Although graphic novels are meant for all ages, Bone: Tall Tales by Jeff Smith really is suited for grades three through seven, unless the Big Johnson innuendo is intentional—then this might be adults only! Or maybe Smith is just an artful writer, similar to those who create animations like Shrek to appeal to both children and adult audiences.
While Smith’s plot is very elementary, the story does feature symbolism: a big hat means big ideas (a thinking cap), power, and maybe a big head (a little satire, there even); double pun: a dagger called Piecemaker; irony: a dragon named Stillman who is fired from his position because he can’t breathe fire; allusion: Big Johnson Bone is a facsimile of Davy Crocket crossed with Daniel Boone [that name actually made my antennae quiver since bone and Big Johnson are both phallic euphemisms, a double entendre].
Besides using sophisticated literary techniques, Smith invites readers to look through a critical theorist’s lens and to ask questions:
· What forces are more powerful than fate?
· Are power and capitalism the ultimate providence?
· Does our thirst for money and material wealth lead us astray?
· Is going to war madness or necessary?
· Do we go to war because we are afraid of hiding, because we seek pride, or because we want to vanquish fear?
· What is fear? Is it “a big ol’ animal [that pounces] on ya before you knows it was even there” (73)? Can fear “make it so’s you don’t even want to know what lies over that next big hill on accounta not wantin’ to be ascared again” (73)? Do we allow fear to keep us from exploring?
· If we resist going to war does that mean we’re cowards?
· Do some regimes (especially the totalitarian types) need their “tails clipped” to teach them a lesson?
Such elements prove graphic novels can be every bit as complicated, challenging, and enlightening as more traditional and canonical literary forms.
I have read The Arrival maybe ten to fifteen times since I picked it up last week. It's pretty breezy. In fact, the vocabulary is so easy it could be read by my five year old -- heck, it could be read by a toddler, because it contains no words!
ReplyDeleteThis is a graphic novel that contains no words, and yet here is a list of awards for The Arrival:
>The Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards: Picture Book of the Year, 2007
>New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Community Relations Commission Award, 2007
>Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Best Comic Book, 2008
>Hugo Award, Nominated for Best Related Book for The Arrival, 2008
(And Tan won the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist, 2010)
So how can a graphic novel with absolutely no words be so highly acclaimed? Click on that link at the top of this comment, go look at the art from the novel and see for yourself.
And it's not just a book of great art -- the story told through those drawings is fascinating and deeply moving.
It's the archetypal immigrant's tale, made archetypal through the use of surrealism and the lack of language (among other things).
This is a perfect novel on which to hoist the argument that 'literacy' is more than acquiring a respectful vocabulary and learning the rules of English grammar.
In U.S. education, students are often tested on their ability to memorize and regurgitate disconnected facts, or trivia. But where we fail our students is in giving them opportunities to apply the knowledge they've learned, the 'facts' they've learned, in meaningful ways to new situations where their knowledge has to transfer, or has to be leveraged to help them solve a thought problem that is in fact entirely foreign.
The Arrival is entirely foreign, both in the word it presents, and by the means it delivers it's story. Challenging students to make sense of, and find meaning in, a master work like The Arrival would be, in my mind, a good step towards helping our students become literate in a holistic sense of the word; where literacy means knowing how to read, and knowing how to establish a personal sense of being.
Cody lent me his copy of Tales from Outer Suburbia written AND illustrated by Shaun Tan, which was my first ever Graphic Novel. I am not sure what grade this graphic novel would be appropriate for because I absolutely enjoyed the read! I looked the novel up online and they suggested that it would be suitable in fourth grade and up. I think that this graphic would be a great tool to bring art into the classroom. I think that the stories would also bring out the students’ creativity in a creative writing workshop.
ReplyDeleteTo summarize the graphic novel, I would say that Shaun Tan uses unique/random/outrageous situations that could take place in outer suburbia, suggesting that crazy moments can happen even when they aren’t expected. My absolute favorite story within the book happens to be the first story, which is a flash fiction or short entitled The Water Buffalo. I highly recommend this graphic novel to anyone, especially since I have been raving about it all week and plan on buying it when I have a spare moment to run out to a bookstore!
