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The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain
I was born at the beginning of it all, on the Red side—the Communist side—of the Iron Curtain.
Through annotated illustrations, journals, maps, and dreamscapes, Peter Sís shows what life was like for a child who loved to draw, proudly wore the red scarf of a Young Pioneer, stood guard at the giant statue of Stalin, and believed whatever he was told to believe. But adolescence brought questions. Cracks began to appear in the Iron Curtain, and news from the West slowly filtered into the country. Sís learned about beat poetry, rock 'n' roll, blue jeans, and Coca-Cola. He let his hair grow long, secretly read banned books, and joined a rock band. Then came the Prague Spring of 1968, and for a teenager who wanted to see the world and meet the Beatles, this was a magical time. It was short-lived, however, brought to a sudden and brutal end by the Soviet-led invasion. But this brief flowering had provided a glimpse of new possibilities—creativity could be discouraged but not easily killed.
By joining memory and history, Sís takes us on his extraordinary journey: from infant with paintbrush in hand to young man borne aloft by the wings of his art.
Through annotated illustrations, journals, maps, and dreamscapes, Peter Sís shows what life was like for a child who loved to draw, proudly wore the red scarf of a Young Pioneer, stood guard at the giant statue of Stalin, and believed whatever he was told to believe. But adolescence brought questions. Cracks began to appear in the Iron Curtain, and news from the West slowly filtered into the country. Sís learned about beat poetry, rock 'n' roll, blue jeans, and Coca-Cola. He let his hair grow long, secretly read banned books, and joined a rock band. Then came the Prague Spring of 1968, and for a teenager who wanted to see the world and meet the Beatles, this was a magical time. It was short-lived, however, brought to a sudden and brutal end by the Soviet-led invasion. But this brief flowering had provided a glimpse of new possibilities—creativity could be discouraged but not easily killed.
By joining memory and history, Sís takes us on his extraordinary journey: from infant with paintbrush in hand to young man borne aloft by the wings of his art.
56 pages, Hardcover
First published August 21, 2007
About the author
Peter Sís
100 books223 followersPETER SÍS is an internationally acclaimed illustrator, filmmaker, painter and author. Born in 1949 in Brno, Czechoslovakia, and grew up in Prague. He studied painting and filmmaking at the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague and the Royal College of Art in London. His animated work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. He came to America in 1982, and now lives in New York's Hudson Valley with his family. Peter Sís is the first children's book artist to be named a MacArthur Fellow. In 2012 he won The Hans Christian Andersen Award.
His many distinguished books include Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei, Tibet: Through the Red Box, Madlenka, Rainbow Rhino, The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin, The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, and The Conference of the Birds.
His many distinguished books include Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei, Tibet: Through the Red Box, Madlenka, Rainbow Rhino, The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin, The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, and The Conference of the Birds.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 813 reviews
July 5, 2009
wow. i truly do underestimate the sophistication of childrens books. and even uninformed adults can learn things! (like i didnt know allen ginsberg had been deported from prague for subversion.)this book really does a good job of explaining to kids what it was like to live with so many restrictions and deprivations, and so much fear and caution. im not a great fan of the artwork, but i think it works really well with the story.
August 11, 2019
Life was tough in Czech during the cold war. It sounds like a very horrible way to live. They did have an opening up in Czech during 1968 and Western culture was let into the country and it changed the country forever. There were even able to travel into the west. The youth there embraced and yearned for the Western ideas. I learned an awful lot from this book.
Peter Sis basically gives us a biography of growing up behind the wall. That brainwashing during childhood sounds terrible, but it’s also obvious from the story that it didn’t last either. People longed for color and that feeling of being alive. Western music lifted their spirits. Things were so bleak there. The artwork is rather bleak being all black and white, but he does throw in some color to express those feelings of freedom. It’s very well done. I enjoyed the book.
The niece and nephew didn’t know what to make of this book. They couldn’t believe stuff like this could happen. Children telling on their parents and everyone being watched. They didn’t like how this felt. They thought it was a weird story. The nephew gave it 2 stars and the niece gave it 3 stars.
Peter Sis basically gives us a biography of growing up behind the wall. That brainwashing during childhood sounds terrible, but it’s also obvious from the story that it didn’t last either. People longed for color and that feeling of being alive. Western music lifted their spirits. Things were so bleak there. The artwork is rather bleak being all black and white, but he does throw in some color to express those feelings of freedom. It’s very well done. I enjoyed the book.
The niece and nephew didn’t know what to make of this book. They couldn’t believe stuff like this could happen. Children telling on their parents and everyone being watched. They didn’t like how this felt. They thought it was a weird story. The nephew gave it 2 stars and the niece gave it 3 stars.
June 13, 2022
Iron Curtain: The boundary that symbolically, ideologically, and physically divided Europe into two separate areas after World War II.
Cold War: The geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle that emerged between capitalism and communism from 1945 to 1991.
Communism: The ideology of the Soviet Union and other countries; a system of government in which the state controls all social and economic activity.
These basic terms lay the foundation for this graphic memoir, in which Sis recounts his childhood and adolescence in Soviet controlled Czechoslovakia. As a budding and talented artist, he eventually realizes how propaganda has blinded many (including himself) to the reality of a state controlled regime. Freedom was an idea he dreamed about and drew, especially during and after The Prague Spring.
Because of its size and shape, I mistook this for a children's picture book, and I was way wrong! This is a densely written and illustrated graphic memoir for young adults. Highly recommend!
Cold War: The geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle that emerged between capitalism and communism from 1945 to 1991.
Communism: The ideology of the Soviet Union and other countries; a system of government in which the state controls all social and economic activity.
These basic terms lay the foundation for this graphic memoir, in which Sis recounts his childhood and adolescence in Soviet controlled Czechoslovakia. As a budding and talented artist, he eventually realizes how propaganda has blinded many (including himself) to the reality of a state controlled regime. Freedom was an idea he dreamed about and drew, especially during and after The Prague Spring.
Because of its size and shape, I mistook this for a children's picture book, and I was way wrong! This is a densely written and illustrated graphic memoir for young adults. Highly recommend!
June 15, 2023
Please do note that while I am most definitely rather left of centre economically and therefore consider myself a social democrat, I have actually politically NEVER been in any manner enamoured of Communism (especially Stalinism), its state-run dictatorial collectivism and have therefore and for that very reason also always despised the dictatorships that proliferated behind the so-called Iron Curtain (in countries like the former East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Hungary, Poland et al).
And because I do tend to enjoy biographies and autobiographies, I was actually very much looking forward to reading Peter Sís’ The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, the award winning picture book about Sís’ childhood in Communist Stalinist Czechoslovakia. However, and frustratingly sadly, from the small amount of presented text in The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain which I have actually been physically able to easily peruse (for the font size of Peter Sís' narrative is in fact so problematically minuscule that even with my strongest reading glasses, I have had not only a considerable amount of trouble even figuring out the semantics, the meanings of many, of most of the words, I also ended up with a massive eye strain induced tension headache), I can only say with both head shaking and truly angry consternation that from its general tone, from its scope and presentation, its set-up and expression that Peter Sís’ The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain is really and in my opinion not all that much different from and thus not all that much better than Communist propaganda leaflets and books, that Peter Sís’ textual tone of voice, that his attitude whilst criticising and fighting against Communism, against Stalinism is at least for and to me so similar in feel and general scope, so alike and akin in extremism and one sidedness to the latter (to the Stalinism he claims to despise) that while reading The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, I was very uncomfortably and sadly often strongly reminded of the kind of words and expressions used by Erich Honecker, Nicolai Ceausescu, Marshall Tito et al (not so much economically, but yes indeed, politically and rhetorically).
