Tag: book-review

Book Review

books, literature, reading

Books everyone should read

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One great thing that happens when people know you are a reader is they ask for recommendations.  I am always THRILLED to help people find books that they will connect with. As I have mentioned before, my co-workers think it’s funny to keep track of my target numbers, but most times they just chuckle and walk away with their heads shaking.  So this week, I was over the moon when I was asked to help suggest book titles for a teen reader, and then I got THE QUESTION.  What books do you say are the SHOULD BE READ BY EVERYONE?  There are so many lists out there for this type of thing.  Everyone has their own take on the Classics, but each of us come to these stories with life experience and beliefs that change how we react to the story as we read this at different points in our life.  For example – I loved the Little House books.  I have fond memories of these books and how they transported me to a different time and place when I was young.  When I read them aloud to my daughter, however, I realized that the language was much more passive and I was less engaged. It was still fun to watch my daughter be transported, but I was focusing on many different aspects of the story now that I had more life experience to measure it against.

So I approached this question by only looking at the books that I have read – how can I opine on something that I have not actually read?  Then the struggle over a book that I loved, but do I think that everyone should read this?  Most times yes, but not always.  Then I noticed that many of the books I have selected are focused on the struggles of women – such a shock because it is something I relate to!  Are those all required reading for men? Many should be.  So I kept paring down my list – until I reached the smallish number of 103 titles.  Because – why not?

Then I set to describe why I chose the titles.  After doing this, I got down to 64. I kept at it, until, after a number of times walking away, I came to the nice round number of 15.  These are the titles that I currently believe everyone should read, and why.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

An alternative narrative to the matriarchs of the three largest religions in the world, this takes a blank story – the women’s lives are not illuminated in the Bible – and provides a full rich life for them.  Sets the story of our religion on more even ground than without them. Beautifully written, completely believable.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Taking religion on the road, and trying to convert “savages” in their own lands takes a certain amount of arrogance and strength of will. This is the story of a man that has both in large quantities, and he takes his wife and daughters along for the ride.  How he is received by the tribe he is bent to convert, and how the tribe shapes his family’s views, are a revelation in international relations, the folly of those unwilling to learn, as well as human frailty.

Fall of Giants by Ken Follet (one of a trilogy, this first was the best, in my opinion)

This is a novel that takes the intricacies of the world in the early 1900s, and explains very well how the world fell into the Great War, and the cost paid by a generation for the arrogance of men. If we don’t learn from mistakes, we are bound to repeat them.  The facts are so well integrated to the story, you don’t realize how much you are learning while engaged with compelling narrative of well written characters.

Night by Eli Weisel

A first-hand account of surviving the death camps of Adolph Hitler. A slim volume that will paint a picture you will never forget. That is the point – don’t forget.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Set in the middle of WWII, this is an indictment on the absurdity of war. The easily manipulated reality that is discovered when playing with those in charge. Rules are made to be broken, officers to be subverted, all in order to stay alive.

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

In my last title set in war, I believe this is the most compelling and sensitive one I have read on the atrocities of war.  The war here was just as savage as WWII, with ethnic cleansing a goal. You need to know about that to understand the subtleties of the writing. The goal of the cellist, and the lengths that each side will go to either stop or protect him, are an allegory for what each stands for. Never letting go of what makes us human is what will keep us all alive in the long run.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

A story of neglect and forgiveness, this traces how three children find themselves in the gardens of life, and bring to life those around them. The richness of the garden versus the starkness of the house continue to reveal more layers of depth as I grow to see the parallels to people’s lives.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

When a girl shows up at the farm when they wanted a boy, she shows that while bringing different skills, they are just as important to people looking to live a full life.  Dreaming can bring about both calamity and celebration, both which keep you wanting to move forward.

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamara Pierce

With so many action adventures led by boys, it was high time a girl took over the role of Hero.  In this series, launched by this first book, Alanna proves she is just as good, if not better, than the boys in their own games, and she has more to give too.

