Sís used maps, cartoon caricatures of Russian leaders, timelines, photographs of himself and his drawings, black and white panels with sprinkles of red, journal entries from his diary growing up, and a cartoon style to tell the story of his life behind the Iron Curtain.
Each page tells a different part of his story in a different way. Sís saved full color for the joyous, exciting part of his life in 1968:
 |
| https://i0.wp.com/thispicturebooklife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Screen-Shot-2014-02-26-at-11.00.36-AM.png |
But besides all of the amazing ways that Sís found to tell and illustrate this story, there's the story itself. Written in the third person, Sís shows what it was like growing up an artist (and teenage free thinker and music lover) in Prague under communist control.
He writes of himself as a teenager, "He was painting dreams...and then nightmares. The dreams could be kept to himself, but the drawings could be used against him. He stopped drawing and was left with only his dreams. But he had to draw. Sharing the dreams gave him hope."
Not only is this thin book an amazing pictorial tutorial about life during the Cold War and how the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 led to the collapse of the Communist system, but it shows the pernicious effects of brainwashing--something I plan to tackle in NIGHTMARE IN NUREMBERG.
By the way, the wall came down only a little over thirty years ago. Hard to believe, isn't it?
For more great middle-grade book reviews, make sure you stop by Greg Pattridge's ALWAYS IN THE MIDDLE blog.
12 comments:
I don't read graphic novels but this sounds like one I'd like. Thanks for sharing it with us this week.
Pair THE WALL by Peter Sis with L. M. Elliott's MG novel WALLS. Great review!
Thanks Beth, I'll have to check WALLS out. And Natalie, I didn't use to read graphic novels--but have learned to appreciate them! Thanks for stopping by.
This sounds a fascinating insight into life under communist rule, and definitely one for older children and adults. These true life stories are so interesting, and I haven't read one by someone growing up in Prague. I love how he bursts into colour for the happy part of his life (I guess when he left Prague?). Thanks for sharing!
Actually, he was still in Prague at that point, if I remember her correctly. Thanks for your comment, Valinora
What an interesting and effective way to convey this story. I'm going to look for this one on my next library trip. Thanks for being a part of this pre-4th of July holiday edition of MMGM.
Thanks, Greg. You'll be impressed!
Wow! This sounds so interesting. I need to check it out.
Very informative and very well done, Gail.
What an interesting graphic novel, and personal story.
It is, Brenda! Thanks for dropping by.
I don't read many graphic novels, but I already put this on hold at my library while reading your review. Thanks for the heads up.
Post a Comment