Me, Mikko, and Annikki: A Community Love Story in a Finnish City

Award-winning Finnish graphic novelist Tiitu Takalo tells the compelling story of the fight to save a historic working-class neighborhood from the threat of gentrification and concrete high-rises in her hometown in Finland

Based on a true story, this graphic novel masterfully interweaves the town of Annikki’s rich history, the author’s own love story with her partner, and their role in the community effort to save the neighborhood from demolition. From the formation of the landscape by prehistoric glaciers to the stories of the men and women laborers who once inhabited Annikki, Takalo explores every fascinating corner of this neighborhood she calls home. Featuring Takalo’s luminous full-color art throughout, this story of a historic neighborhood’s preservation is by turns thoughtful, humorous, and inspiring, and it will speak to all those who have been displaced from somewhere they love. The original Finnish text is beautifully translated and edited by Associate Professor Michael Demson and Professor Helena Halmari, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Finnish Studies.