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris

The story of three Native American women, three generations of a family, and how they each experienced their own lives and challenges to make them connected.  It brings each generation’s story their own voice, while seeing the difference between their reality and other’s impression of what that is.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Shorter then his typical epics, this story is what it says – the same story told from different people’s view. Each time, even though you know how it will end, you expect a different outcome. Fresh and well written, it underlines the reality that the story is in the eyes of the beholder.

The Most Beautiful Book in the World: Eight Novellas by Aric-Emmanuel Schmitt

Eight novellas, each focused on a different view of what is beauty. As with Marquez and Dorris, this is in the eye of the beholder, but this helps open them where you may have overlooked.

Wonder by R.J. Palacia

The story of children and adults that learn the lesson of being open to all – the wonder of life can be shown to you by anyone.

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

With so many of his novels being so good, I chose this one because the lesson is one that the current fame obsessed world should remember.  Be careful what you ask for, it may take you further from where you want to be.

Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence

A reflection on the US at a period in time, this is a fictional telling of the Scopes Monkey Trial.  Thought provoking, still relevant as the struggle between faith and science continues. My favorite quote of all time comes from this:  “God created man, and man returned the favor.”  I used it last week.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Another reflection on the US at a period in time, this a story based upon the actual events in Ferguson. A black man is killed by a white cop. The man was unarmed, stopped at a traffic light. His friend, Starr, was in the car. How the community, police, and family react are all highlighted here with raw emotion and real conflict of doing right by your community while doing right for yourself.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

book-review, books, Family Drama, literature, Middle Eastern, reading

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

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A family is complex in many ways. This is a story of a Muslim couple that came to the US as newlyweds, created a family within their community and sought to pass on the things they felt were important to keeping their children safe and successful within that community.

Told from different family voices, this starts with a daughter’s wedding. Amar, the only son, has been estranged from the family, but you don’t know why at this point. The story goes through the past, with different views of the same situations they have gone through. Starting with Layla, the mother, and then going through each of the children’s stories and reactions, and ending with the father’s. Due to this being a Muslim based family, this is an interesting order.  This puts the voices of women up front first, something that is unexpected due to the typical roles in that society that exist.

THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS TO THE STORY.  PLEASE STOP IF YOU DON”T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE YOU READ IT – AND I SUGGEST YOU LET IT UNFOLD IN THE MANNER IT WAS WRITTEN.

 

 

 

The first story is Layla’s. You learn of the hardships of leaving her country to follow the man her parents selected for her to marry. She portrays herself as someone that was obedient, did as she was told, and kept to the back of the line. She details how she has grown personally, going from being afraid to be close her own drapes when her husband started to travel for work to creating a cohesive unit that functioned well without Rafiq, her husband. She speaks of the tension and fear that the children have of him, and how she kept information from him, especially about Amar. There were references to going to school to be told by the teachers that he was trouble, even held back in school because he wouldn’t do the work. He was stubborn beyond what she had ever seen, and it was worse against Rafiq. He was painting his nails with his sister, and cooking with his mother.  This led me to believe he was gay and the end was going be because his father threw him out.

Haida’s story is about how she had been his best confidant. Amar had always looked to her to help him. She was the smart sister, the protector sister, the one that kept his secrets.  As her story unfolds, however, it is apparent that she was in competition for her father’s attention. She was given her grandfather’s watch – something that should have been passed father to son, as it had to Rafiq. She was marrying in a love match, not an arranged marriage. She did, however, do the full Indian wedding. He was not from the community, but the parents accepted him. This led me to believe that the father was beating Amar, but he probably was not gay.

Huda, the second sister, was the one that could get him do to things. She did keep information from Amar about his secret love, undermining him in different ways.  This led me to believe that there was something going on with Amar.

