What a gorgeous graphic novel about a Vietnamese refugee family’s experience living through the First Indochina War and the Vietnam War, finally leadiWhat a gorgeous graphic novel about a Vietnamese refugee family’s experience living through the First Indochina War and the Vietnam War, finally leading to their escape by boat to a Malaysian refugee camp followed by their admission to the United States. Reading this, I was strongly reminded of both Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel (most likely because of Bui’s focus on both of her parents and their unique relationships with her, as well as of course the graphic novel format) and The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir by Kao Kalia Yang (a memoir about a family who fled to a refugee camp in Thailand in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and then immigrated to the United States, with the notable difference that the Yang family is Hmong, an ethnic minority who helped the American forces and faced genocide at the hands of the Vietnamese after the war).
I see at least one prominent review that suggests unspoken privileges make the descriptions of poverty in this book questionable, but I think this is unfair; Bui is very clear about her family’s privileges (especially on her mother’s side). Once the tables turn under communism, this is a liability rather than an advantage. I believe Bui’s depiction of the hardships the family suffered.
This is a great book for getting a different perspective on the Vietnam War and the history of the region, including some of the nuances of French colonialism (for example, it’s the first time I’ve read a book that covered the First Indochina War in addition to the Vietnam War). There are some great parts about birth and mothering (e.g. the difficulties of breastfeeding for the first time) including the shadows (evoked beautifully in the art) that haunt Bui as the daughter of refugees and how this connects to the way she was raised, as well as her own worries about passing down trauma to her child. Especially in light of the current crack-down on immigration in the United States, I hope this impressive and touching memoir about one way of being American is widely read and celebrated....more
I wasn’t really sure what to make of this book for a while. I found it beautifully evocative, but also difficult to read since (for me) there was too I wasn’t really sure what to make of this book for a while. I found it beautifully evocative, but also difficult to read since (for me) there was too much sex including bestiality, incest and sex with minors, all presented in a somewhat matter-of-fact and also braggadocious manner. At first I didn’t believe Arenas’s claims about his exploits (5,000 sexual encounters before the 70’s?), but I recently learned about a CDC study of homosexual men with AIDs from the 80’s that gave numbers that were roughly consistent with this; the average total number of sexual partners of men participating in the study was around 1,000. So I’m more ready to accept this as just being well outside my own personal experience. For others who are bothered by the explicitness, do note that the second half contains less sex but more graphic details of murder and brutality.
I appreciated the book most for its vivid descriptions of poverty and oppression in communist Cuba. Under Fidel Castro's regime, homosexuals were discriminated against and sent to concentration camps. You couldn’t trust “friends” since they were often informers, a textbook psychological tactic used by authoritarian regimes (and familiar to me from readings about North Korea). There was massive censorship; it's really amazing how Arenas persevered as a writer in the face of this, risking imprisonment and rewriting entire novels multiple times after they were captured by censors.
After Arenas escaped as part of a mass emigration of Cubans by boat, he came to New York via Miami. He shares his critiques of both capitalism and the left in the US, and also describes the uprootedness he feels as an exile. Sadly, Arenas eventually became sick with AIDs and committed suicide; he wrote this memoir on his deathbed.
