Alisa's Tale, a new graphic novel

Alisa’s Tale: A Short Story is a new graphic novel by acclaimed artist Al Davison. The plot is centred on Alisa, a young woman with the restricted growth condition achondroplasia. At the beginning of the book Alisa feels under-confident and isolated from the world. With the help of her father, friends and her own determination she begins to grow in confidence and realises that things aren’t always as they seem. This personal journey is reflected in the way that Alisa’s character is illustrated. Starting in monochrome tones, she gradually changes to become a much more colourful character.

The novel’s title page

The Alisa’s Tale project brought together an artist, a clinical psychologist and 17 teenagers, some of whom had restricted growth conditions. This group took part in two drama workshops and the teenagers generously contributed their life experiences as well as their expectations of healthcare, treatment and medical research, all of which informed the plot of Alisa’s Tale. Nowgen thanks the many people who contributed their time and expertise to this project.

Nowgen aims to distribute the graphic novel widely in order to raise awareness of restricted growth conditions, and to influence healthcare services. More broadly, we hope it will help create a better understanding in society towards people who are different, and help to reduce feelings of isolation for people with restricted growth.

To order a copy of the book, please contact Kate Mathieson at Nowgen. Tel: 0161 276 8943 or kate.mathieson@cmmc.nhs.uk