Interview: ‘I Run To Make My Heart Beat’ Offers A Biracial Story Of Nuance And Unity

Representation in stories means allowing a variety of voices to share their perspectives that others like them can relate to. As someone of mixed race myself, I Run To Make My Heart Beat caught my attention, and I jumped at the chance to interview the writer Rachel Khan.

Published through FairSquare Comics, this graphic novel is an adaptation of Khan’s debut novel Les Grandes et les Petites Choses (The Big And the Small Things) from 2016. On her need to convey this story as a biracial French woman, Khan told me “As an ‘Afroyiddish,’ as I like to define myself, I needed to convey this universal story. How the big story of the world gave birth to my little story. This is also the title of this book in French ‘Les Grandes et les Petites Choses.’”

Having told her story once already, Khan was drawn to the idea of telling it again in a more graphic nature. Explaining her reasons for this second adaptation, Khan said “It’s the art. The visual impact of it. Aude Massot, the artist, did a brilliant job adapting and translating my story for the medium. I wanted the graphic novel to go straight to the point compared to the novel. Also, I wanted to create a contrast between the pain, the ruthless History of the World, and this coming-of-age story. And I wanted very soft and soothing colors, which Aude was able to provide.”

Telling our personal stories, especially in a format that will be seen by multitudes of others, isn’t always easy. Sharing it a second time though was something Khan said came with its own emotions. “The original novel was the first book I’ve ever written, so the emotion was strong. But this time, I had more distance. I believe that adding art provided a shield, a distance. Especially when the art is as soft and warm as Aude’s. It’s still an emotional story, but in a different way. And it sparks more immediate feedback from readers of any age.”

Stories about adolescence have always been of particular interest to the masses, connecting in greater ways than some other types of writing. As for why that might be, Khan said, “Adolescence is a painful moment in life. A mutation. A time when we question ourselves, when we realize things. It is also a moment when we are lost but we find keys to our future, and the right kind of support to stay on course.”

Regarding this notion Khan said that with this book she “sought to offer comfort to our young people in this inner revolution that they’re going through” and to “tell them that what they feel is a difficult, but necessary, passage towards their future selves. It is an initiatory work.”

In that vein, there was a particular feeling or thought that Khan hopes readers will take away from her story. “On the grand scheme of things, wherever we come from, whatever our origins, we all share the same history. The Human History. Unfortunately, we’re also intolerant and we must work on that, correct ourselves. And above all, the important thing in life, despite the pitfalls, the hatred coming from all sides, the important thing is to move forward in our own story. To overcome the traumas. To be resilient. The idea of revenge does not help. Division does not grant any emancipation, either individual or collective. Unity and tolerance do.”

These messages and Khan’s story reach a kind of perfect energy when combined with the artwork that Aude provides. Their collaboration is the key to how this works and is something that Khan said happened quickly. Connected through Nathan Editions, the original French publisher, Khan said that they “understood each other from day one.”

Massot offered her own words on the duo’s work together. “Nathan Editions contacted me and offered to adapt Rachel’s novel into a comic strip. So I first read ‘Les Grandes et les Petites Choses’ and wondered if there was material to make a good comic strip out of it. Rachel’s writing is very visual, this is this very endearing heroine, Nina, to whom I gave a cartoon look, and there is also the world of sport, the city of Paris, the mixed family who were very inspiring to make drawings.”

On whether working on such a personal story was challenging from an artistic perspective, Massot said “I was touched by Rachel’s story, which was already emotionally strong, which is a good point for making a universal story. Then there was also a lot of humor in the tone and that was great material for transposition into a comic strip. The characters therefore flowed naturally from my pencil and it was very pleasant to stage.”

As our interview wrapped up, I asked Khan if there was anything more she wanted to share with our readers. She took the chance to speak her truth once more.

“It’s been a pleasure. I just want to add something: In a time of divisions between Black and White, between Muslims and Jews, between athletes and intellectuals, between the rich and the more modest, this story is here to provide comfort. To mend hearts, to bring us together. It’s a story of nuances and unity.”

Additionally, she offered a bit about just where this story, her story, is headed next. “Now, I also have to tell you that I’m in talks to adapt this story for the cinema,” Khan said. “We are working on the script and I can’t wait to see Nina break her records on the big screen!”

As someone who was enthralled by this story, I cannot wait to see that either. I want to once more give thanks to Khan and Massot for taking the time to speak with me about their story.

I Run To Make My Heart Beat will be released by FairSquare Comics on February 27th.