And while I do in fact and indeed very much agree with the author's assessment of the Iron Curtain and in all ways totally share Peter Sís’ anger against Stalinism and what transpired post WWII in Central and Eastern Europe, Sís' massive onesidedness, his textual propagandistic didacticism, well it just makes me majorly cringe and despair (and to the extent that I have to now at least partially consider Peter Sís as a person, as an individual who at least politically seems to be rather extremist himself and in fact on that front very much akin to that and those whom he criticises and claims to condemn). And thus, only one star for The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, as aside from the to and for me supremely problematic and propaganda-heavy, didactic narrative tone of political voice, I am indeed also pretty much and totally sick and tired of the fact that Peter Sís continuously presents his picture book offerings in font sizes that in my opinion are generally easy to read only for those of us with proverbial eagle eyes (and while I did kind of enjoy the accompanying illustrations, they are not nearly enough for me to consider a higher personal star rating for The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, its Caldecott Honour designation notwithstanding).
And because I do tend to enjoy biographies and autobiographies, I was actually very much looking forward to reading Peter Sís’ The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, the award winning picture book about Sís’ childhood in Communist Stalinist Czechoslovakia. However, and frustratingly sadly, from the small amount of presented text in The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain which I have actually been physically able to easily peruse (for the font size of Peter Sís' narrative is in fact so problematically minuscule that even with my strongest reading glasses, I have had not only a considerable amount of trouble even figuring out the semantics, the meanings of many, of most of the words, I also ended up with a massive eye strain induced tension headache), I can only say with both head shaking and truly angry consternation that from its general tone, from its scope and presentation, its set-up and expression that Peter Sís’ The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain is really and in my opinion not all that much different from and thus not all that much better than Communist propaganda leaflets and books, that Peter Sís’ textual tone of voice, that his attitude whilst criticising and fighting against Communism, against Stalinism is at least for and to me so similar in feel and general scope, so alike and akin in extremism and one sidedness to the latter (to the Stalinism he claims to despise) that while reading The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, I was very uncomfortably and sadly often strongly reminded of the kind of words and expressions used by Erich Honecker, Nicolai Ceausescu, Marshall Tito et al (not so much economically, but yes indeed, politically and rhetorically).
And while I do in fact and indeed very much agree with the author's assessment of the Iron Curtain and in all ways totally share Peter Sís’ anger against Stalinism and what transpired post WWII in Central and Eastern Europe, Sís' massive onesidedness, his textual propagandistic didacticism, well it just makes me majorly cringe and despair (and to the extent that I have to now at least partially consider Peter Sís as a person, as an individual who at least politically seems to be rather extremist himself and in fact on that front very much akin to that and those whom he criticises and claims to condemn). And thus, only one star for The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, as aside from the to and for me supremely problematic and propaganda-heavy, didactic narrative tone of political voice, I am indeed also pretty much and totally sick and tired of the fact that Peter Sís continuously presents his picture book offerings in font sizes that in my opinion are generally easy to read only for those of us with proverbial eagle eyes (and while I did kind of enjoy the accompanying illustrations, they are not nearly enough for me to consider a higher personal star rating for The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, its Caldecott Honour designation notwithstanding).
August 15, 2007
Totalitarian regimes make for good children’s books. They just do. What could be more inherently exciting plot-wise than a world in which you never know who to trust? Where children report parents to the police and freedom and creativity are stifled under the boots of oppressors? That makes for good copy. This year alone we’ve the Cultural Revolution book, “The Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party” by Ying Chang Compestine and the much discussed Peter Sis title, “The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain.” “The Wall” brings together your standard gorgeous Peter Sis imagery with content that is sure to cause debate and interest. Though it’s not a book I would necessarily site as a personal favorite and that I have a couple issues with, I appreciate that Sis has created something worth discussing with kids, teens, and adults alike.
This is certainly an earnest book. Not humorless, but certainly gung ho in its love of all things American. It’s difficult to criticize a book on that basis since what Sis has gone through is unlike anything I could understand or appreciate. The book feels like a cathartic release but it lacks distance. There's a danger of the author being almost too close to his material. Compare “The Wall” to “Persepolis” and you see the difference. The content is similar but the approach varies wildly. Satrapi is part of the story and, at the same time, removed. She doesn’t simplify the story into strict terms, but instead allows the audience to draw their own conclusions based on the information she presents to you. I just don’t feel that Sis has done that here. He tells you what to think of the subject matter and when to think it. For example, without batting an eye he suggests that Europe is said to contain, “Truth. Integrity. Honor. Liberty. Virtue,” etc. while on the East side of the Berlin Wall there is only, “Envy. Stupidity. Lies,” and so forth. He has every right to do so, particularly when you consider that this may be an image of what the young Sis believed lay in the West rather than what was really there. Unfortunately, as it currently stands, the image suggests that the readership not draw their own conclusions and accept the “Virtue” on top of Western Europe and the “Envy” on top of the Eastern half. Even the oppressors are featured with pig noses rather than looking like average everyday joes. How much more interesting it might have been to make the bad guys as human as the good guys. How much more interesting if, like Satrapi, he'd been able to take that one baby step backwards and not tell us what to believe.
Sis hasn’t won a Caldecott Award proper quite yet. He’s been honored for “Tibet Through the Red Box” and “Starry Messenger” (not “Tree of Life”, bizarrely) but “The Wall” is bound to be the best bet he’s had yet. It’s a beautiful book and no one is going to contest that. Shoot, it’s already gotten at least four starred reviews in professional journals and is bound to garner some more. Come award season it’ll sweep the nominations and everyone will get to hear a lovely Peter Sis speech (he’s a very good public speaker) and it will all be lovely and droll. I don’t object to the book winning, but I do wish the heavy hand guiding it could have trusted the audience a little and not spelled out its message quite so blatantly (i.e. “America to the rescue”). It’s quite an accomplishment but one that could have stood a drop of irony in the mix.
This is certainly an earnest book. Not humorless, but certainly gung ho in its love of all things American. It’s difficult to criticize a book on that basis since what Sis has gone through is unlike anything I could understand or appreciate. The book feels like a cathartic release but it lacks distance. There's a danger of the author being almost too close to his material. Compare “The Wall” to “Persepolis” and you see the difference. The content is similar but the approach varies wildly. Satrapi is part of the story and, at the same time, removed. She doesn’t simplify the story into strict terms, but instead allows the audience to draw their own conclusions based on the information she presents to you. I just don’t feel that Sis has done that here. He tells you what to think of the subject matter and when to think it. For example, without batting an eye he suggests that Europe is said to contain, “Truth. Integrity. Honor. Liberty. Virtue,” etc. while on the East side of the Berlin Wall there is only, “Envy. Stupidity. Lies,” and so forth. He has every right to do so, particularly when you consider that this may be an image of what the young Sis believed lay in the West rather than what was really there. Unfortunately, as it currently stands, the image suggests that the readership not draw their own conclusions and accept the “Virtue” on top of Western Europe and the “Envy” on top of the Eastern half. Even the oppressors are featured with pig noses rather than looking like average everyday joes. How much more interesting it might have been to make the bad guys as human as the good guys. How much more interesting if, like Satrapi, he'd been able to take that one baby step backwards and not tell us what to believe.