Christina Ann,
ReplyDeleteI'm thrilled to hear you're also raving about the work of Shaun Tan! I don't know much about comic books, but he seems like a total reinvention of the genre. Abandoning all the tropes that 'sell' a comic book, and forging into territories completely new. Imagine how powerful his work could be for a student who is already a voracious comic book consumer?! Maybe I'm idealistic and naive, but I think a youth who's already tuned into the comic art, who has developed an implicit understanding of the mechanics that make a comic book work, would see far more than I could ever see in works like Outer Suburbia and Arrival.
The president of NCTE, Carol Jago, recently said the following:
"...the Web discourages students from reading deeply and analytically. To overcome that, Jago says educators must find ways to use the things that make games, texting and Facebook so compelling to rethink their instructional methods and make school more meaningful."
Tan is doing what she is talking about in the comic book space.
Also, having students post literary responses in a blog format like this does exactly what she is talking about. How often are students invited to be deeply thoughtful on the interwebs? It's like Reader's Journal 2.0: it harnesses everything that's awesome about the web, it allows students to respond in a format in which they're already acquainted, and it's community building: unlike the typical reader's journal, blog responses are published for the community, invite responses from the community, and effortlessly tap into social learning. Also, giving students an internet space to be thoughtful and respectful of each other's thoughts seems like good preventative medicine against cyber-bullying, which we're discovering is very real and scary.
/rant off
For my graphic novel, I read American Born Chinese by Gene Luen yang. WOW, is all I can say. I have never read this type of book or genre before, but I have to say it was wonderful. I was confused with the three separate stories in the beginning, but was pleased to see how they connected in the end. I truly believe this is a great book to have young adults read in a class setting because it holds great meaning into accepting who you are and embracing one’s culture. I recommend this book. It was a fast read, so it would not take anyone a long time. I believe it should be taught in class rooms.
ReplyDeleteI read “The Road to Civil War” which was created by Marvel comics. I grew up a big superhero fan so I was excited about getting to read something about Ironman, the Fantastic Four and all of my favorites. I was skeptical at first about how applicable this would be to high school aged readers, but I ended up impressed.
ReplyDeleteThe story follows a number of superheroes from various different backgrounds (Spiderman, Ironman etc.) and ties all of these characters together. For me it was interesting to see these well known personalities interacting for the first time. Also, due to the number of characters involved in the story there were multiple sub-plots going on. At first these sub-plots threw me off and I wanted to just hear more about the one main story, but as I read on I started to see how they were all tying together. This story structure actually turned out to be one of my favorite things in fact. I liked how there was a build up in one part of the story and then I was left hanging and wanting more. I think this would be a great way to get kids who are not avid readers into literature. Since the writing was pretty easy I think kids as young as middle school could read this, and they would be interested because of the characters and the story structure would keep even the most short-attention-spanned kids interested.
In addition to the story telling style and the characters, I thought there were a lot of good messages and questions raised in the story. The superheroes are trying to decide whether or not to form a coalition together so they can stop any more large-scale attempts to destroy the Earth. The issue of becoming a world police does not sit well with everyone though and the debate about who should hold power and what is a proper use of power comes up. I think the nice thing about reading about superheroes is that they are generally the good and moral symbol within the story. The issues that surround them can be applied, usually in smaller scales, to many young readers learning to do what is right even when there is wrong being done all around them
Ultimately, I believe reading this or any graphic novel would be a great thing for young readers. It is an interesting change of pace from books and also exposes kids to unique story structure not normally seen in school literature. The familiarity with characters in this story will entice many readers and the issues that are raised can lead to great discussion and critical thinking. I believe the addition of a graphic novel to a teacher’s curriculum would be a great idea.
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ReplyDeleteI literally had no idea what I was getting myself into when I picked up "Demo" by Brian Wood and illustrated by Becky Cloonan. The novel is composed of different stories about teenagers with "powers." No, it's not like "Heroes" (which is what I first imagined).
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't recommend this to a student unless they were a mature high schooler due to the language and some of the content. The graphic novel deals with many, many diverse situations teenagers go through. And it definitely does not contain a "happy-go-lucky" style. However, you cannot read these stories without some kind of response being evoked--anger, sadness, depressed, or even being appalled at some of the stories. Each one seems to have some element of "escape" and something better out there, yet not all reach it.
