Catherine's War

Catherine's War is a survival story. It takes place at the Sevres Children's Home outside of Paris. The main character, Rachel Cohen, discovers a passion for photography while staying at Sevres.  She has not heard from her parents in months and does not worry about Hitler's war. With her camera she captures in image everything she loves. When the German Army closes in on Paris, Rachel has to change her name and go into hiding.  As Catherine Colin, Rachel has to say goodbye to all of her friends and leave Sevres for safety elsewhere. With her camera, though, she bears witness to her own journey, including the countless people who helped her and other hidden children during WWII.  The story is based upon the author's mother who was a hidden child during the war.

I loved this book.  While the subject matter is sobering, it is light reading because the story is told through the eyes of a child.  Children have a way of just being kids during tough times.  The seriousness of the times, though, is reflected in dialogue among the adult characters.  I enjoyed reading about Catherine's self education on how to take a great photograph.  The reader learns about photographic methods in the fun, easy style of a graphic novel.  Having read a few photography books in my day, I can honestly say that Catherine's War would have been a better introduction to the craft than some of the beginner books that I read.

The history of the hidden children during WWII is not well known. This book was my first introduction to their story and I am glad that I now know a bit about what they went through.  5 out of 5 stars.

Arab of the Future 3

Riad Sattouf has recently published part 3 of his series about growing up in the Middle East. It only covers 2 years of his life; from 1985 through 1987. Riad has a French Christian mother, Clementine, and a Lebanese father who teaches at a Syrian university. Together with his younger brother Yahya they live in the countryside village of Ter Maaleh where there are many deprivations of life. The power frequently goes out, there are no traditional grocery stores and many foods are scarce.

Riad is now 7 and continues to struggle with fitting in. Because he is blonde like his mother Riad is frequently accused of being Jewish. He and his best friend Saleem are star pupils and are never in trouble with the teacher. However, they incur the wrath of other students who regularly get caned by the teacher. They still manage to have a good time in an increasingly cruel society run by Bashir Al-Asad. His parents frequently fight as Clementine demands they either move to a large city in Syria or back to France where she is from. His father struggles with his lack of religious piety, something that his mother demands from him, including a demand that Riad be circumcised like all Muslim boys. Success always seems right around the corner for this family. With interesting relatives that make great secondary characters Sattouf has another hit with this graphic memoir.

As with the earlier two novels, the artwork consists of line drawings with a color scheme based on where the family is located during a scene. The drawings are colored pink when they are in Syria and blue when they are in France. Since most of the story takes place in Syria, this book is primarily colored in pink.

I have looked forward to getting this book since part 2 was published.  It was a long wait but well worth it. Now I have to wait for part 4!

Berlin

Jason Lutes' historical graphic novel Berlin is a masterpiece. It tells the story of the fall of the Weimar Republic and the rise of the Nazi Party during the years 1928 through 1933. It was originally serialized in 22 issues over 2 decades but it was published in one volume by Canadian publisher Drawn and Quarterly in September, 2018.

The story opens with Marthe Muller arriving in Berlin on a train where she has met Berlin journalist Kurt Severing. Muller has come to Berlin to take art classes and is mourning the loss of her brother in World War 1. Many of the scenes in the book show both of them throughout their days with the people they meet and live with. The Braun family is also prominent. They are a working class family struggling to make ends meet. Another family prominent in the book is a Jewish family adapting to the political environment.

The city of Berlin is actually the protagonist of the story. Both its luxuriousness and poverty are shown. The author has scenes depicting lavish salons, severely disabled homeless veterans, automobiles for the rich, crumbling buildings, and elaborate train stations. He also uses characters to show that it was a city of intellectualism with a loose sexual culture before it fell into decline.

While the main characters are interesting, there are many secondary characters that tell a major part of the city's story. Some of them you may only see in one scene but they reflect the views of people in a changing society who don't really care for change whether it be political or technological. Other secondary characters are members of political groups fighting for change.

The artwork consists of intricately detailed black and white drawings set in a traditional comic book page spread. Every couple of pages there is a full page drawing so detailed that I think it could be colored in with watercolors in the same way that urban sketchers work. Even the drawings without dialogue say a lot because the faces within them are so expressive.

Berlin is truly a masterpiece. It is an epic historical novel in 575 pages. I highly recommend it.