Before Night Falls is not an easy read. In addition to all the troubling and graphic content, many of the descriptions are misogynistic, there are offensive descriptions of “fairies” or feminine gay men, and Arenas often describes people only by the color of their skin. Furthermore, it was a bit hard to keep track of the numerous characters and follow the fragmented style. All this notwithstanding, the memoir succeeds at painting a striking and valuable image of life as a homosexual writer who was censored and persecuted in communist Cuba....more
A very unique graphic novel (Lomasko calls her work “graphic reportage”) that gives a voice to the downtrodden in Putin’s Russia through art. We meet A very unique graphic novel (Lomasko calls her work “graphic reportage”) that gives a voice to the downtrodden in Putin’s Russia through art. We meet enslaved women lured from Kazakhstan under a false promise of work, sex workers, juvenile delinquents taking art classes in prison, children of ethnic minority migrant workers in rural schools that are pressed for resources, and LGBT Russians putting on queer film festivals amidst bomb threats. The second part of the book focuses on recent activism in Russia during the years 2008 to 2016, from Pussy Riot to protests surrounding Putin’s re-election, truckers pushing back against steep tolls to locals who don’t want their parks converted into Orthodox churches. Lomasko documents several trials of activists, and this was quite eye-opening; the women in the band Pussy Riot, for example, faced years of jail time for "hooliganism" and "inciting religious hatred" after publicly speaking out against the president. I also found it interesting how some activists were suspicious of all parties and emphasized that they wanted to avoid “politics” and stick to a single issue.
The book’s format is a bit different than other graphic novels I’ve read. There is mostly one drawing per page which is accompanied by large chunks of text, and some drawings are more sketchy than others, since Lomasko makes a point of drawing all her subjects in real time (and in some cases had time limits). The introduction emphasizes some differences of culture and tradition that influenced the style, for instance there is apparently a taboo against life drawing in post-Soviet Russia (thus the drawing in and of itself is a form of protest). Lomasko also explains that her activism builds off of a tradition of “albums produced by Russian soldiers, concentration camp inmates, and people who experienced the Nazi siege of Leningrad. In many cases, urgent work like this was the only kind of reporting that was done in these brutal conditions — these albums were the sole acts of witness.” All in all I liked this new (to me) style of artistic activism and appreciated the chance to get distinct glimpse into certain aspects of contemporary Russian society that are not frequently covered here in the US....more
This was a riveting account written by the woman who carried out one of the most well-known acts of terrorism sponsored by the North Korean governmentThis was a riveting account written by the woman who carried out one of the most well-known acts of terrorism sponsored by the North Korean government — the bombing of Korean Air Flight 858 in 1987. Kim Hyun Hee describes her childhood being brainwashed to support the regime and to hate the United States and capitalism (to the extent that she was terrified to see American cans wash up on the shore during time spent in Cuba as a child), her intense training to become a North Korean spy, her trial mission being sent on a trip to various countries in Europe, and her eventual “mission” and capture followed by her confession and conversion. The book is unfortunately quite hard to find in the US, but it is worth seeking out. All revenues are donated to the families of those who died in the bombing.
There are so many interesting details about North Korea contained here. Just as you think you have a sense of daily life there, some fact is thrown in (for example, children picking maggots out of dung for points for rations) that seems completely incomprehensible. This is a society where the government actually medically monitors women’s virginity until marriage, where women are expected to perform equally in intense physical training yet even high ranking women (along with the majority of North Koreans) aren’t allowed to drive cars, where men are discouraged from drinking beer in case they say something offensive to the regime that causes their family to be sent to a labor camp, where people are indoctrinated to feel shame about attachment to their own family members. I found it especially fascinating to watch the progress of the author’s de-radicalization. Her ideology was so entrenched that she remained loyal even after having traveled widely around the world to capitalist countries. It was only upon return to her homeland that she began to see things from the other perspective.
This book is a great choice if you are interested in a nuanced depiction of radicalization and redemption or in true spy stories. It is also one of the few available books in English about North Korea written by a citizen of that country and gives a rare glimpse of this world so few foreigners have access to....more
3.5 stars. Everyone with a Western-centric education should consider reading this book. Yes it is dated and flawed in numerous ways, however it meticu3.5 stars. Everyone with a Western-centric education should consider reading this book. Yes it is dated and flawed in numerous ways, however it meticulously conveys a truth that is unfortunately still often ignored even 50 years later: The riches of the Enlightenment in Europe did not come for free, and they certainly don’t prove any intrinsic superiority of the West. Instead, they were built on the exploitation of a continent (and beyond), both through slavery and colonialism.