Sis hasn’t won a Caldecott Award proper quite yet. He’s been honored for “Tibet Through the Red Box” and “Starry Messenger” (not “Tree of Life”, bizarrely) but “The Wall” is bound to be the best bet he’s had yet. It’s a beautiful book and no one is going to contest that. Shoot, it’s already gotten at least four starred reviews in professional journals and is bound to garner some more. Come award season it’ll sweep the nominations and everyone will get to hear a lovely Peter Sis speech (he’s a very good public speaker) and it will all be lovely and droll. I don’t object to the book winning, but I do wish the heavy hand guiding it could have trusted the audience a little and not spelled out its message quite so blatantly (i.e. “America to the rescue”). It’s quite an accomplishment but one that could have stood a drop of irony in the mix.
February 15, 2014
This book is simply fantastic.
For anyone who wants to know what life was really like growing up behind the iron curtain in general, or more specifically in Czechoslovakia.
For anyone who wants their kids to know what communism really means.
For anyone who enjoys wonderfully perceptive drawings, however crude or complex, with minimal, but telling text.
For anyone who grew up in the 50s-70s who knew something about what was happening in eastern Europe then, but did/does not quite know for sure.
For anyone who wants to know how the Soviet Union kept control of this country, and several others for 40 years, but then lost it.
For anyone who thinks socialism works, or is the wave of the future or is inevitable.
I recommend this book for you. Buy it, read it (in about 30-60 minutes), discuss it with anyone, give a copy to a friend and cherish it. It is brilliant.
For anyone who wants to know what life was really like growing up behind the iron curtain in general, or more specifically in Czechoslovakia.
For anyone who wants their kids to know what communism really means.
For anyone who enjoys wonderfully perceptive drawings, however crude or complex, with minimal, but telling text.
For anyone who grew up in the 50s-70s who knew something about what was happening in eastern Europe then, but did/does not quite know for sure.
For anyone who wants to know how the Soviet Union kept control of this country, and several others for 40 years, but then lost it.
For anyone who thinks socialism works, or is the wave of the future or is inevitable.
I recommend this book for you. Buy it, read it (in about 30-60 minutes), discuss it with anyone, give a copy to a friend and cherish it. It is brilliant.
October 22, 2018
"Mami, a co jsou to ty komunisti?"
Když s tímhle přijde Vaše sedmiletá dcera, tak co uděláte? My sáhli po téhle knížce, kterou jsme měli uloženou na později (až děti dorostou) a která se najednou opravdu hodila. Překvapilo mě, že oba naši prcci u ní vydrželi od začátku do konce, ptali se a do kolen mě dostal pětiletý syn, který na obrázek tanku z šedesátého osmého prohlásil, že "to bylo, jak jsme dávali v létě ty kytičky, že jo." Pyšnější a dojatější matku byste v ten okamžik asi nenašli :-)
Síse mám všeobecně hodně ráda, ale jeho knížky jsem si zatím spíš kupovala pro sebe s tím, že děti do nich za pár let dorostou a k mému překvapení fungují už teď. Speciálně Zeď je pak výjimečná v tom, že člověk tohle všechno prožil - my reálně až tu poslední třetinu příběhu, Sís je generace našich rodičů, ale i tak je najednou zase "doma".
Na sdílenou zkušenost s dětmi naprosto skvělá kniha. Vím, že se k ní budeme ještě několikrát vracet a já neodolám a občas si ji otevřu jen sama pro sebe. Bez zaváhání plný počet hvězdiček.
Kontext: Jedno z nejlepších odpolední s dětmi za hodně dlouhou dobu - kdo by to čekal, že to bude zrovna u politiky a historie. Ale ono asi spíš zafungovalo "A jak to bylo, když si byla malá, mami?"
Když s tímhle přijde Vaše sedmiletá dcera, tak co uděláte? My sáhli po téhle knížce, kterou jsme měli uloženou na později (až děti dorostou) a která se najednou opravdu hodila. Překvapilo mě, že oba naši prcci u ní vydrželi od začátku do konce, ptali se a do kolen mě dostal pětiletý syn, který na obrázek tanku z šedesátého osmého prohlásil, že "to bylo, jak jsme dávali v létě ty kytičky, že jo." Pyšnější a dojatější matku byste v ten okamžik asi nenašli :-)
Síse mám všeobecně hodně ráda, ale jeho knížky jsem si zatím spíš kupovala pro sebe s tím, že děti do nich za pár let dorostou a k mému překvapení fungují už teď. Speciálně Zeď je pak výjimečná v tom, že člověk tohle všechno prožil - my reálně až tu poslední třetinu příběhu, Sís je generace našich rodičů, ale i tak je najednou zase "doma".
Na sdílenou zkušenost s dětmi naprosto skvělá kniha. Vím, že se k ní budeme ještě několikrát vracet a já neodolám a občas si ji otevřu jen sama pro sebe. Bez zaváhání plný počet hvězdiček.
Kontext: Jedno z nejlepších odpolední s dětmi za hodně dlouhou dobu - kdo by to čekal, že to bude zrovna u politiky a historie. Ale ono asi spíš zafungovalo "A jak to bylo, když si byla malá, mami?"
October 31, 2008
Caldecott honor book and winner of the Robert Sibert Medal this incredibly detailed book functions on a number of levels. It is simultaneously; a written history of Czechoslovakia twice invaded by the Soviets, an autobiography of the author’s life behind the Iron Curtain and a graphic novel detailing historical and personal events.
This book could be used by grades 4th through High School. The detailed pictures represent historical and biographical events clearly from a personal perspective. The text comes in two formats, simple descriptive captions at the bottom of each page and detailed journal entries giving more information about the author and others who lived behind the Iron Curtain. The pictures and drawings openly depict the danger and repression faced by invaded Czechoslovakia on a daily basis.
Most importantly this book allows readers with a wide range of reading styles and abilities to access the same historical information. I would definitely recommend this as a personal read or use it as a group resource where I knew or suspected reading levels would vary.
Reviews:
1) Booklist starred (September 1, 2007 (Vol. 104, No. 1))
“Grades 7-10. a powerful combination of graphic novel and picture book….., Written in several stands, the somewhat fragmented narrative never dilutes the impact of the boldly composed panels depicting scenes from Sís’ infancy through young adulthood.” …younger readers may lose interest as the story moves past his childhood, and most will lack crucial historical context. But this will certainly grab teens..”
2) Kirkus Review starred (July 15, 2007)
“As in all of S's's works, much is going on here, and readers will want to read it through, and then pore over the illustrations. A masterpiece for readers young and old. (afterword) (Nonfiction. 8+)”
3) Publishers Weekly (July 9, 2007)
“Younger readers have not yet had a graphic memoir with the power of Maus or Persepolis to call their own, but they do now. Ages 8-up.”
Despite the difference in age recommendation I find these reviews very useful in deciding how, when and if to use this book
This book could be used by grades 4th through High School. The detailed pictures represent historical and biographical events clearly from a personal perspective. The text comes in two formats, simple descriptive captions at the bottom of each page and detailed journal entries giving more information about the author and others who lived behind the Iron Curtain. The pictures and drawings openly depict the danger and repression faced by invaded Czechoslovakia on a daily basis.
