphic memoir in the vein of Almost All American Girl and Persepolis, Breadcrumbs is a coming-of-age story set in Poland as the country transitions from communism to capitalism.

In the late 1980s, Poland faces debilitating food shortages, worker discontent, and astronomical inflation. Seemingly overnight, the country transitions from communism to capitalism. During this period of flux, Kasia Babis is born.

In the shadow of national change, Kasia experiences her own journey of growth, from rebellious teen to politically minded activist. She grapples with her country’s deep-rooted Catholicism and forges her own beliefs, leading to her becoming an active part of Poland’s left-wing Razem party. Each new experience is a reminder that broader societal upheavals reverberate on a deeply personal level.

With a deft balance of the intimate and geopolitical, Kasia Babis chronicles her fight to uphold her progressive values while her country heads in the opposite direction. Breadcrumbs is a coming-of-age story--not only of Kasia but of Poland as a modern state.

Kasia Babis is a Polish cartoonist, illustrator, and political activist with an online following of over one hundred thousand fans. Her viral comics succinctly skewer social issues ranging from racism to street harassment with a distinctly feminist perspective.