Mozart in Paris

This graphic biography covers the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart during the six months he lived in Paris with his mother when he was 22. While there, he worried alot about his father's expectations for him. Mozart taught piano, slept around and composed. He socialized with the wealthiest Parisians with hopes that he would receive commissions for musical scores. Of course, he was able to get some jobs but was disappointed with his reception by the Parisians. They preferred a different style of music.

There was something awkward about the writing and I can't put my finger on it. It made me lose interest quickly but I continued reading. It was originally written in French so perhaps there is a translation issue.  The drawings were unusual compared to other graphic novels that I have read. I was not able to find any information about the style of the drawings used and feel clueless here.

It is normally impossible for me to not like a graphic novel. However, this one did not click with me. 2 out of 5 stars.

Wicked Things

Wicked Things 1 and 2 is the story of teen sleuth Charlotte Grote.  It was written by John Allison of Giant Days fame.  Part 3 will be published on July 22, 2020 and I can't wait.  This is a humorous comic where the tables are turned on Grote as the child detective becomes the suspect in a homicide.

The story opens with Grote planning to leave home for college.  While going through her belongings Grote discovers that she was nominated in National Solver Magazine for Teen Detective of the Year for ages 16 through 18.  After traveling to London's Savoy Hotel where the festivities are being held, Grote attends a party for the nominees.  There she is invited to a private dinner with her toughest competitor, Kendo Miyamoto, whom she is enamored with.  However, after entering his room Grote finds his dead body.  She is assumed to be the killer because she was the person who found him.

I chuckled at the artwork that detailed the physical attributes all women try to hide, i.e., wide hips, stomach rolls and big thighs.  It made me think that a woman did the illustration of the book but I was wrong.  Max Sarin is the penciller and Whitney Cogar is the colorist.  Sarin previously worked with the author on Giant Days.

Wicked Things is the perfect murder mystery book but written in graphic novel format.  It has all of the elements of a classic mystery and with its colorful drawings the book is a fun, fast read.  I highly recommend it.  5 out of 5 stars.

After the Spring

After the Spring, a Story of Tunisian Youth was created by Helene Aldeguer. It shows the disillusionment of young people in Tunisia after the 2011 Arab Spring. The back cover blurb summarizes the story:

"Two years after the 'Jasmine Revolution' Tunisia is unstable and facing economic hardship. Saif, Aziz, Meriem, and Chayma are among those who feel abandoned by the developing turmoil surrounding the government. Saif goes to college but worries about his younger brothers; Aziz struggles to find steady employment, hoping to gain approval from Meriem's family, while Meriem attends law school; and Chayma, after watching a man set himself on fire, considers emigration to France. As the situation becomes more serious and calls to activism in the streets get louder, each must consider in what direction their future lies."

I had this book on my wish list for six months waiting for its publication. When it finally arrived in the mail I couldn't wait to read it. However, it was not that exciting of a read. It was a quick read, but it was a little boring. The author was true to the historical facts in Tunisia but her characters were flat as was the dialogue. I have read many similar comics about war torn countries that were engaging with fully developed characters. After the Spring did not meet my expectations.

The artwork was done in black and white drawings on traditional comic book strips. With the color black being used to fill in many of the subjects drawn, the book's graphic appeal was rather dark. Personally, I like plenty of color but am not opposed to black and white drawings in general. These just seemed too dark for my taste.

3 out of 5 stars.

Becoming RBG

Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Journey to Justice is the biography of U. S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  It covers her life from birth to the present day.  It was written for middle schoolers who might not be familiar with the judicial system.  Terms such as "federal government" are explained as well as what famous politicians such as McCarthy were known for.  Author Debby Levy goes into detail on the cases that RBG brought in to the courts that advanced women's rights while she was a practicing attorney.  Levy also gives details on cases that RBG decided while she was a federal district court judge.  RBG's plan to advance civil rights step by step is shown in both her life as an attorney, district court judges as well as while  she has been on the Supreme Court.

I found the book engaging.  I read it in one sitting and even enjoyed the illustrations drawn by Whitney Gardner.  Initially, I was surprised at the detail RBG's court cases were given.  However, I quickly realized that any book on RBG would have to explain why she tried certain cases over others and what she hoped to accomplish with each legal opinion that was written on her cases.  RBG's life can only be told by examining her work.  The need for women to work is something that her mother instilled in her when she was a child. She has carried her mother's work ethic with her throughout her life.