Most importantly this book allows readers with a wide range of reading styles and abilities to access the same historical information. I would definitely recommend this as a personal read or use it as a group resource where I knew or suspected reading levels would vary.
Reviews:
1) Booklist starred (September 1, 2007 (Vol. 104, No. 1))
“Grades 7-10. a powerful combination of graphic novel and picture book….., Written in several stands, the somewhat fragmented narrative never dilutes the impact of the boldly composed panels depicting scenes from Sís’ infancy through young adulthood.” …younger readers may lose interest as the story moves past his childhood, and most will lack crucial historical context. But this will certainly grab teens..”
2) Kirkus Review starred (July 15, 2007)
“As in all of S's's works, much is going on here, and readers will want to read it through, and then pore over the illustrations. A masterpiece for readers young and old. (afterword) (Nonfiction. 8+)”
3) Publishers Weekly (July 9, 2007)
“Younger readers have not yet had a graphic memoir with the power of Maus or Persepolis to call their own, but they do now. Ages 8-up.”
Despite the difference in age recommendation I find these reviews very useful in deciding how, when and if to use this book
February 13, 2019
о боже, їм не дозволяли вивішувати західних прапорів.
(гаразд, це, мабуть, найкумедніше бідкання в усій книжці, але воно там є – і того достатньо).
(гаразд, це, мабуть, найкумедніше бідкання в усій книжці, але воно там є – і того достатньо).
July 6, 2009
This is kind of like a Kundera novel for kids, but told with lots of pictures and not so many words. Better than some of the Kundera books I have read, like say Immortality, but not others. Is it right to even be comparing Kundera to a children's book? Not growing up in a totalitarian regime, I don't really know what it is like, and I have a feeling that compared to even a sliver of what life was like under Soviet rule the freedoms of the West are glorious, but there is quite a bit of almost cold-war era propaganda seeming to go on in this book. An us and them kind of dichotomy that makes me feel uneasy, and a little fearful about the old uncritical rah-rah of American and Western freedoms being given in a diluted form to kids. I thought we were past this kind of cold war ideology being forced on kids, but then I have to think that this is one man's experience, and that kids really don't necessarily need to be exposed to the reality of American imperialism.
I liked the artwork though.
I liked the artwork though.
March 22, 2021
"Стіна" — цікава книжка, з якої можна почати розмову про "залізну завісу" і "холодну війну" через призму чехословацького досвіду.
Також "Стіна" — цікава книжка про маленького хлопчика, який зростав в умовах жорсткого контролю. Багато з того, що сучасним дітям здається "зрозумілим" чи "очевидним" (як свобода віросповідання, право на протест) було забороненим офіційно або маркованим владними структурами як "шкідливе" чи "неприпустиме". Тож, якщо ви — вчитель_ка (як я), то можна вибудувати діалог-порівняння: чи має дитина свободу самовираження? чи може вона вільно обирати релігію? чи може вона відкрито висловлювати незгоду з пануючим порядком, якщо він їй не подобається?
Або ви можете запропонувати обговорити книжку з батьками або опікунами, бабусями й дідусями та запропонувати порівняти їхні дитинства з дитинством головного героя.
Усі ці вправи будуть дуже цікавими як для учнів, так і для їхніх батьків чи опікунів.
Графічно книга втілена дуже гарно. Оформлення обкладинки нагадує самвидав (корінець немов прошитий вручну нитками, тло — звичайний коричневий картон, значна частина підписів зроблена "від руки"). Тому в контексті цієї книжка можна також поговорити про самвидав.
Та, якщо будете (як я) нести до школи свій примірник, то маєте бути готовими до неминучих її пошкоджень (вони з'являться нізвідки, випадково, навіть якщо ви будете контролювати процес читання).
Сподіваюся, ця книжка з'явиться у шкільних бібліотеках!
Також "Стіна" — цікава книжка про маленького хлопчика, який зростав в умовах жорсткого контролю. Багато з того, що сучасним дітям здається "зрозумілим" чи "очевидним" (як свобода віросповідання, право на протест) було забороненим офіційно або маркованим владними структурами як "шкідливе" чи "неприпустиме". Тож, якщо ви — вчитель_ка (як я), то можна вибудувати діалог-порівняння: чи має дитина свободу самовираження? чи може вона вільно обирати релігію? чи може вона відкрито висловлювати незгоду з пануючим порядком, якщо він їй не подобається?
Або ви можете запропонувати обговорити книжку з батьками або опікунами, бабусями й дідусями та запропонувати порівняти їхні дитинства з дитинством головного героя.
Усі ці вправи будуть дуже цікавими як для учнів, так і для їхніх батьків чи опікунів.
Графічно книга втілена дуже гарно. Оформлення обкладинки нагадує самвидав (корінець немов прошитий вручну нитками, тло — звичайний коричневий картон, значна частина підписів зроблена "від руки"). Тому в контексті цієї книжка можна також поговорити про самвидав.
Та, якщо будете (як я) нести до школи свій примірник, то маєте бути готовими до неминучих її пошкоджень (вони з'являться нізвідки, випадково, навіть якщо ви будете контролювати процес читання).
Сподіваюся, ця книжка з'явиться у шкільних бібліотеках!
December 5, 2021
kitabın görsellerini harika, üslubunu yer yer fazla didaktik, içeriğini ise özgün olmaktan hayli uzak buldum. evet, sís'in yaşam öyküsüne ve çekoslovakya'da, demir perdenin ardında çocuk olmaya dair birçok kişisel detay var, ama bence bu detaylar alışılageldik doğu bloku anlatısına yeni bir şey eklemeye yetmemiş, yazar "aa benim resmim iyi, aynısını bi de çizerek anlatayım" demiş gibi daha çok.
February 5, 2009
As I read The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis, I was thinking back to my visit to Prague a few years ago and tried to imagine what it must have been like to grow up there when Peter Sis did. The Prague I saw was nothing like the government controlled, society censored, and creativity crusher that he describes in this intricate story. When I was in Prague, it was as if the citizens were making up for all the lost time under Communist rule. Women in provocative clothes propositioned everyone who walked by, including me. The shops were wallpapered with t-shirts sporting Western bands and famous people; some t-shirts were subtle with sexual entendre, but a majority were boldly sporting naked bodies and overt sexual positions or comments. There was electricity in the air, and the people of Prague seemed genuinely happy and good-natured. I thought then that there seemed to be a party atmosphere, and had I read The Wall before going, I would've understood why I had that impression. It was almost as if they were basking in freedom, making up for lost time. I walked miles around Prague, engaged in conversation with the locals, bought beautiful crystals, and watched the astronomical clock chime on the hour, and thought what a charming place it was. A typical tourist without any appreciation for the people of Czechoslovakia had been through.
After reading Peter Sis' book, I'm embarrassed that I didn't know how oppressed people under Communist rule really were, and I did not appreciate the history of such a beautiful place while I was there. I'm embarrassed that I didn't know people who lived behind the Iron Curtain were denied art, music, and books. I'm horrified that people were spied on and turned in to the government by suspicious neighbors. I grew up during the Cold War, but it was one of those things that existed in the background of American children. We knew Communists were bad, but I never really got it. What a history lesson The Wall was for me! I was immediately captivated with the first words, "1948. The Soviets take control of Czechoslovakia and close the borders," and hung on every word after that. I could almost hear an iron door slam. As I began reading the pictures -- and that is what one will do with this book, I was drawn in first by the shot of red in each picture. It became a sort of Where's Waldo of the Wall. Where will the Reds appear? My eyes would wander over the incredible detail in each picture, and I'd marvel at the intricacies of each picture. The story is extraordinary -- descriptive, yet simple enough to understand, moving at a pace that grips the reader. Combined with the concise text, I found myself on the edge of my seat reading it intently. Three times it took me to make sure I was seeing everything I needed to see in his pictures, and each time I saw a new detail and new information.