Amar’s story unfolds with how he was afraid of his father, struggled with his faith. He went against his community by speaking with a girl, falling in love with her. He had been smoking and drinking, but tried to give up this for her. When the girl’s parents find out, they forbid her from seeing him. The pain makes him seek anything that will take the pain away. The girl is at the wedding, and they sneak off to talk. He tells of his drug use, showing the pin prick scars from the needles. She tells Amar that his mother was the one who told her parents. A drunk Amar confronts his mother at the wedding, making a mess. This led me to believe that it was the mother that ruined things, and the father supported her.

Then the father’s story.  The man that everyone was afraid of.  He was orphaned at the age of 16, when his mother died, and only 13 when his father passed away. Rafiq wanted to be a good father, but was open about how many mistakes he made.  He was tough on Amar, hoping to give him the motivation to strive for something to be successful, all within the community and faith he was passing down. It was Rafiq who discovered the drug needles, even though Haida had taken the drugs from him before. It was Rafiq who knew about the love affair, that didn’t put a stop to it because the thought it was good for Amar, even if he knew it would end in heartbreak. Rafiq supported his daughters to being a successful doctor and a successful teacher.  He supported them that Haida selected her own husband, and Huda did also – one from within and one not from their Muslim community. This provides significant context for the family, and the “blame” game shifts significantly to the mother.

As the story kept unfolding, the complexity of who was “at fault” completely turned on its head. Each story justifies each person’s actions and reactions. With family, there is never a clear cut black and white answer to anything. Each action and statement comes with a lifetime of perceptions and experiences from the point of view of the speaker. The underlying faith throughout – that there is one G-d and that G-d is great is always there.  It is that that carries us all through.

This is a story of a family, struggling to know each other’s hearts as they grow to find their own place in the world. Just like any other family in the world.

book-review, books, Holocaust, reading, romance

A good weekend of reading

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With my work deadline met, my dinner club attended, and the laundry almost done, I have been able to catch up on some reading this weekend.  While technically behind my regular pace, I remain above the majority of those that graduate and never read another book.  Can’t say that I have seen the Avengers, or that I have purchased the tickets yet, but you know where my priorities are.

From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon

This is a book about being Jewish during the Second World War in Italy.  The story centers around two people that meet as children, one a boy sent from America because of his one leg, to be a priest. The other is an Italian girl whose family helped the boy and his grandparents. This improbable pair become fast friends, and grow close.  The lack of belief that the Fascists would harm the Jews of Italy mirrors what happened in the rest of Europe, but the underlying negativity and Anti-Semitism of the time is glossed over.  The number of “close calls” and “near misses” are very convenient, as is the theory that the Catholic Church was organized well to save Jews.  I believe the truth of that was how the Pope did not intercede, in life or in fiction, to help them.  As for the improbability of the ending – this was a very Hollywood ending. While it is nice to see something good come from such evil, this is the least believable part of the whole story.

My Ex Life by Stephan McCauley

The story of two formerly married people that, after a brief marriage and decades apart, are brought back together by one’s daughter.  David, a gay man that had married Julia when she found she was pregnant, is contacted in San Francisco by Mandy, Julia’s teenage daughter. Mandy has brought him up to keep her divorcing parents from using her as a pawn against each other. David, who runs a successful(ish) consulting company helping the children of wealthy parents get through the college application process (no bribes here, however).  He comes out to New England to help based upon Mandy’s request, and a need to leave SF as he is losing his rental to a former lover and his new partner.  Julia, who has been taking hits of weed every day for years, is slightly muddled and unfocused about herself and her home, which she loves passionately, but will probably lose in the divorce.  As David sets to straighten up everything (the gay man going straight line here is too obvious), and Julia allows him to take care of her, they fall into a companionable life together, as though time had not passed.  While Mandy acts out on her and her mother’s lack of belief in themselves, David is the one that puts the pieces together and saves the day. But only because each person takes responsibility for their own actions, past and present, to be able to build a new future.