Reading the graphic novel I was filled with a lot of images (which can be seen in my read and response). You leave with this feeling that there is a hurting generation out there who does not get the recognition they deserve--are we willing to face them, these modern day heroes?
I read "Blankets" by Craig Thomas thinking, when I picked it up from the library, that it would be really good because it was quite thick and the cover was a light blue color with two lovers (a boy and a girl) on the cover hugging. I will be honest, I thought it was going to be a cute kind of love story. Boy, was I wrong! While/after reading Thomas' novel I thought of Banned Books and wondered if any school had this book in their library and if they did, they SHOULD NOT! I am fully against book banning in schools BUT have never been faced with such a graphic novel, in the most literal terms. Extreme moments of sexuality, family and peer abuse, drinking/partying etc. the list was extensive. This novel covered a lot of ground for a graphic novel. It was quite long and, don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it! FOr having never read a graphic novel, I was impressed and it was a nice change of genre/pace for me but by the luck of the draw I picked one that was very extreme and intense at times and I was not quite ready for it.
ReplyDeleteThis novel is also very dense in religion and the main character, Craig, going to church camps, growing up in a strict Christian household and thinking of becoming a minister after schooling. I found it interesting (ironic?) how one novel can be so drenched in religion while also so drenched in horrible things (sins) like abuse, sexual abuse, name-calling, bullying, lying, sexual encounters etc.
For the graphic novel week I choose to read Watchmen by Allen Moore, which was an excellent read. The book is extremely long and complex but has excellent parallels to the Soviet Union vs. United States conflict, and atomic war.
ReplyDeleteThe story is set in a United States society where super heroes are outlaws and many have chosen to assimilate into normal everyday society. However, the most interesting thing I found about the plot is that there are all kinds of superheroes, but none of them turn out to be your typical hero in the end.
I believe the complexity of character relationships, and difficult plot, make Watchmen, much more than a comic book. Through reading this graphic novel, I learned that even books with pictures could have extremely deep symbols, themes, and meaning. It was an extremely well written novel that addresses many issues during the 1980’s history of the United States. The story was extremely entertaining, and even after reading 50 times (I only have once) I believe the reader would still be getting something new out of every reading.
Even though it was a great read I would not recommend it for the classroom, because of the complexity of the plot as well as some of the intense images and concepts illustrated throughout the novel. So, I definitely recommend it for my fellow classmates, but not for your future classrooms. This was an extremely enlightening genre that I probably may not have read otherwise.
For my graphic novel, I also had Cody come to my rescue and let me borrow "Maus:A Survivor's Tale" by Art Spieglman. There are actually two different books...the first is part I- "My Father Bleeds History" and part II- "And Here My Troubles Begin" and I read both. I thought the use of a graphic novel was a very successful way to portray the recalling of events the author's father went through.
ReplyDeleteNot only was the father, Vlladek's, survival story told, but also Art includes breaks in the story with interactions, sometimes altercations, and personal thoughts about his father. It was a surprise to read some extremely personal and revealing events that Art goes through during the process of collecting his father's story and writing his books.
For my graphic novel Cody lent me Star Wars The Dark Empire. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, and was glad that we addressed this genre in class because I would not normally read a graphic novel on my own.
ReplyDeleteGraphic novels are a very interesting genre and have a lot of importance in literature, but I think that I would have trouble teaching one to my class because I am not very engaged with it. Of course, if one of my students chose to read a graphic novel for a project in class I would encourage and support them. Reading "The Dark Wars" was a good experience for me because it showed me how credible the genre of Graphic novels are. Before I was under the impression that it was like a comic book, very simple and easy to read. But it required more effort to read than I expected, and I learned a lot from reading it.
The Graphic Novel that I chose to read for this assignment was "Refresh Refresh" by Danica Novgorodoff, Benjamin Percy, and James Ponsoldt. This story followed three boys, Josh, Gordon, and Cody, all of whom have absent military fathers. The boys learn to fight together, try to grow up too quickly, and realize how young they really are. I did not enjoy this as much as I was hoping I would. The art was so-so, and the story was a little difficult to follow since all the characters looked similar. After reading it a couple times, I enjoyed it a little more. It really is a disturbing and enlightening take on military families, but I do not believe it's something I could potentially teach. The coming-of-age element is present, but it is not the prominent theme. Also, I believe the authors were attempting to make a point about military service and its affect on the families left behind, but that point wasn't entirely clear. All-in-all, I don't particularly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteFor my graphic novel, I also read Watchmen by Alan Moore (writer) and Dave Gibbons (illustrator). I confess that I had seen the movie before reading the book, and wondered if that made it a good choice or not for my first foray into graphic novels. But I absolutely loved this book! Aside from the well-traversed arguments for the accessibility that youth find within the graphic elements of graphic novels, this book had so many themes that I would love to cover in a classroom.