I recently read Snow by Uri Shulevitz to my Kindergarten and 1st graders. It was during the first snowfall of the season, so I went to my shelves and pulled out this Caldecott Honor Book. I remember thinking what a perfect book it was for that day. The pictures in Snow are primarily gray and stark, and we were having a gray Chicago day. Swollen snow was starting to come down and gather on the frozen ground. Everything around us was dull. At the time we had fun counting the snowflakes on the pages, looking at how creepy some of the pictures were, and commenting about how excited the children were that it was starting to snow outside in their world, just like the little boy in the book. But after reading The Wall, I have a totally different perception of Snow. The village looks like a Russian village under Communist rule. Like The Wall, there is very little color and what color is on the pages of these books expresses generally the joy,happiness and imagination of a child. Snow was first published in 1998 -- which surprised me because I was convinced it had been published in the 1950s and had been reprinted. The book gives a very distinct feel that it took place decades earlier -- during the Cold War. I can't help but wonder if Shulevitz was writing a metaphor for the same period of time that The Wall takes place. (I'm probably really late to this ah-ha moment.)
I highly recommend both of these books -- perhaps even together, in a lesson about the Cold War. Adults and children who read these books will get a very good picture -- literally -- of what it was like to live behind the Iron Curtain.
After reading Peter Sis' book, I'm embarrassed that I didn't know how oppressed people under Communist rule really were, and I did not appreciate the history of such a beautiful place while I was there. I'm embarrassed that I didn't know people who lived behind the Iron Curtain were denied art, music, and books. I'm horrified that people were spied on and turned in to the government by suspicious neighbors. I grew up during the Cold War, but it was one of those things that existed in the background of American children. We knew Communists were bad, but I never really got it. What a history lesson The Wall was for me! I was immediately captivated with the first words, "1948. The Soviets take control of Czechoslovakia and close the borders," and hung on every word after that. I could almost hear an iron door slam. As I began reading the pictures -- and that is what one will do with this book, I was drawn in first by the shot of red in each picture. It became a sort of Where's Waldo of the Wall. Where will the Reds appear? My eyes would wander over the incredible detail in each picture, and I'd marvel at the intricacies of each picture. The story is extraordinary -- descriptive, yet simple enough to understand, moving at a pace that grips the reader. Combined with the concise text, I found myself on the edge of my seat reading it intently. Three times it took me to make sure I was seeing everything I needed to see in his pictures, and each time I saw a new detail and new information.
I recently read Snow by Uri Shulevitz to my Kindergarten and 1st graders. It was during the first snowfall of the season, so I went to my shelves and pulled out this Caldecott Honor Book. I remember thinking what a perfect book it was for that day. The pictures in Snow are primarily gray and stark, and we were having a gray Chicago day. Swollen snow was starting to come down and gather on the frozen ground. Everything around us was dull. At the time we had fun counting the snowflakes on the pages, looking at how creepy some of the pictures were, and commenting about how excited the children were that it was starting to snow outside in their world, just like the little boy in the book. But after reading The Wall, I have a totally different perception of Snow. The village looks like a Russian village under Communist rule. Like The Wall, there is very little color and what color is on the pages of these books expresses generally the joy,happiness and imagination of a child. Snow was first published in 1998 -- which surprised me because I was convinced it had been published in the 1950s and had been reprinted. The book gives a very distinct feel that it took place decades earlier -- during the Cold War. I can't help but wonder if Shulevitz was writing a metaphor for the same period of time that The Wall takes place. (I'm probably really late to this ah-ha moment.)
I highly recommend both of these books -- perhaps even together, in a lesson about the Cold War. Adults and children who read these books will get a very good picture -- literally -- of what it was like to live behind the Iron Curtain.
March 18, 2015
It goes without saying The Wall is a valuable history lesson, but also a blueprint for an emotional story of a young man whose imagination and creativity allowed him to endure the times of political hardship. The colours in the book are one of the main sources of emotional messages. The red Soviet star symbolises an utter subordination of the people controlled by the political apparatus and the red colour seems to be present in all the pictures of the boy’s childhood, which means the domestic life in those times was permeated by the political forces. The title page is also highly metaphorical – a brick wall enclosed by barbed wire also conveys a sense of imprisonment and perpetual confinement. The boy’s pictures are always colourful, while the reality shrivels in gray hues, even the drawings the children are creating at school are vibrant in colours - a sign that a child’s imagination is a powerful force.
The figure of the father suddenly becomes transformed into a pig-resembling human, as, in fact, do all the people who comply with the political terror. The boy, however, always remains his own man. The visual narrative is conducted in manifold techniques – the diary pages are an example of the interconnection of text and picture, the photographs, drawings and various pictures illustrating a gradual growth of the main character. Peter Sis lets the reader into the intimate world of his personal development. The text concerning historical developments is interspersed with the narrative on the boy’s story, which creates an intriguing juxtaposition between the ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ life of the boy and his coping with reality by dint of imagination. The boy is initially influenced by the system, the first diary pages show how mechanically he repeats what everybody around him is saying, but his perception and opinions undergo radical changes.
The Western influence bolsters his inspiration for a change, that is also illustrated by the vertigo picture of change and the revolutionary changes in culture and politics that the year 1968 induced. The diary records a consistent shift in his attitude, he becomes creatively and politically active. The picture of the labirynth with red tanks is striking along with the allusion to Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream,” which conveys a sense of terror and fear. The narrative is usually placed within the “comic strip” order of pictures, but whenever something happens that is momentous - the concert, the process of brainwashing, 1968, the tanks - the pictures become bigger in size to show a sense of scale, awe and sheer emotion.
In conclusion, it is a worthy lesson of history worth recommending to everybody. Peter Sis manages to blend history and personal narrative, conjuring a nostalgic ambience combined with political relevance.
The figure of the father suddenly becomes transformed into a pig-resembling human, as, in fact, do all the people who comply with the political terror. The boy, however, always remains his own man. The visual narrative is conducted in manifold techniques – the diary pages are an example of the interconnection of text and picture, the photographs, drawings and various pictures illustrating a gradual growth of the main character. Peter Sis lets the reader into the intimate world of his personal development. The text concerning historical developments is interspersed with the narrative on the boy’s story, which creates an intriguing juxtaposition between the ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ life of the boy and his coping with reality by dint of imagination. The boy is initially influenced by the system, the first diary pages show how mechanically he repeats what everybody around him is saying, but his perception and opinions undergo radical changes.
The Western influence bolsters his inspiration for a change, that is also illustrated by the vertigo picture of change and the revolutionary changes in culture and politics that the year 1968 induced. The diary records a consistent shift in his attitude, he becomes creatively and politically active. The picture of the labirynth with red tanks is striking along with the allusion to Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream,” which conveys a sense of terror and fear. The narrative is usually placed within the “comic strip” order of pictures, but whenever something happens that is momentous - the concert, the process of brainwashing, 1968, the tanks - the pictures become bigger in size to show a sense of scale, awe and sheer emotion.