Next up: The Seven Sisters, A Place for Us, and The Alice Network.  Someday I may finish Becoming.  Right now I am bored so I am not wasting my time.

book-review, books, Family Drama, literature, reading

Shelter

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Sometimes things just happen. This winter it has been many things. From a concussed child (cheerleading as a contact sport), a cheating scandal (who knew it is wrong to share views of your work with a “friend”?), family members with a minor stroke, a broken femur, a stay in rehab, monthly shots in the eye(s), and a brand new boss in the mix (first time with a boss in the same country in over 10 years), I have had my fair share. As I look around, however, I see myself still working toward the goals I set when I was much younger, trying to do at least as well as my parents. With college bills coming down the road fast, retirement is nowhere on the horizon.  It is from this place that I began listening to Barbara Kingsolver’s Unsheltered.

This book is a combination of two stories from the same location. We start with Willa, named after the famous author, in her new house that appears to be falling down around her – literally. She receives a call from her son, a brand new father, to say that his partner, Helene had just committed suicide. Their son had been in the bassinet, and was crying like crazy, which is what made Zeke go look in on Helene.  A funeral is made, bags are packed – the house, the car, and the credit card debt all belonged in Helene’s name. Zeke made a pilgrimage to his parent’s home in Vineland with his newborn infant and staggering student debt. He joins his parents, Willa and Yanno, his sister Tig, and Yanno’s father Nick.  Nick is an immigrant from Greece who rails against everyone who is not white or has the same beliefs as he does. He is diabetic, on oxygen, and nearing the end of his life. Yanno had spent years working toward tenure, but never achieving it.  The family had been moving down the rankings at colleges in search of this elusive ticket to a future, security, and an ability to say they succeeded. Tig, who had left the family and come back after a clandestine stay in Cuba, was forever bucking the staunch economic grab of father political scientist and brother economist. She was the scientist that looked at what was there and did not expect more.

In the earlier era, Thatcher brings his wife, sister in law, Polly and their mother back to Vineland after being cast off when their father died and left them penniless in Boston at the mercy of a relative.  Thatcher Goodnow brought them back to the house they loved. That house, designed and built by their father, was falling down around them.  Thatcher, hired as a high school science teacher, was not wealthy, as his wife’s family had been at one time. With the return to the family home, the ladies began to act that way again.  Thatcher saw no way to support these ways, and was fearful he would need to make them leave again.  He was at odds with the school’s principal and the town’s founding father Landry about the theory of evolution.  Thatcher’s neighbor, Mary Treat, was a scientist. She was in contact with Charles Darwin and other prominent scientists of the day.  It was the connection between Thatcher and Mary that helped him understand what was important and what he valued.

This was where things all join.  The two stories are about being open to observing that changes are happening, if you want them to or not. You need to examine what it means, and how you should adapt.  It is those that adapt that will survive.  Do with what you have, enjoy those around you, and know when it is good to retreat.

books, literature, reading

When Giants Fall – Re-examining a favorite author

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Since I read the Nick Adams stories, way back in high school, I have been a fan of Hemingway’s writing. I do admit that I felt a connection, since Horton’s Bay is somewhere I used to walk to on rainy days from my camp on Lake Charlevoix – I had been told that the camp’s property was next to that of Hemingway’s. In college I discovered In Our Times, The Sun Also Rises, and A Farewell to Arms.  He became my favorite writer, and I discovered my father’s favorite too.  I reveled in the crisp, clear sentences, the Code, and the adventure.  Then “people” started questioning why I would like the writing of a sexist man, especially since I am a staunch feminist?  The answer, I found, was as complicated as the author.

In my college years, and many before and after, I clung to the Code that Hemingway had laid out for a Real Man. This code, in my view, is that a person must be strong, embrace life wholly, be open to all possibilities, and always be true to themselves. That meant savoring each bite, drinking the last drop, and being with the person you like right now.  The crazy thing I saw missing from my critic’s view was that in The Sun Also Rises, Brett lived this code perfectly. She did as she pleased regardless of convention. This is why I had loved this book better than the critic’s favorite For Whom the Bell Tolls.  Maria’s passiveness and awakening only with Robert near her seemed simpering to me.