Rodney argues (using a Marxist analysis) that Europe was able to exploit Africa because there were slight differences that put Europe in a capitalist phase while Africa was not, so that Africa was not equipped to compete and the differences blew up until the gap was unbridgeable. He is thorough in his analysis and I learned a lot about everything from the internal slave trade within different regions in Africa, up to European soap monopolies that were built on African resources.
It isn’t an easy read. In addition to being dense and technical, the prose is often long-winded and repetitive. Some maps and illustrations would really help (hopefully those will be included in the new edition coming out in October 2018, which will also include an introduction by Angela Davis). I found it useful to refer to Marx and Fanon for context.
The book has numerous flaws. For all its long in-depth analyses, there were also plenty of one sentence asserted comments that seemed very overblown, unsupported, outside Rodney’s scope of knowledge, and/or just generally problematic. To give just a few examples: He erases Native Americans, claims to explain the cause of the Holocaust in terms of colonialism, and gives a one line economic explanation for the Civil War. He also describes the Americas as as having barely emerged from the hunting stage (no mention of e.g. the Mayans or the Aztecs) right after a long chapter combating misconceptions and clarifying the extent of state formation in Africa before colonialism. The list goes on.
As other reviewers have noted, possibly the biggest flaw is Rodney’s uncritical praise of the Soviet Union and communism. I wonder if perhaps information about the atrocities committed by Stalin had not reached him at this time and place.
Despite the flaws, the book has really deepened the way I think about colonialist exploitation and I look forward to the new edition next fall....more
This graphic novel was a very quick read that depicts one Palestinian-American family's immigration story in a highly readable format. I thought some This graphic novel was a very quick read that depicts one Palestinian-American family's immigration story in a highly readable format. I thought some parts could have been better developed, but on the other hand the book's brevity will make it more easily and widely accessible. I think it's really important to read immigration stories; each one is different and gives a glimpse into struggles that many other Americans can only imagine. In this case, picture growing up in a refugee camp, studying through bomb attacks and heading to an American university on a visa that does not guarantee permission to return to your family in Lebanon since you are a stateless person. The main character, Ahmed, is a real person with a story that may be shared by our classmates without our realizing it. It's our responsibility to listen and learn from people like Ahmed's daughter Leila who share such stories....more
I was unable to finish this book which is rare for me, and unfortunate given the scarcity of books by Venezuelan authors that have been translated intI was unable to finish this book which is rare for me, and unfortunate given the scarcity of books by Venezuelan authors that have been translated into English (this is the only one written by a woman, as far as I can tell). While I try to be open to different viewpoints, spending many hours in the head of a blatantly racist/colonialist narrator was a bit much for me. In addition, I felt the book was poorly written overall. Intergenerational sagas can be tough to pull off in general, but this book doesn’t even come close; I never found a single character I could connect to. It did lead to an interesting discussion in my book club about the differences between having a character who is racist/sexist/etc. and a book that is racist/sexist/etc. altogether. Those who finished the book confirmed that the narrator’s racist views were never challenged in any way, suggesting the latter. I was hoping for a sweeping view of Venezuelan history but left disappointed and surprised that this book received such good reviews....more
This book is a hidden gem. It's one that you savor slowly, with breathtaking imagery such that places, events and sensations are described down to theThis book is a hidden gem. It's one that you savor slowly, with breathtaking imagery such that places, events and sensations are described down to the most minute detail in complete originality. The plot itself is slower, basically following the random life events of a young girl who grows up in a small village in Iraq to a British mother and Iraqi father, then studies at a school for dance in Baghdad during the Iran-Iraq war, and finally moves abroad just in time to follow the events of the First Gulf War remotely. It covers the tragedy of war from the viewpoint of everyday Iraqis, what it is like to grow up in a family split between opposing cultural values, family death, love affairs, and breast cancer. I loved the descriptions of art and dance, as well as the unnamed narrator’s brief study of the craft of naming synthetic flavors which was her father’s occupation. As someone who has had a family member live through a breast cancer diagnosis, I found the descriptions of that disease particularly poignant. Other books that cover so much ground sometimes feel unfocused, but surprisingly I did not feel that way with this book. To me, Khedairi’s writing was artful and nuanced and she successfully accomplished the task of depicting the ebb and flow of a life, with all its random events and connections....more
This book gave a rare glimpse of the Darfur genocide from the inside, as recounted by a man who grew up in the region and led Western journalists in tThis book gave a rare glimpse of the Darfur genocide from the inside, as recounted by a man who grew up in the region and led Western journalists in to cover the violence. It was a very difficult and powerful read, as would be expected, and was also beautifully written with many gems about life in Sudan (for example, many details surrounding the author’s love of camels and the realities of trekking through the desert). It reminded me of The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between, which is now one of my favorite books, and I think admirers of that book would also appreciate this one.
