The Forgotten Man

Recommended by Garnet, gr. 11, 2018-19 school year

I have never known much about American history in general and figured that reading about such a prominent period of time like The Great Depression in the format of a graphic novel might educate me  in a way that is easy to understand because of the illustrations.

The story follows different conflicts during the Great Depression through a political focus. Because the story switches perspectives often, there isn’t really any obvious main character but these are a few of the people who stand out against the rest. Rex Tugwell is an economist who’s trying to solve the problem of farming poverty. Then there’s Franklin Roosevelt,the President of the United States, who is focused upon getting the country out of the Great Depression. Finally there is the narrator Wendell Willkie who is fighting a power company called the T.V.A.

While I enjoyed The Forgotten Man, the majority of the politics were lost on me due to a lack of knowledge relating to politics. would recommend The Forgotten Man to someone having some prior knowledge of American history and politics during the 1930s.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

Contributed by Eli, gr. 12, June 2019

I picked up part 1 of this graphic memoir in the fall and have now finished part 2, and while nonfiction does not usually appeal to me, I am very glad to have read Persepolis. It is an Iranian woman’s account of her first twenty-four years, her childhood having been spent in Iran before she fled to Austria during her country’s war with Iraq. The memoir describes the political climate in Iran from the 1970s to 1990s - which, as someone who previously knew almost nothing about this region, I found to be eye-opening and thought-provoking.

Persepolis contains more text than many graphic novels, but that is balanced out by the simple yet striking black-and-white illustrations. Since the story centers around revolution and war, the subject matter and pictures can be quite graphic: there are detailed descriptions of violence, as well as some swearing and nudity. The author touches upon heavy topics like government oppression, prejudice between nations, and different ways to follow the same religion.

I would particularly recommend Persepolis to people with an interest in nonfiction and recent history, but I also think it is an important memoir overall. The narrator’s age helped me sympathize with her from the start, and I gained an understanding of another country that I might never have had otherwise. Anyone in search of a graphic novel with deep themes and dark humor should give this one a try.

Arab of the Future

Contributed by Maryam, grade 12 -- Jan. 2018

I would definitely recommend this graphic novel  for a couple of reasons. I genuinely found it interesting to learn about somebody who grew up in a different generation than mine (1980s) and in a different country than Canada.

It is very intriguing to see their day-to-day life, what their school life was like, what activities they did, and  how different their culture is.  I also found that being told from a 6 year old child's perspective made these details simple to see and understand. 

The final reason for my recommendation is that I’ve realized the things around me are so sacred. Not everybody has the things Canadians have in life and most times, we take it for granted. This book made me more aware of this imbalanced and I hope that everybody who reads this book realizes it too.

Persepolis

Contributed by Carlos, gr. 12 – Jan. 2018

I highly recommend this graphic novel. It's amazing! I like it because the book is about Iran in the 1980s before and after the Islamic Revolution. 

The book tells the story from the point of view of a young girl of a current Iranian family who experiences  personal changes because of the Revolution. I found the art simple enough to understand the feelings of the characters without getting me dizzy (I don't like too many drawings). I also found the story relevant because it’s about an event that still has an impact upon Iran and upon the world today. Iran is still an Islamic Republic and I have met Iranian friends who left the country  because of the politics there.

The Best We Could Do

 Reviewed by Nadine, gr. 12 -- Jan. 2018

I chose my graphic novel because I thought it would be an easy read and Ms. Burleson, the teacher-librarian, spoke highly of it, selling it very well. It is an illustrated memoir about a young refugee’s journey from Vietnam to her current life in California. She touches on the history of her parents and their tragedies and hardships during the period of French occupation and the Vietnam War. She also narrates the fond memories shared between her and her four siblings and tells the stories about the hardships with complete honesty. 

 

I enjoyed my graphic novel from start to finish. It took me only two hours to read and was aesthetically pleasing with beautiful illustrations and a good balance of text and pictures. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of humor.  It made the serious and heartbreaking stories much more bearable to read about.

I would recommend this book. It was a very quick and easy read while also managing to pack a huge amount of factual information. It’s also a touching and relatable story about family hardships and coming-of-age, told beautifully with illustrations from the author herself.

 

Book Bites: short reviews of 20th century graphic novels

Contributed by Malachi, gr. 12-- Jan. 2018

I would recommend this graphic novel because it provides insight into the lifetime of a nationalist terrorist. It also gives an idea of what it was like to live in Yugoslavia before it broke up as a country in 1991. While I did find the family tree a little confusing, I would still recommend it as an alternative to a history text.

Contributed by Melissa, gr. 12 -- Jan. 2018

 I really liked this book although I had never before read a graphic novel.  I would have liked to know more about  people’s feelings during and after the attack, but there were a lot of details about the events of 9/11 itself.  Recommended.

 

Contributed by Milton, gr. 12 -- Jan. 2018

I would recommend this book for three readers:  those who if  enjoy high-contract drawings, art without a lot of detail, those who enjoy a book that tells a story without a political bias, and those who are interested in learning more about North Korea.

Contributed by Manon, gr. 12 -- Jan. 2018

I recommend War Brothers  to readers who want to learn more about the atrocities child soldiers face in the world; this book does a great job of portraying a child in this situation. Colorful illustrations portray the atmosphere of a certain event accurately. However, if you are a sensitive person, I would not recommend it because certain details are shocking and having them illustrated makes them even more disturbing.

Contributed by Max, gr. 12 – Jan. 2018

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick, entertaining, emotional read. The book isn’t too long so you won’t get bored waiting for the end. It tells you about the experience of World War II from a real soldier’s point of view, which helps to create a personal connection and an enjoyable reading experience.