In conclusion, it is a worthy lesson of history worth recommending to everybody. Peter Sis manages to blend history and personal narrative, conjuring a nostalgic ambience combined with political relevance.
January 10, 2022
З одного боку - ця книжка про те, як люди жили/виживали за часів СРСР. Дуже страшно, дуже важко та не вільно. З іншого боку - це історія мешканця Праги, Чехословаччина.
Не правильно мірятися історичними травмами... та все ж радянська влада до чехів ставилася "терпиміше", ніж до нас, українців. Якби Сіс був українцем, то усі сторінки книжки бу��и б червоними як кров 🩸. Коли автор писав, що усіх ЗАСТАВЛЯЛИ вчити російську - хотілося сміятися. Бо ж не забороняли чеську? Не винищували чехів за те, що ті є чехами?
Ця книжка - цікавий досвід, який не треба порівнювати з українським. Так простіше співчувати іншим народам.
Не правильно мірятися історичними травмами... та все ж радянська влада до чехів ставилася "терпиміше", ніж до нас, українців. Якби Сіс був українцем, то усі сторінки книжки бу��и б червоними як кров 🩸. Коли автор писав, що усіх ЗАСТАВЛЯЛИ вчити російську - хотілося сміятися. Бо ж не забороняли чеську? Не винищували чехів за те, що ті є чехами?
Ця книжка - цікавий досвід, який не треба порівнювати з українським. Так простіше співчувати іншим народам.
December 30, 2019
Skvělé kresby Petra Síse, doplněné jeho vlastní chůzí za zdí, kolem ní i skrz ni. Jeho život v kostce, část historie Československa též. Rychlé, přímé, srozumitelné. Skvělé. Jak pro děti, tak i jejich rodiče, kteří můžou skvěle ilustrovanu knihu pojmout jako příručku k vlastnímu vypravování, k přiblížení doby ne tak zcela dávné.
February 22, 2021
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain is a picturebook memoir of an artist growing up in Prague, Czechoslovakia during the 1950s-1970s under the Soviet Union regime.
Peter Sís offers a lot of interesting historical facts about the Soviet life in a hybrid picturebook-graphic novel format and additional personal stories, observations, and real photos illustrating the author's changing perspective in a diary format.
At times, the message in The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain felt a bit simplistic and one-sided (The West, The Good vs. The Soviet Union, The Evil) as well as heavy-handed (e.g., Soviet officials as pigs). Though I can see how the author felt that way while living in occupied Prague...
Finally, Peter Sís' illustrations are as detailed as ever and mostly black-and-white with some spare, intentional use of color.
Peter Sís offers a lot of interesting historical facts about the Soviet life in a hybrid picturebook-graphic novel format and additional personal stories, observations, and real photos illustrating the author's changing perspective in a diary format.
At times, the message in The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain felt a bit simplistic and one-sided (The West, The Good vs. The Soviet Union, The Evil) as well as heavy-handed (e.g., Soviet officials as pigs). Though I can see how the author felt that way while living in occupied Prague...
Finally, Peter Sís' illustrations are as detailed as ever and mostly black-and-white with some spare, intentional use of color.
July 20, 2009
I'm not a huge fan of Peter Sis, I do that ubiquitous "I appreciate his work but don't really enjoy it personally thing" that I hope covers me should not loving him be the un-cool thing I kind of think it is. One of the things I don't like about his work is it is usually soooooo wordy. To me, his picture books feel like a pregnant woman in their 11th month. Just too much of a good thing.
BUT this book.
This book was just the opposite. I was wishing it were longer, not in words necessarily but in pages. I loved the graphic novel feel it conveyed and wished it were extended. That being said, I think this book does an amazing job of conveying what a child/teenager's hazy sense of politics may have been during the cold war years. It does not get bogged down in boring political speak but rather focuses on how the political changes affected Sis's immediate world and more importantly his perspective on the world.
Occasionally I remember the cold war propaganda that was presented to us in jr. high/high school and I look back and realize how f*%** up it was of adults to repeatedly remind us students of the threat of nuclear war, the posters that showed how many war heads we had and "they" had, how any tiny percentage of those could blow up the earth 10 times over. The films, "the morning after" that students watched with horror and recalled with horrific detail to those of us that were to scarred to watch in the first place, etc, etc, and I think what a spectacular job the schools did of creating a situation that allowed us to forget that what existed on the other side of those war heads were also people (kids, families, schools, etc) and instead allowed us to focus only on the weapons and the fear.
And it's ironic because I believe that many of the teachers that shared this "information" with us did it in an attempt to create a generation of concerned citizens that would later march the streets, write the letters or become the leaders to undo this horrifically scary reality we were facing and yet all they really did was scare the beejesus out of us and make us (or me anyway) worry about how/if WE could survive a nuclear fallout (I mean the cockroaches can - so there must be some way we can - right?).
I believe whole heartedly that books like Peter Sis's: "simple", honest books about the day to day realities of life for them so so much more to create a sense of hope, willingness and desire to find solutions to a bad situation rather than protect ourselves from it.
Please do not misunderstand my review as a statement that this book is some how preachy or directly addressing the topic of ending conflict. It is not. It is a book about one boys experience, in all it's haziness as a young/young child to it's growing clarity and frustration as he becomes a teenager. The rest are the rambling thoughts that occur when the words from a good book are over and the story is left with you.
BUT this book.
This book was just the opposite. I was wishing it were longer, not in words necessarily but in pages. I loved the graphic novel feel it conveyed and wished it were extended. That being said, I think this book does an amazing job of conveying what a child/teenager's hazy sense of politics may have been during the cold war years. It does not get bogged down in boring political speak but rather focuses on how the political changes affected Sis's immediate world and more importantly his perspective on the world.
Occasionally I remember the cold war propaganda that was presented to us in jr. high/high school and I look back and realize how f*%** up it was of adults to repeatedly remind us students of the threat of nuclear war, the posters that showed how many war heads we had and "they" had, how any tiny percentage of those could blow up the earth 10 times over. The films, "the morning after" that students watched with horror and recalled with horrific detail to those of us that were to scarred to watch in the first place, etc, etc, and I think what a spectacular job the schools did of creating a situation that allowed us to forget that what existed on the other side of those war heads were also people (kids, families, schools, etc) and instead allowed us to focus only on the weapons and the fear.
And it's ironic because I believe that many of the teachers that shared this "information" with us did it in an attempt to create a generation of concerned citizens that would later march the streets, write the letters or become the leaders to undo this horrifically scary reality we were facing and yet all they really did was scare the beejesus out of us and make us (or me anyway) worry about how/if WE could survive a nuclear fallout (I mean the cockroaches can - so there must be some way we can - right?).
I believe whole heartedly that books like Peter Sis's: "simple", honest books about the day to day realities of life for them so so much more to create a sense of hope, willingness and desire to find solutions to a bad situation rather than protect ourselves from it.
Please do not misunderstand my review as a statement that this book is some how preachy or directly addressing the topic of ending conflict. It is not. It is a book about one boys experience, in all it's haziness as a young/young child to it's growing clarity and frustration as he becomes a teenager. The rest are the rambling thoughts that occur when the words from a good book are over and the story is left with you.