Hari tells us the story of his life, starting with his childhood in a village in Sudan, his education in Khartoum, his attempt to illegally immigrate Israel, his time in prison in Egypt, his return to his family during the conflict, and finally his work as a translator and guide for journalists. It is really *his* story, even though Western news articles at the time focused on the journalists he guides while leaving his name as a footnote. I appreciated the chance to read the story from his point of view. I did wish the title had been stronger to further emphasize the fact that Hari was really the brains of the whole operation, not just a translator brought in on the side.
The tone is very removed and optimistic, which I found striking. There was no mention of symptoms of PTSD in either Hari or others, so it made me wonder if some aspects of the experience had been left out or softened (although of course I am by no means an expert on what to expect).
I disagree with some previous comments that suggest the book is too sympathetic to Americans. Hari is not shy about sharing his critiques, such as the impracticalities of UN refugee camps and the way the United States contributed through its greed over oil. His book was also a great way to glean some information about the political backdrop, such as the Janjaweed militias that were baited into conflict by the government (despite a former understanding of peace between the Arabs and native Sudanese), attacks on the people directly by the government, and the rebels who were persuaded by the government to switch sides....more
This is one of those books where you’re left speechless, and it’s hard to decide how to rate it or what exactly to say afterwards. It is a troubling, This is one of those books where you’re left speechless, and it’s hard to decide how to rate it or what exactly to say afterwards. It is a troubling, thought-provoking, graphic and sexually explicit critique of Yemeni society by a controversial author who was forced to flee from Yemen because of his work. As far as I can tell, it is Al-Ahdal’s only writing that has been translated into English.
The novella centers around an investigation concerning the disappearance of a beautiful and intelligent university student named Jasmine. The first chapter is from Jasmine’s viewpoint, and depicts her daily struggle with sexual harassment, stalking and threat of assault within a conservative, sexually repressed society. Each of the remaining chapters are narrated by different characters, mostly men involved to various degrees in her tribulations. The premise becomes increasingly fantastical, with a flavor of magical realism.
I agree with some of the other reviews that warned that, if read out of context by a Western audience, this may reinforce certain negative and harmful stereotypes about the Arab world. It should be read responsibly in conjunction with other viewpoints, and taken for what it is: a harsh and provocative exposé written to be read by Yemenis. I felt this especially strongly in the first chapter, a little less so in the remaining ones which give glimpses into the (flawed) humanity of Jasmine’s oppressors.
