Dreamer is a graphic memoir following Akim Aliu’s experience with systemic racism during his hockey career on and off the ice as he climbs the hockey leagues’ ranks until he gets to the NHL.
There is nothing easy about reading this book. It doesn’t cut corners when talking about the extent of the racism and abuse Akim and his family members have experienced, which is what makes this memoir so raw. Dreamer is meant for ages 12+ and considers the age of the reader when talking about Akim’s experiences. We, as readers, see (almost) every racist and derogatory statement Akim is subject to over the years at school or on the ice because the derogatory text is censored as if the words were blurred out. This effect protects the reader, and the visual difference in the words impacts how both character and reader experience them—as harsh and cutting.
Readers get a pretty comprehensive understanding of Akim’s life in relation to his family, immigration, and hockey. The beginning moments of his hockey experience felt magical. Readers watch his absolute joy for playing hockey and being great at it, until coaches and teammates degrade his Blackness, which forces him to accept his reality of being an outcast.
This memoir is an important one to tell, especially in its showing of what the hockey experience looks like for someone who is racialized in the hockey world and how the system is built to exclude people and players of those margins, while protecting and upholding the reputations of those who are white by people in power at all levels, like coaches or other players.
The storytelling gives insights into how Akim was feeling about certain encounters in the moment of the event. Dreamer also mitigates the fallibility in human memory by offering fourth wall breaks represented by Akim talking to the viewer and giving his present-day insights. This was an intriguing factor of the story, which took a bit of time to get used to, especially in some scenes where it got confusing where present-day Akim looked too similar to the Akim in the moment in time. The artwork was dynamic, and I enjoyed the way colour was used to translate character emotions during intense scenes. The artstyle is lovely and fits into that graphic novel style I find so visually appealing.
I would recommend this graphic novel to those who love or play hockey, as it directly addresses the presence of systemic racism in the game, which is an important factor to acknowledge as real and problematic in hockey culture. As a lover of graphic memoirs, I would also recommend this book to other comic lovers who want to learn more about some of the workings of hockey culture in the graphic novel format.
Dreamer’s message of perseverance and resilience despite the effects of systemic racism and the glimpse of what progress can look like with Akim founding the Hockey Diversity Alliance, which according to their mission statement is to “create sustainable change on all levels of hockey,” is so important for the next generations of hockey players that belong to those margins who may otherwise be put at a disadvantage due to their race or socioeconomic circumstances.
Credit: Hockey Diversity Alliance
Copyright Akim Aliu.
Order your copy of Dreamer here.
Contact the columnist: raegen.prohockeynews@gmail.com
Greg Anderson Elysée is a Brooklyn-born Haitian American writer, educator, filmmaker, and model. A former journalist for TheOuthousers.com, he ran his own column, (Heard it Thru) The Grivotine, where he showcased independent creators of color and LGBTQ creators. He also wrote for the independent pop culture news website Bleeding Cool.
Karen De La Vega decided to dedicate herself to illustration and comic art. She is always seeking to convey meaningful messages and aesthetics through her art, applying her knowledge in child and adolescent psychology to develop concepts that visually align with the exciting characters, environments, and stories of middle grade and young adult projects. Dreamer is her first published work.
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