February 3, 2020
• Genre: Diverse
• Awards:
o Caldecott Honor Book
o The Robert F. Sibert Medal
• Audience:
o Ages 8+
• Summary
o Peter Sis shares a look into his experiences growing up behind the Iron Curtain, on the communist side of the Berlin Wall through annotated illustrations, personal journal entries, as well as maps and dreamscapes.
• A. What culture is emphasized in this story?
o The culture within Eastern Berlin during the Cold War.
• B. What culture events or customs are discussed?
o The communist control of Eastern Germany during the Soviet Unions rule.
• C. Evaluate how the author portrayed the culture in the story- positively or negatively?
o Peter Sis portrays the majority of the events during this time negatively, because it impacted his life as well as the people around him very poorly. These were hard times for his family and his people. The cultural growth of his people was crushed by the communist regime controlling their area.
• Awards:
o Caldecott Honor Book
o The Robert F. Sibert Medal
• Audience:
o Ages 8+
• Summary
o Peter Sis shares a look into his experiences growing up behind the Iron Curtain, on the communist side of the Berlin Wall through annotated illustrations, personal journal entries, as well as maps and dreamscapes.
• A. What culture is emphasized in this story?
o The culture within Eastern Berlin during the Cold War.
• B. What culture events or customs are discussed?
o The communist control of Eastern Germany during the Soviet Unions rule.
• C. Evaluate how the author portrayed the culture in the story- positively or negatively?
o Peter Sis portrays the majority of the events during this time negatively, because it impacted his life as well as the people around him very poorly. These were hard times for his family and his people. The cultural growth of his people was crushed by the communist regime controlling their area.
November 23, 2013
This is the first 1-star I gave to a Caldecott Honor books. I'm terribly disappointed this book made the list and the fact that it did made me rather angry, and here's why. This book is no better than the propaganda the communist states put up. How is this book ever of any benefit to children reading Caldecotts? Let us go through it point by point.
1) The illustrations: mediocre at best, nothing special, nothing that would spur a child's imagination.
2) The text: confusing, there are smaller text on the margin, possibly for the adult reader. Bigger text telling the other story about the author at the bottom of the page.
3) The content: What the freaking freak? It talks about political indoctrination, compulsory education, reporting on parents -- this is WAY WAY beyond what a child reading at this level should be exposed to. It is preachy and makes me think of what a Western anti-Soviet cold war propaganda pamphlet would read like.
Before someone steps in with the viewpoint that children should be exposed to everything in the world, not just nice pretty colorful things, I agree with you completely. But there are ways to write a children book about a weighty subject without getting political, without proselytizing, without treating children with such disrespect, for lack of a better word. I have reviewed another book that addressed an equally serious topic, war and displacement caused by war: How I learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz. That book is an example how to do serious subject RIGHT! Without politics, without propaganda, without a ham-fisted unnuanced expounding on a sensitive subject. I can't help but feel whatever committee selected this book for Caldecott Honor did so out of an obligation to be politically correct. I do not recommend this book for children at all.
1) The illustrations: mediocre at best, nothing special, nothing that would spur a child's imagination.
2) The text: confusing, there are smaller text on the margin, possibly for the adult reader. Bigger text telling the other story about the author at the bottom of the page.
3) The content: What the freaking freak? It talks about political indoctrination, compulsory education, reporting on parents -- this is WAY WAY beyond what a child reading at this level should be exposed to. It is preachy and makes me think of what a Western anti-Soviet cold war propaganda pamphlet would read like.
Before someone steps in with the viewpoint that children should be exposed to everything in the world, not just nice pretty colorful things, I agree with you completely. But there are ways to write a children book about a weighty subject without getting political, without proselytizing, without treating children with such disrespect, for lack of a better word. I have reviewed another book that addressed an equally serious topic, war and displacement caused by war: How I learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz. That book is an example how to do serious subject RIGHT! Without politics, without propaganda, without a ham-fisted unnuanced expounding on a sensitive subject. I can't help but feel whatever committee selected this book for Caldecott Honor did so out of an obligation to be politically correct. I do not recommend this book for children at all.
August 10, 2011
I get to teach an elective on graphic novels this year, so I've just started to read some novels/books/comics that are appropriate for middle school kids. I liked the format of this book, but to be honest, I was a little disturbed by its representation of America and the West. I can see how growing up behind the Iron Curtain it would be appropriate to label the East in black and white with words like "stupidity/suspicion/injustice/corruption/terror/fear/envy/lies" and the West all in color with words like "truth/integrity/inspiration/joy/freedom/wisdom/happiness/equality/knowledge/trust/honor/virtue/benevolence," as this author does. I just wish there was a disclaimer at the end. Something like, "When I got to the United States I found out it wasn't as completely perfect as I'd imagined it and still had some problems, but still really great and better than the oppressive Communist regime under which I used to live." I guess I'm saying that I understand that this was his reality growing up in Czechoslovakia, but I don't think it's healthy for American kids - or any of us - to believe that America is an absolutely perfect bastion of goodness and morality and beauty and equality and virtue. I think this point of view, especially right now and in the wake of some post 9/11 Bush/Republican/Glenn Beck/Tea Party rhetoric, can be dangerous ideology for us. Lovely book overall, but if I taught it it would come with some serious disclaimers from me.
January 23, 2013
Peter Sis's The Wall is a moving story of his experience growing up in Czechoslovakia during the Cold War. It is a multi-layered story, where with each glance you notice something new that adds new depth to your reading. The picture book is both informative and narrative. Each page includes simplistic text that could be followed by young readers--mapping the author's life as a child and artist influenced by communist "brainwashing."
Also included are symbolic illustrations that act as a historical reference to events that unfolded during the Cold War. For example, most illustrations were black and white with a dash of red here and there to draw attention to the looming communist influence present throughout the author's life. Other pages, referencing America and the freedom associated with it were full of color and absolutely vibrant, showing stark contrast between the worlds on either side of the Berlin Wall. Captions for each picture presented history in a highly engaging manner. Not having studied the Cold War in quite some time, I finished the book with clearer memory of significant events, and the effects they had on individuals and families such as Sis's.
I feel that this text is a great way to motivate reluctant readers of history/non-fiction, by presenting knowledge through illustration and narrative. I also believe that this book could be used over many age groups-from upper elementary through middle school age children.
Also included are symbolic illustrations that act as a historical reference to events that unfolded during the Cold War. For example, most illustrations were black and white with a dash of red here and there to draw attention to the looming communist influence present throughout the author's life. Other pages, referencing America and the freedom associated with it were full of color and absolutely vibrant, showing stark contrast between the worlds on either side of the Berlin Wall. Captions for each picture presented history in a highly engaging manner. Not having studied the Cold War in quite some time, I finished the book with clearer memory of significant events, and the effects they had on individuals and families such as Sis's.
I feel that this text is a great way to motivate reluctant readers of history/non-fiction, by presenting knowledge through illustration and narrative. I also believe that this book could be used over many age groups-from upper elementary through middle school age children.
October 31, 2019
Vnímejte pozorně to, co napíšu. Pět hvězdiček si šetřím tak pečlivě, až mám někdy pocit, že je už nikdy nedám. A proto, když se objeví kniha, která si to dle mého subjektivního měřítka zaslouží, tluče mi srdce jako drak a mám pocit, že každou chvíli vyletí z hrudi.
