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When I Read Graphic Novels Based on Real Life
I have always been a self professed fiction reader. For as long as I remember, I would always have a book in my hand to read during meal times, before I went to sleep... When I was smaller, it would be the abridged versions of books like Black Beauty and Heidi. As I grew older, I migrated to the unabridged versions of these books, added Enid Blyton and other such series, and probably so many more which I can't even think of right now. Somehow, the only non-fiction I read was restricted to school books, and the only comics were the likes of Chacha Chaudharys and Tinkles and Archies.Even as I grew older, I added a variety of fiction in different genres, but somehow non-fiction and comics just did not get added to the list.Now at 33, I came across these two gems, which were highly recommended to my sister by her friends. And I realized how lucky I was to come across such well executed works of non-fiction in the form of graphic novels. Maus deals with a man's journey through the Holocaust, penned down by his son. He depicts the Jews as mice, the Nazis as cats, and some other types of characters through different such animals. This depiction, in a way, makes it easier to go through the narrative, which in itself could be so intense because of the underlying theme. At the same time, the book still manages to take you through the hardships faced by the Jews during the World War, and their journey as survivors, while bringing in light moments intermittently.It also highlights beautifully the relationship between a father and son - the differences in attitude not just on account of "generation gap", but also because of the difference in the kind of life led by the two men and how it changed their perspectives.This particular type of narrative I feel makes it a relatively easier introduction to this history for a younger audience as well. Persepolis, on the other hand, is the autobiography of an Iranian woman which covers her journey from childhood to adulthood during the Islamic revolution. It depicts the struggles of the people with a modern outlook in a country which was going through religious extremism, depicting these often through the mundane experiences of life. It depicts the struggles of that woman as a school going child, as a teen rebel, as she moved to Austria to escape the extremism and tried to adjust to a new lifestyle without her family. And it depicts her journey back home.In a way, it could be the story of any woman, at times every woman. At times, you are left to wonder how you would deal with such an adversity. But that doesn't really matter, because this is about the author's individual journey not yours. I am told by friends that I have possibly read the best of works in this genre, but I now also know that this is a genre I can, and really should explore. It has provided me with fresh insights. I have also been recommended Logicomix, which I now have to check out
I have always been a self professed fiction reader. For as long as I remember, I would always have a book in my hand to read during meal times, before I went to sleep... When I was smaller, it would be the abridged versions of books like Black Beauty and Heidi. As I grew older, I migrated to the unabridged versions of these books, added Enid Blyton and other such series, and probably so many more which I can't even think of right now. Somehow, the only non-fiction I read was restricted to school books, and the only comics were the likes of Chacha Chaudharys and Tinkles and Archies.Even as I grew older, I added a variety of fiction in different genres, but somehow non-fiction and comics just did not get added to the list.Now at 33, I came across these two gems, which were highly recommended to my sister by her friends. And I realized how lucky I was to come across such well executed works of non-fiction in the form of graphic novels. Maus deals with a man's journey through the Holocaust, penned down by his son. He depicts the Jews as mice, the Nazis as cats, and some other types of characters through different such animals. This depiction, in a way, makes it easier to go through the narrative, which in itself could be so intense because of the underlying theme. At the same time, the book still manages to take you through the hardships faced by the Jews during the World War, and their journey as survivors, while bringing in light moments intermittently.It also highlights beautifully the relationship between a father and son - the differences in attitude not just on account of "generation gap", but also because of the difference in the kind of life led by the two men and how it changed their perspectives.This particular type of narrative I feel makes it a relatively easier introduction to this history for a younger audience as well. Persepolis, on the other hand, is the autobiography of an Iranian woman which covers her journey from childhood to adulthood during the Islamic revolution. It depicts the struggles of the people with a modern outlook in a country which was going through religious extremism, depicting these often through the mundane experiences of life. It depicts the struggles of that woman as a school going child, as a teen rebel, as she moved to Austria to escape the extremism and tried to adjust to a new lifestyle without her family. And it depicts her journey back home.In a way, it could be the story of any woman, at times every woman. At times, you are left to wonder how you would deal with such an adversity. But that doesn't really matter, because this is about the author's individual journey not yours. I am told by friends that I have possibly read the best of works in this genre, but I now also know that this is a genre I can, and really should explore. It has provided me with fresh insights. I have also been recommended Logicomix, which I now have to check out
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