I definitely recommend this book for female readers young and old.  As the old saying goes, "we've come a long way baby" and we have RBG to thank for that progress.  5 out of 5 stars!

Paying the Land

Paying the Land is a phrase that means to offer something to the land.  It is also the title of Joe Sacco's newest graphic novel on the history of the indigenous tribes of Canada's Northwest Territories during the twentieth-century.  The Canadian government pursued a policy of taking the Indian out of the child by sending young children to residential schools far from their homes for ten months of every year.  This is also a story concerning extracting oil from native lands at their expense.  By convincing tribes to accept money or modern conveniences they became less dependent on their natural environment and more dependent on the government for survival.

Sacco traveled to northern Canada to interview members of the Deni tribe, a First Nations tribe who primarily live in the Northwest Territories.  He wanted to find out why they were disengaged from their culture.  Fracking is the main issue addressed in the book.  It has divided the tribe.  While it brings jobs and money, fracking destroys the environment.  Another issue is alcoholism and drug addiction.  Those tribe members who attended the residential schools no longer fit in with their families or tribe anymore.  The result is excessive drinking and an increased death rate from it.

Paying the Land is another great graphic novel from Joe Sacco.  5 out of 5 stars.

March: Book Three

The final book in the March series won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2016.  As with Books 1 and 2 it was written by GA Congressman John Lewis and it is about the civil rights movement of the 1960s.  Book 3 covers the period of time from September, 1963 when 4 girls were killed in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL to August, 1965 when the Voting Rights Act was signed into law.

The danger that has surrounded the marchers since the beginning of the movement gets pretty violent in book 3, violent enough to get the nation's attention.

The book opens with African American citizens being asked to count the correct number of jelly beans in a jar or the number of bubbles in a bar of soap in order to be eligible to register to vote.  Many voter registrars required literacy tests be taken by only African American applicants.  If they were able to pass these tests and actually get registered to vote their names were printed in the newspaper which made them targets for violence and to be fired by their employers.

There was some nasty politics between the movement and President Johnson who wanted total control over the movement so that he could have his moment being nominated by his party for president as well as trying to get votes in Congress for a voting rights act.  In the end, the Act was passed by Congress and signed into law.

The March books are incredibly powerful graphic novels.  They present the civil rights movement with extraordinary storytelling. While the movement began the year I was born, I remember watching many of these events unfold on tv when I was a child.  The book is just as gripping as watching the events as they happened.  Congressman Lewis did a great job at capturing the spirit of the times, a story he told from his memory.

More than highly recommended!

Drawing the Vote

 

Tommy Jenkins has written an informative graphic novel with the history of voting and voting rights in the United States.  Voting rights issues have been debated by Congress since the Continental Congress era, even before the passage of our Constitution.  Originally, only white male land owners were allowed to vote.  Now we are fighting to keep the rights that were previously granted by earlier generations.  Much of the book is about the Trump era, the suffragette era and the civil rights era of the 1960s.  It is a sad judgment on my country.

The artwork was done by Kati Lacker.  She primarily used blue tones in her drawings but there are also red drawings.  Is there a red, white and blue theme here?  Drawing the Vote is Lacker's first graphic novel.

The book is well suited for young readers.  It gives the history of a topic that is current in our politics and is told in an easy to understand way.  Adults would likewise benefit.  5 out of 5 stars.

March: Book Two

The 2nd book in Congressman John Lewis's trilogy on the civil rights movement focuses on the period of time from November, 1960 to August 28, 1963 when Dr. Martin Luther King made his famous "I Have a Dream" at the March on Washington, DC.  Rep. Lewis also spoke at that event.  As with Book 1, the story alternated between the 1960s and the Obama inauguration.

Book 2 did not seem to me to be as dramatic as Book 1.  However, some pretty dramatic events took place here.  The Freedom Rides, the killing of 3 Freedom Riders by law enforcement officers/KKK and the beginning of the push for a Voting Rights Act are depicted.  For the uninitiated the freedom rides were organized to protest a U.S. Supreme Court opinion in Boynton vs. Virginia where segregation on buses was upheld by the Court.