Zeď je geniální zpověď i výpověď o režimu, který tady byl. Tak málo slov a taková preciznost v obrázcích, že z toho mrazí. Běžnému člověku s obstojným všeobecným přehledem o dějinách naší země to nepřinese žádné závratně nové informace. ALE TO NENÍ CÍL! Sís se snaží (doslova) vykreslit dobu, informovat o ní mladší čtenáře. Je to náročný úkol, musí to být uděláno citlivě. Ruku na srdce, jak chcete dítěti vysvětlit, co je to komunismus, socialismus, normalizace a proč se Palach upálil? Proč byla v Berlíně postavena Zeď? V jakém období žili jeho prarodiče i rodiče? Že se to těch dětí netýká? Ale kulové s octem. Měly by mít podvědomí.
Peter Sís je držitelem ocenění Hanse Christiana Andersona za dětské knihy, ta cena se udílí jednou za dva roky a je celosvětového charakteru, věřte, že to už něco znamená, nenechte si jeho tvorbu ujít.
Prosím.
Zeď je geniální zpověď i výpověď o režimu, který tady byl. Tak málo slov a taková preciznost v obrázcích, že z toho mrazí. Běžnému člověku s obstojným všeobecným přehledem o dějinách naší země to nepřinese žádné závratně nové informace. ALE TO NENÍ CÍL! Sís se snaží (doslova) vykreslit dobu, informovat o ní mladší čtenáře. Je to náročný úkol, musí to být uděláno citlivě. Ruku na srdce, jak chcete dítěti vysvětlit, co je to komunismus, socialismus, normalizace a proč se Palach upálil? Proč byla v Berlíně postavena Zeď? V jakém období žili jeho prarodiče i rodiče? Že se to těch dětí netýká? Ale kulové s octem. Měly by mít podvědomí.
Peter Sís je držitelem ocenění Hanse Christiana Andersona za dětské knihy, ta cena se udílí jednou za dva roky a je celosvětového charakteru, věřte, že to už něco znamená, nenechte si jeho tvorbu ujít.
Prosím.
March 6, 2013
A brilliantly illustrated and narrated non-fiction graphic novel, The Wall:Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis depicts Sis's life growing up in Prague, Czechoslovakia, during the Cold War. You have to see this book and flip through its pages to fully appreciate Sis's sophisticated manner in telling his story--from his use of color (or lack thereof) in the story line to the juxtaposition of text. Each page of this powerful memoir has you wanting more--in order to better understand what life is like behind the Iron Curtain and to find out how it all plays out for Sis, a dreamer, an artist, and a rebel during a time when the government controlled just about everything in everyone's lives.
This book would make an excellent addition to history curriculum for students in 8th grade and older--specifically for those studying the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain. This book would help students better understand the Wall and its implications in everyday people's lives--something that isn't often conveyed well in textbook text. A must-read for students and adults!
This book would make an excellent addition to history curriculum for students in 8th grade and older--specifically for those studying the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain. This book would help students better understand the Wall and its implications in everyday people's lives--something that isn't often conveyed well in textbook text. A must-read for students and adults!
October 2, 2017
I can't say I loved this book, yet I think it has value. It explains how Sis felt growing up in Czechoslovakia during the Cold War. It's a unique insight into his experiences living in a communist country with little freedom. I recognize that it has a fairly didactic approach, but as this is autobiographical and the author experienced these things, I feel he has the right to express his views about the evils of the communist state he lived under. He saw and experienced some terrible things. (I'm not expressing my thoughts as clearly as I'd like...but I would have a more distasteful reaction if this were historical fiction or even nonfiction rather than autobiographical...you are reading things from HIS perspective.) I thought his journal entries were especially effective. I didn't love the illustrations, but they do work with the text. This is certainly a picture book aimed for an older audience-- at least upper elementary aged students.
March 30, 2019
Amazing book!
Illustrations are beautiful and the history is so well portrayed.
It is considered a child book but every adult should read this because the author was able to show a very important part of History in a very simple (here as a compliment), direct and clear way.
Illustrations are beautiful and the history is so well portrayed.
It is considered a child book but every adult should read this because the author was able to show a very important part of History in a very simple (here as a compliment), direct and clear way.
December 10, 2022
my mom wanted this for Christmas, so I decided to give this a quick read before I wrap it up. I can confidently say I’ve never met a children’s book like this before. The format of this is somewhat experimental: probably due to his experience as an animator, many of these pages are drawn in panels like a comic. Small footnotes are placed along every page, for I presume the parents who might have a conversation about it with their child later. Several pages are dedicated to short journal entries about the history of Czechoslovakia. This serves as the meat of the text, and I presume most children would skip over this, but it does a good job of filling in the gaps. Oddly, it’s also this part that makes me curious about who the intended age category for this book was.
I am sympathetic to countries in the Eastern Bloc and the control they lived under, but one of the things I found concerning about this book was the lionizing of America. I don’t think an “us vs them” approach is something I would want my kids picking up from this. However, it’s easy to draw a distinction when your country is under surveillance. For this reason, I would actually advise parents to give this to kids who are a bit older - 4th grade onwards maybe? It can be read to younger kids because it offers multiple paths to reading - such as the brief narration at the bottom of every page - but I’m not sure any useful message can be resonated from this. I think it’s better for the upper end of middle grade readers.
If I were a parent, I would give this to my kids more for the stylistic experimentation than a useful or nuanced message about brainwashing, as the book’s anti-tyranny message is equally as pro-US. Maybe this doesn’t matter to kids though. It is quite good
I am sympathetic to countries in the Eastern Bloc and the control they lived under, but one of the things I found concerning about this book was the lionizing of America. I don’t think an “us vs them” approach is something I would want my kids picking up from this. However, it’s easy to draw a distinction when your country is under surveillance. For this reason, I would actually advise parents to give this to kids who are a bit older - 4th grade onwards maybe? It can be read to younger kids because it offers multiple paths to reading - such as the brief narration at the bottom of every page - but I’m not sure any useful message can be resonated from this. I think it’s better for the upper end of middle grade readers.
If I were a parent, I would give this to my kids more for the stylistic experimentation than a useful or nuanced message about brainwashing, as the book’s anti-tyranny message is equally as pro-US. Maybe this doesn’t matter to kids though. It is quite good
January 2, 2020
Kniha, na kterou jsem se těšila dlouho.
Petr Sís a Shaun Tan jsou mé dvě největší ilustrátorské lásky (hlavně proto, že jejich kresby mají hloubku a dovedou vyprávět příběh beze slov).
Zeď asi netřeba komentovat. Zahrnu ji do výuky.
Petr Sís a Shaun Tan jsou mé dvě největší ilustrátorské lásky (hlavně proto, že jejich kresby mají hloubku a dovedou vyprávět příběh beze slov).
Zeď asi netřeba komentovat. Zahrnu ji do výuky.
July 19, 2023
A very, very special story. It is “only” a children’s book (my guess is 5th grade subject matter), but as a teacher, I’ve read dozens and dozens of books that manage to a convey a serious topic into a child’s perspective. The illustrations are top notch.
July 25, 2019
Never read a book like this before. Basic “living in a commie country sucks—->suddenly not commie anymore 👍” trope, but illustrated and with a YA-friendly tone. I’d recommend this book to all Slavs reading this.
Only complaint is not mentioning Poland falling back during the Russian led invasion.
Only complaint is not mentioning Poland falling back during the Russian led invasion.
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