Author: Peter Sis
Author Website: www.petersis.com/
Illustrator: Peter Sis
Illustrator Website: www.petersis.com
Media Used: Black and white line drawing and some color drawing
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Year of Publication: 2007
ISBN: 0374347018
Annotation: The author gives an autobiographical portrayal of his life growing up in Czechoslovakia before, during and after the Cold War. Historical events that occurred are reflected in his story. He talks about the difference of life behind the Iron Curtain and life in the West.
Personal Reaction: Sis’ ability to place his own life in the context of world history is what made this book a good read for me. I liked the line drawings but was not always able to follow along with the narrative. There is a picture where the line at the bottom is quite simple- Russian tanks were everywhere. The illustration looks like a maze and I wondered what this had to do with the story. Eventually, I discovered that the small rectangles were supposed to be the tanks. The child in the picture is holding a picture reminiscent of The Scream artwork and both the child and the picture have that expression. The front and rear panel maps give the reader a clear location of Czechoslovakia in relation to the Western world.
Illustration: Line drawings, black and white and combined color drawings. The author uses black and white dense pictures to illustrate the feelings of the oppression in his country with the color red reflecting the Socialist regime. The symbols of the West are depicted with light and colors.
Use of Media: Word and picture montage
Use of literary device: Repletion is used when the author is giving examples of life under Communist rule by using Compulsory, Compulsory after each action that is required.
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