I am looking forward to reading Book 3 which won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2016.

March: Book One

Georgia Congressman John Lewis wrote this book in 2013 with one of his staffers Andrew Aydin.  Nate Powell was the illustrator.  The book presents the beginning of Lewis's life as well as the beginning of the civil rights movement in the U. S.

Lewis grew up in Troy, Alabama hoping to be a preacher.  A trip one summer with an uncle to visit relatives in Ohio opened his eyes to the inequalities between the white and black races in the American South.  He was shocked to find his Ohio relatives living in a home in between 2 white families.  When he returned home he had some trouble concentrating on his studies and in his free time was pouring over newspapers and listening to radio reports.  It was on one of these radio stations that he first heard a sermon by MLK, Jr. that hit him like a bolt of lightening.  MLK had applied the principles of the church to what was happening in the world at that time.  It was called the social gospel.

Lewis wanted to attend Troy State University near his home but blacks were not admitted there.  He wrote MLK about it and after being invited to meet with him, Lewis traveled to meet MLK where they discussed his parents  suing the school on his behalf because he was a minor.  His parents declined due to the threats and terror the family and neighbors would have to endure if they sued.

After beginning college Lewis participated in sit-ins at lunch counters in Nashville, TN. At first the sit-ins involved  a group of blacks entering a white only store and asking to be served. They would leave when told that colored people were not served there. Later the group decided to not leave until they were arrested upon which another group took their place. The groups prepared themselves for abuse to be heaped upon them by practising being "insulted" by white people.  They wanted to be able to handle the abuse with dignity.

Folks.  This is history being told in an easy way for the younger generation to learn about how the civil rights movement got started.  Whoever came up with the idea to write this as a graphic novel is a genius.  No kid wants to read a political tome but a comic is another story.

I personally met John Lewis at a fundraiser that an attorney I worked for in Atlanta sponsored for him at the law firm we worked at during his campaign for his first term in Congress. I was quite impressed with Mr. Lewis.  He was incredibly grateful for the opportunity to speak at our firm.  I had never met a grateful politician before, and none since, and I have now been in politics for 42 years. He had something inside him that was compelling to me.  I now know that I recognized a moral rectitude in him.  He is truly a national treasure.

I already have purchased books 2 and 3 in the March series and will be reading them next.

Something New

I have followed Lucy Knisley for several years.  Something New:  Tales of a Makeshift Bride is about Knisley's engagement and marriage to her longtime boyfriend John.  It is a humorous look into the world of all things bridal, illustrated with colorful comic strips by Knisley herself.

As an artist Knisley wanted a DIY wedding that reflected her and John's personality.  Her mother is a retired caterer who insisted that she not only get married at home but that her mother would build a barn on her property to hold the festivities in.  Knisley and her mother had built many things together over the years and both of them thought that the barn would be easy to accomplish.  It wasn't.  Nor were all of the decisions that needed to be made on items such as linens, dresses, decor and music.  Mom basically got her way though.

Something New is a funny graphic memoir and I enjoyed the author's journey to adulthood.  It is especially recommended for newly engaged women.   5 out of 5 stars.

Brazen

Penelope Bagieu's graphic novel Brazen is subtitled Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World. It contains 30 short biographies of women who challenged the norms of their eras and made changes to society.  As a feminist, I could not help but love this book.

With the exception of Wu Zetian, Nellie Bly, Josephine Baker, Hedy Lamarr and Mae Jamison I had not heard of any of  these women. One in particular surprised me. Agnodice was a female gynecologist in the B. C. era. I didn't know there were gynecologists back then let alone women gynecologists.  She had to masquerade as a man to practice because prior women gynecologists were accused of performing abortions and women were then outlawed from working in that profession. Some things never change do they?

Be prepared to be inspired to dream big and learn how to persevere to reach those dreams of you read Brazen. I recommend this book as a must read for all girls for this reason.  Us older gals like myself could use a good dose of inspiration to either keep us on track or be inspired to find another path as a few of the rebel ladies did.

The artwork is done in a traditional comic book page layout using primarily colored layouts but occasionally black and white drawings. What strikes me about the drawings is how well the author captures women's emotions on their faces.  When a rebel lady gets treated badly or gets bad news, the author has drawn the perfect expression on her face.

Highly, highly recommended!