Then I was awakened myself.  I read The Paris Wife, a fictional account of Hemingway’s first marriage. The references to Sherwood Anderson, and others whom were cast off later by “Papa” made me curious.  I took to my father’s bookshelf and snagged Winesberg, Ohio.  Sure enough, the loosely connected stories were crisp and clear, with a code of their own.  Written well before In Our Time.  And I concluded that each of Hemingway’s best works were written when starting a new relationship with a woman that lived his hero’s code better than he did.

Yesterday, when I was reporting my completed reading to my goodreads.com challenge group, I saw that someone was reading Winesberg, Ohio.  After I mentioned that it would make her question Hemingway’s genius, someone shared with me the link to Ellen N. La Motte’s The Backwash of War.  It seems that the model of writing Hemingway laid claim to developing was actually from both Anderson and La Motte.  La Motte’s book has been made available from the Guttenberg Project, and is accessible free of charge from libraries and amazon.  I have just downloaded this, and I am now entering into an uncomfortable place where I need to rethink my reactions to the writing of Hemingway even more deeply. Even if uncomfortable, I will put myself into action (code requirement), be true to myself (code requirement) and decide what I must without looking back (code requirement.)

I will let you know what happens…..

book-review, books, literature, reading

death with a small “d”

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I have been struggling to complete a book, Death with Interruptions by Jose Santiago, that had sounded amazing to me. The description on the dust cover was compelling me to read this book. Yet, whenever I picked up the book, I dreaded moving forward. The story plodded along, the structure was where basic punctuation was not included. Paragraphs were pages long. Dialogue was not distinguished between people. The book lulls you into a state everything is expected, yet nothing is.  It is in this manner that the book discusses how death (with a small d) decides not to work after the New Year begins.

At first, everyone is surprised, happy even, to have beaten death at her own game. They celebrate until they realize the consequences. First the funeral directors, then hospitals and assisted living facilities, Insurance companies and even the church, all struggle to find meaning for themselves in this strange world. Families are left watching those they love suffer indefinitely. They can bear it no longer, and neither can those that suffer. A way to put the balance of life back in order is found. Profiteers abound to take over and the money cycle, just like the life cycle, begins again.  As the country adjusts to a new “normal” death again steps in. A letter, on violet stationary, is received by a minister of government, and the contents are announced on television. Every person going forward will receive a letter one week in advance to allow them to settle affairs. This continues until a letter is returned, not once but twice to death.

As she explores the reasons why this would happen, as never before had death’s call been challenged in such a way, she begins to follow the cellist the card was meant for. She takes human form and presents herself to him. In the end, she stays in his embrace.

The metaphor this provides is overwhelming. The more we change the order of life, the expectations of life, the more the world works to change it back. Yet, at its core, this is a story of a need for connected-ness. How to connect a family instead of tearing it apart with death. How to allow for closure before dying. How to embrace life before letting go.

So glad I finished this. It was just hard to do. Just like life.

skull-reaper-linocut-illustration

book-review, books, literature, reading

Off to a Slow Start

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The polar vortex may only be headed my way right now, but my brain appears to be frozen. While I may seem to be off to a good start of my new reading goals, I am not spending the time doing the actual reading lately. I have all these books checked out of the library, and I have picked them up and opened them, but for some reason I don’t understand, I am struggling to dive in.

My current theory is that the new ice age that seems to be starting is what is paralyzing me.

Not really, but maybe?

Sometimes, even if you are a big reader, you just need some time to be you. I notice that when I dive into a book, just like the water, I become immersed within the people and place. I put the book down reluctantly. The feelings and sensations that are tied to the book come with me – and not everyone around me understands because they had not been on that journey with me only 2 minutes ago, even if I was sitting next to them.