There is also so much more here than just a critique of misogyny. Other themes are tribalism, violence and torture, corruption in the police force and the university (e.g. sexual harassment by professors in exchange for grades), surface-level piety. And as was aptly noted by another reviewer, perhaps we should even view Jasmine (with her love of the moon and Yemeni antiquity) as a metaphor for the land itself torn apart and made to disappear by her various contenders....more
The Return is the best book I’ve read so far this year. It is a beautifully written memoir (which won the Pulitzer for biography/autobiography) of a LThe Return is the best book I’ve read so far this year. It is a beautifully written memoir (which won the Pulitzer for biography/autobiography) of a Libyan man who spends many years investigating his father’s disappearance during the Qaddafi regime. The book reflects Matar’s love of his country, the struggles of having to live in exile (including an assassination attempt against his brother as the child of a well-known revolutionary), the different kinds of sacrifices made during the revolution (a cousin who joins the fighting, Matar who takes risks writing controversial novels, etc.) and the difficulties of not knowing for many years whether his father is dead or alive. It gives a beautiful sense of place (the Libyan sea and light, the description of the layout of Benghazi), and provides a glimpse into the history of Libya via Matar’s family’s experiences across several generations — including many things I was previously ignorant about, such as the horrors of Italian colonialism and genocide even before Mussolini. There is a difficult passage towards the end that describes a massacre by guards at the Abu Salim prison, and makes you feel like you are really there while it is happening. I originally borrowed the book from the library but it left such a strong impression on me that I ended up purchasing a copy for my own library....more
Persepolis is an outstanding graphic memoir that depicts Marjane Satrapi’s life growing up as a young girl in a progressive family during the Iranian Persepolis is an outstanding graphic memoir that depicts Marjane Satrapi’s life growing up as a young girl in a progressive family during the Iranian Revolution, the transition to fundamentalism and the Iran-Iraq War and its aftermath. As a child Satrapi is not fully aware of the significance of many of the horrors happening around her, and must learn far too early about the meaning of torture, “martyr-hood” and the risks of protests that turn into massacres, alongside the more mundane lessons of childhood. She tells her story with humor, love and the innocence of a child who does not know any other way of life. As an adolescent, Satrapi’s parents send her to safety in Austria, and she struggles to find herself as a teenager alone in a foreign country. (view spoiler)[ This culminates in a stint of homelessness, after which she returns home and finds she no longer quite fits in with the other more conservative Iranians her age. She grapples with finding love under a repressed regime where it is difficult to test out a relationship before marriage, which leads to a divorce. (hide spoiler)]
The book brings to life many details of Iranian life at the end of the 20th century: classism in Iranian society, the sacrifices made by many Iranians in the resistance and the war (including having mere children sent to the battlefront), the struggles of modern families forced to adapt to fundamentalism, the many subtle means of resistance, the extent to which Western culture still influenced Iranian youth even when forced to wear the veil, and beyond. I highly recommend reading it to get a glimpse into this world and to better understand the lead-up to the current situation in Iran....more
An incredibly difficult read, but an extremely important one. Yazbek’s diary documents a series of horrific human rights abuses in Syria during the fiAn incredibly difficult read, but an extremely important one. Yazbek’s diary documents a series of horrific human rights abuses in Syria during the first 100 days of the uprising in 2011. Peaceful protests turn into massacres as security forces open fire onto unarmed Syrian citizens. The protestors keep returning to the streets day after day, keep getting murdered, all while standing strongly by their values of anti-violence and anti-sectarianism (both of which the regime tries to play up, painting the protestors as “armed gangs” and trying to trigger tension between the Sunnis and Alawites). The situation gradually devolves as the regime starts attacking citizens right in their own homes and the refugee crisis begins.
Yazbek is on the ground throughout all this, documenting what she sees herself at protests and hears in interviews with other Syrians. Every protest, murder, torture, psychological attack, etc. described here one after the other really happened. She describes these events, and also her own reactions to them (which clearly includes some kind of severe PTSD, insomnia and other issues), in the detached, matter-of-fact manner of a fact collector.
There are no words for the kinds of horrors Yazbek describes. She is an amazing, inspiring woman who has taken on extreme personal risk and suffering for the cause of freedom, and to share the truths of the events with us (countering falsehoods distributed by the regime). This book is not for the faint of heart, but helps to understand the events leading up to the current crisis in Syria. Everyone who does not support refugees needs to read this book to see the faces and fates of those they are turning away....more
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