ReplyDeleteThe content of the book was admittedly questionable. There is full frontal nudity, harsh language, and very violent graphic (pun!) content. So I would hesitate to address this book in a classroom, which is so unfortunate because it had a plethora of teachable material. The morality of war, justice, and vigilantes are addressed. Readers are forced to confront what it is that makes a 'hero' and what happens when we don't like the integrity, personality, actions, or philosophy of people who nonetheless act to protect innocent people and arrest (or violently murder...) criminals. Should morality be unflinching? What does it mean to be a 'good' human being? On top of the philosophical questions, Watchmen raises excellent examinations of politics and capitalism. Historical elements abound throughout the 60 year timespan of the novel.
Essentially, I thought Watchmen was an excellent read with both very insightful and very disturbing elements. Yet, I would recommend this book only for very mature readers and not as a classwide read.
I read The Plain Janes, written by Cecil Castellucci and illustrated by Jim Rugg. The story is about three girls all with different varieties of the name Jane. The first Jane we meet is the main character. She is caught in some kind of undisclosed terrorist bombing in “Metro City”, which becomes a pivotal moment of change in her life. After the attack, Jane and her family decide they would be safer if they moved to a suburb and start a new life. Jane feels she has become a changed person since the attack, someone who isn’t concerned with the normal pressures of high school, and more interested in art and becoming a unique, self-confident person. At her new school, she resists the temptation to carry on her old routines with the “popular kids”, and instead befriends a group of misfit girls, or the Janes.
ReplyDeleteAll the Janes have unique hobbies and interests: theater and drama, sports, math and science, and art. Each of the Janes excel at their particular field of interest, but they remain unrecognized by their peers. Eventually the girls create a group, P.L.A.I.N. or People Loving Art In Neighborhoods to spruce up the homogeny of their suburban surroundings. The girls’ projects evoke a variety of feelings in the community, some good, some bad, but the girls find liberation and self-confidence in their work, and despite being seen by the town’s authorities as anonymous, vandalism vagabonds, continue to create art.
The Plain Janes is a great book that I would definitely recommend for middle school or early high school age kids. The writing is simple, but as it seems with most graphic novels, the themes are complex. I thought it was really interesting how in The Plain Janes, both the author and the illustrator were able to capture subtle themes in just one image frame or dialogue box. Like books in verse, I think graphic novels are able to sift through superfluous writing and leave behind meaty, thematically rich, stories. Instead of vaguely trying to grasp at something, the writing and images are clear, concise, and more importantly, easily understood. Readers can use their imaginations to fill in what isn’t drawn or written explicitly, and exercise important comprehension skills.
I chose a graphic novel that I'd been dying to read: "The Umbrella Academy: Part 1 Apocalypse Suite" by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba. This graphic novel won the 2008 Eisner award for Best Finite Series/Limited Series. It's also been optioned for a film adaptation due in 2012. I can't wait! It's a fantastic graphic novel split into two views: the first view is when seven very special children are young and growing up under the guidance of a man known as the Monocle, whereas the second view is when these children have grown into distinct adults and they are reunited by the death of the Monocle.
ReplyDeleteIt is a book that I would suggest to juniors or seniors in high school as it has some risque scenes and cursing. It also has a lot of hidden facets, like Donna was talking about with "Going Bovine." I looked up several different facts/statistics/names that were featured in the graphic novel, and I think that made it more enjoyable.
For my graphic novel I read "Fahrenheit 451": The authorized adaption by Tim Hamilton.
ReplyDeletePrior to reading this book, I snubbed graphic novels. I never gave them a chance because I thought they were just a bunch of comic strips and couldn't come close to touching literature. I couldn't have been more wrong.