It is in this frame of mind that I listened to Autumn by Ali Smith. This story is a combination of memories and dreams of the main characters. Childhood for Elisabeth was greatly influenced by her neighbor, Daniel. She spent many hours with him as an “unpaid babysitter” after moving in when she was 10. He helps her see the world through new eyes. Each time he greeted her, he asked what she had been reading lately. He also played a game of describing art to her with words. She went on to study art at University and ended up writing her dissertation on the artist’s work that Daniel had described to her as a child. Throughout the story, Elisabeth is sitting by the bed as Daniel is unconscious near the end of his life. As her mother enjoys a newfound life, and Elisabeth is asked to face what her next step is, the concept of what is love is explored – between friends, across ages, regardless of gender. How you approach your life at each stage is important. Knowing what book you are reading – even if you are just thinking about it, opens all sort of new worlds to you. If you only let it.

architecture buildings business city
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book-review, Indigenous American, literature, reading

Stormy weather, here and in books

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It was during this dark week that I finished the book Solar Storm by Linda Hogan. I have needed some time and space to process the horrifying and scary things that have occurred in the last week, as well as to process the complex story that Ms Hogan presents. As in life, this fiction has the roots of the hurt come from centuries of hate, mistrust and misunderstanding. As in fiction, hopefully life will follow; understanding, acceptance and change come next.

This is a multifaceted tale, focusing on generations of family and conflict, centered on the fictitious tribe, now known as The Fat Eaters, but truly known as The Beautiful People.  The tale begins as Angela Jensen, a 17 year old child in the foster care system, returns to stay with relatives she just discovered searching her social services file. It is here she comes to find herself, answers to the questions around the scars that mark her face, and to learn more of whom she comes from. While there she comes to know her family, her history, her gifts, and her strengths. She comes to accept herself, and her ability to adapt to the world that has changed around her, while remaining true to herself.

This book takes time to read and time to process. As the world changes slowly, the tale unfolds, one step backwards in time, then one forward. Just as the river runs on its own pace, so does the story. Similar in voice and pacing to Louise Erdrich, this seems to be a pace that is native to these tribes. Nothing is told outright, all is hinted at. You learn by listening with your heart, and seeing with new eyes.  And when the earth is to be harmed by the building of a dam, change was forced upon them. Outside intervention changes the course of the water, and impacts plants, animals and people in ways never expected.

The dam, while a fictional tale (as noted in the preface from the author) is a story that is based in truth.  In the early 1970s the Hydro-Quebec began development of a dam at James Bay on Cree and Inuit lands without permission. The hunting and fishing grounds that these tribes relied on were flooded, which resulted in mercury poisoning, entering the food chain and directly impacted these tribes.  The forced modernization that was described in the book also happened at this time. This arrogance of the company, and it’s devastating and irreversible impact on the ecosystems and the people who live on it, is shocking in its breadth and destructive power.

As the tribes band together to demand to be heard, we all need to listen. If we would only listen to the water and the earth, maybe we could all find similarities in what we learn instead of differences.  And maybe we can learn to live together in the harmony of the earth and water.

time lapse photo of stars on night
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books, reading

How do you let go of the world you live in and move on? Or How to choose the next book you will read

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Leaving behind a world when you put down a book can be hard.  You have been invested in these people’s lives, and now the story is over – if you want it to be or not.  Sometimes there are other ways to continue (the next book in the series), and sometimes there are not.  Either way, you need to re-enter your own reality, and then decide how to move on.

If you are anything like me, you become fully vested and are impacted by the people we visit in our books.  When I finish a book I need some time to process what I have just experienced and re-enter my own world.  Some books need more processing than others.  A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison, an amazingly written and compelling story about a very difficult topic, left me stunned for days after.  Even now, months later, I am impacted by the story.  Other books do not leave as deep an imprint upon me, and are easier to move on from.

