Manybooks's Reviews > The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain

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).