I was surprised at how the graphic novel was able to convey such deep and philosophical ideas as well as hold strong to the original cannons plot and theme.
After doing some research, I've learned there is a whole series of graphic novels that are adapted from the original canons: Classic Graphic Novel Collection. Of course one reason that the graphic novel could be used in a literature course is to tailor to different literacy needs. Another reason is that its format is time efficient. Obviously our students cant read every novel we would like them to read, but graphic novels are in condensed(faster) format that can provide more reader with more exposer.
I chose a graphic novel that was an adapted version of the famous Macbeth, The Hound of Baskervilles, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I had never read any kind of graphic novel before this, well I love comics in the newspaper, but that is the extent of my “graphic” reading. There is no real need for my to provide you with a plot summary; because the majority of English majors are familiar with these canonical classics. What I did want to point out., However, was the way this book could function in a classroom.
ReplyDeleteMany students cannot, or refuse to understand the classics, like Shakespeare for example. Yes, we could direct them to Spark notes, but what is a plot summary going to REALLY do for them? The publishing company. Bank Street Graphic Novels helps students understand and comprehend Shakespeare with pictures paired with words. In addition to the assistance of a visual, students will not get lost in the language because this graphic novel is adapted for their particular grade level. The possibilities are endless with a book like this, and I would recommend all future teachers to pick this up and use it in the classroom. I, myself, have never been able to FULLY grasp the classics, and this book assisted me, not only as a future teacher, but as a student as well.
I have not read many graphic novels in my life, the occasional times were exclusively to prepare myself for a film like Sin City or Watchmen, so it was a good change of pace to focus on a novel that I didn't need to prepare for. However, I found myself drawn again to film, but this time it was a graphic novel that drew its origins from a movie and not the other way around. I am or course talking about the seemingly infinite novels that have risen around the Star Wars movies. I read Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry.
ReplyDeleteThis connectivity between film and graphic novels is almost seamless in its reliability. There is something utterly wonderful about watching a movie and then reading a novel that continues the story. The adventure does not have to end and you are able to continue exploring the world that was created for you. These types of desires lend themselves very well to the genre of graphic novels, with images guiding and enforcing our reading and understanding of a story. Worlds like Coruscant and Tatooine don't have to fade away into our long term memory, but can be relived page after page, long after the silver screen has dimmed.
I've been a comic book geek (self-professed) since I was ten (thank you, Tim Burton and Adam West), and it is because of this interest that I began to read graphic novels outside the superhero genre (though that isn't to say that they don't have much to tell us about the human condition as well). I've read Blankets as well, and I was particularly moved by the way in which the words and the pictures and the story all flow together to form a poem greater than its separate parts.
ReplyDeleteI read Clowes' Ghost World for this particular assignment, and was struck as I read by his use of frames. Frames of the literal kind are used, for the most part, by the majority of comic book and graphic novel writers and artists (and, I've been told, are part of what makes getting into comic books so difficult for some readers). However, in Ghost World Clowes uses the frames to a more ironic effect: his two protagonists, Enid and Rebecca, use their individual gazes to frame everything they see. Clowes, meanwhile, uses the comic-book device of framing to frame *them* for us, the audience. Clowes’ framing device becomes literal: we see Enid and Rebecca through a series of boxes like windows, where we peer into their lives as they peer into the lives of others. We are not granted access to their private thoughts through word bubbles; instead, we must observe only their actions and use those observations to formulate our opinions.
This book would be of particular interest to students about to be or fresh out of high school. The English teacher with whom I've been working at Frenchtown High School and I have been discussing the ennui that sets in during senior year and immediately after, and Ghost World provides an example of why.
For my graphic novel I read “Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer” by Van Jensen and Dustin Higgins. It’s a modern novel that picks up from the ending of Carlo Collodi’s original “Pinocchio.” The artwork is done in black and white, with the characters having a “super-hero” feel to them. The plot centers around Pinocchio trying to get revenge on the vampires who killed his father, Gepetto.
ReplyDeleteThis novel would be really great for showing students how to write and use quick and witty spitfire conversations and responses. Also, students could have fun redesigning characters with color and different graphics for an art or design class. Pinocchio’s altered vampire-fighting character is much more suited for the young adult audience, and vampires are all the rage.