So, how then do we choose our next book?  As always, that depends.  I have been challenged to find the “perfect” answer and have tried different ways, all with hit or miss results.  Here are some of the ways I have tried.

I maintain lists of books that have been recommended to me either directly or from another source, such as Princeton Book Review, Wall Street Journal, and even Buzzfeed Books.  I keep these with information on the book in the list, and see what hits me as interesting at that time.  It was from these sources that I found A Walk Across the Sun.

If you are part of a book group, you can easily use that as the next book to read.  If you finish that one in plenty of time, it can be great to read others by that author or on that topic to have a deeper discussion around the original book.  As a book group facilitator myself, I do this.  My group read Look for Me by Edeet Ravel. I didn’t realize when the book was selected that it was a second one in a trilogy.  I was so captivated by the writing and the mood this book I immediately went to read Ten Thousand Lovers, the first book.

I receive books from friends and family that they think I need to read.  I will pick these up when I have some open time and nothing that I am burning to read.  My mother-in-law keeps trying to give me her old books, but I have read most of them already.  My mother, who is currently a member of 3 book groups, also gives me books and book titles (she is another library user – that is where I got it from.)

I try different websites, and the Goodreads.com recommendations of IF YOU LIKED THIS BOOK YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE…..  all with varying levels of success.

In short, like how you meet new people, you need to just put yourself out there and start the relationship in as many ways as possible, because you never know when you will meet “the one”.

books, reading

Graphic Novels: Complex themes/unorthodox medium – an examination in the similarities of Maus and Persepolis

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This year I have been striving to be open to read different types of books than I normally would.  As part of a book group challenge on Goodreads.com, I started looking for illustrated books for adults.  What I found was so much more than comic books.

As I looked through titles, I noticed Maus, a book I had not heard of before.  My husband, and other East Coasters I spoke with had all read this in high school. I got this from the library (I am attempting to not spend money on a book this year, and our library is so amazing I want to support them), and started reading.  By the time I put the book down later that day, I was already itching to read the second one, which I did the next day.

A month later, my daughter asked me to proofread a paper for school on Persepolis, a graphic novel about the overthrow of the Shah in Iran in the late 1970s.  This time I requested BOTH volumes 1 and 2 at the same time.  That turned out to be a smart move.

In addition to both sets of graphic novels leaving me wanting more, there were striking similarities between these.  Both were autobiographical, dealing with war and oppression.  The dark themes of losing yourself, of exile from home, and of leaving behind pain are shown.  The method of the graphic novel, while making things seem “more casual” actually illuminate the history of two corrupt regimes very well.  Both periods in history show how brutal people can become in the quest for power.  The pictures help make the horrors easier to face.  There are no real faces or photos, creating a barrier for both the reader and the writer to get through the story. Maus goes so far as to depict Jews as mice, Germans as Cats and Poles as pigs, a further statement on the state of humankind.

Underpinning both stories of survival and self-discovery, both books exhibit the traits of survivor’s guilt.  Persepolis’ Marji had been able to escape the ravages of war and oppression as a displaced and lonely teenager in Vienna, but needed to return to her home before realizing she didn’t fit in there, either.  She was ultimately able to leave her country behind, but never her guilt of leaving.  It was only with the second departure that she understood that her mother, while loving her deeply, wanted Marji to live in a world where she could be more than was being allowed in Iran.

Within Maus, the survivorship takes on more layers.  Not only did he exist in the shadow of his dead brother who died in the war as did the majority of the family, but Art survived of his own mother’s suicide.  It was Art’s dealing with this guilt in an underground comic strip that lead him to ask his father’s story – to learn more of his mother.

As noted in Persepolis, it will take generations for the people to truly heal. Both stories show the evils of extremism and intolerance.  If we could all look at the world with the veil over our eyes to see only drawings, maybe we can see the complex truth in the simple lines.