I also read “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Yang. There are three different tales interwoven in the plot of the book, which shows the idea of coming to accept yourself for who you are. It shows young adults that no matter who they think they need to be, whoever their friends are, and whoever they find embarrassing to them, they need to focus on themselves and figure out who they are.
The novel was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Awards in the category of Young People's Literature. It won the 2007 Michael L. Printz Award and the 2007 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: New, and it was the first graphic novel recognized by the National Book Foundation.
My book choice for graphic novel was from the "Bone" series by Jeff Smith. The book is the sixth in the series, "Old Man's Cave." The book follows the Bone cousins, Thorn, and Grandma Rose as they take on the The Hooded One and the Lord of the Locusts.
ReplyDeletePersonally I found the book difficult to follow because I hadn't read any of the other five books leading up to the sixth. I think if the series was read sequentially then it would make more sense.
I do believe that graphic novels have a place in the classroom. They are a great tool to use when students need a break up from the norms of a regular novel that they read in the classroom. The book allows the students to see what they are reading and plays on to the strengths of visual learners.
I read "The Collected Beowulf" by Gareth Hinds for my graphic novel. It was a unique piece in that it took a really old story and couched in a new medium. Hinds took a lot of the old English words and mixed them with middle English phrasing to create unique text while incorporating awesome graphics.
ReplyDeleteHind's novel can act as a defense against those who would seek to discredit graphic novels as a genre. It takes on the most "classic" of all the classics and presents it in a new way without losing any of what makes it special. A teacher could easily still teach lessons on story structure, Old English, diction, etc. out of this book and students will love it because it is esthetically pleasing. The pictures are also helpful when the Old English becomes cumbersome.
I read "Maus" by Art Spiegelman. For my first foray into graphic novels (and that now saddens me to say so), I loved it. Truthfully, I never gave graphic novels a chance before because I had always written them off as dork fodder (not that I'm against dorks, and am one most days, just off a different sort). Mostly, though, I have never cared much for comic books - or my limited knowledge of comic books. It's not that I don't like the medium, I just don't get interested in reading about people with retractable claws or men with capes flying in the sky. Or people who shoot webbing out of their wrist (admittedly cool if I could swoop around and travel in the same manner). So I've always considered graphic novels a longer extension of the comic book. Though "Maus" (and Nilsen/Donelson) proved me wrong (something I always love). And I can't wait to read more graphic novels of the non-superhero mode. Recently, I've even been looking at them in the bookstore (which is good, but also bad because it just makes my already lengthy bookstore stops that much longer. ha.).
ReplyDeleteFor those who aren't aware, "Maus" deals with the Holocaust, but the Jews are mice and the Nazi's are cats. The story interweaves a father and son story between it. I think it's a great story and very accessible for students wanting to learn more about the Holocaust through a very personal lens; and with some generational distance through the narrator, which seems like it'd work in the students' advantage. I'm using this text as the unit lesson and as the touchstone piece into the Holocaust.
The graphis novel I read for this week was "Wonderland" written by Tommy Kovak and illustrated by Sonny Liew. It is published by Disney Press (SLG Publishing) which is why the characters look the same.
ReplyDeleteIn the Disney movie, Alice goes inside the White Rabbit's house where he mistakes her for his maid, Maryann. In the novel "Wonderland", Alice has returned to her home and Maryann becomes the protagonist of the story. There's nothing extrordinary about her but she becomes the heroine none-the-less by ridding Wonderland of it's twisted politics (the monarchies of the Queen of Hearts and the Queen of Spades).
I don't think I would teach this book because I think I could find better books to meet the standards; however, I might recomend students look at this book if they decide they'd like to do a reader response for which they write about what they think happened after what they read.
I would certainly argue that my graphic novel choice, Art Spiegelman’s Maus, is equally as complex, profound and challenging as other traditional books taught in the classroom. Uniquely formatted, Spiegelman uses animal characters to represent various individuals based on their nationalities. The frame story takes place in modern-day America, while the central plot takes place in Europe during the Holocaust. The novel is deeply disturbing, emotionally gut-wrenching, and desperately grim, but at the same time, Spiegelman includes a fair amount of humor and hopefulness. I’m planning on using this novel for my unit plan, and I am very excited about the potential of teaching it in a classroom some day. I would recommend the book to everyone.
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