Framed by moving, thoughtful text, Sfar’s beautifully detailed “little drawings” convey heartbreak.
Turning to art in the face of grief.
“L’Chaim”—“to life”—cry guests celebrating Sfar’s belated birthday on October 7, 2023, the day of the Hamas attack, as he is given a Chai necklace of the Hebrew letters. Wearing it, however, becomes “an act of bravery.” The acclaimed French graphic novelist’s intensely personal account of that day and the next 80 days is anguished (“It’s gone from difficult to unbearable”) but hopeful. He identifies his adversary: “not the Palestinian, or the Israeli, or the Muslim or the Jew. The enemy is the person who decides that children or civilians are targets.” Those pairings anticipate further tensions strung throughout: between Ashkenazi and Mizrahi and Sephardic lines; between his deep French identity and secular Judaism; between horrifying experiences of increasing antisemitism and critiques of Israel. “A Jew who doesn’t vilify Israeli is already a stranger in the eyes of many,” but, to Sfar, hoping for Jews’ mere survival, it is “a safe haven”—then, perhaps not. Vividly reporting the attackers’ atrocities (and accusing activists and the press of silence or distortion), he contextualizes them in past and present antisemitism, also recognizing Israeli violence against Palestinians. He sometimes even doubts the utility of writing, talking, or teaching, but he never stops drawing. Evoking large- and small-scale history, he reframes the conflict, concluding that “each side must be able to acknowledge the suffering of the other side.” His goal is “the Israeli ideal: a nation of refugees that cares about the law and the dignity of one and all.” But can the rule of law prevail? Moments of self-deprecating humor or irony, observation, and personal details contrast with the dire situation. Kane’s colloquial translation from the original French text gives Sfar’s impressions, conflicts, and reflections a lively, authentic, informed, and agonized voice. Sfar’s blue-washed ink drawings richly evoke emotions, and the many wiry and expressive portraits bring his interlocutors “to life.”
Framed by moving, thoughtful text, Sfar’s beautifully detailed “little drawings” convey heartbreak.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9781250393210
Page Count: 448
Publisher: 23rd St.
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
An impassioned message of rage and hope.
The author of Persepolis returns with a collection about burgeoning activism in Iran.
In September 2022, the beating and death of Mahsa Jina Amini, an Iranian student arrested for not wearing her headscarf properly, incited a solidarity movement among women and men that spread around the world. To publicize and bear witness to this major uprising, Satrapi has gathered stories, cartoons, and essays from more than 20 artists, activists, journalists, and academics. The author has two aims: “to explain what’s going on in Iran, to decipher events in all their complexity and nuance for a non-Iranian readership, and to help you understand them as fully as possible”; and “to remind Iranians that they are not alone.” Setting the movement in context, Iranian American historian Abbas Milani offers an overview of the political upheavals and revolutions that have led to the current misogynist, repressive regime and the “resolute defiance” that has emerged in protest. As each contributor attests, life under a wrathful dictatorship is consistently frightening and dangerous: “The Islamic Republic ensures its own survival by murdering people. During the successive demonstrations” over Amini’s murder, “several hundred people were killed in an attempt to strike fear into the hearts of protesters. Young people were forced to confess under torture.” Women are especially vulnerable. Since November 2022, young students in schools across Iran have been poisoned by toxic gas as part of an attempt to force girls’ schools to close. Protecting the regime falls to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a paramilitary organization that answers directly to Khomeini, the Supreme Leader, and for the past four decades has carried out a reign of terror. This collection pays homage to victims and celebrates the dreams of Iran’s determined activists. Other contributors include Joanne Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, Paco Roca, and Mana Neyestani.
An impassioned message of rage and hope.Pub Date: March 19, 2024
ISBN: 9781644214053
Page Count: 280
Publisher: Seven Stories
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
IN THE NEWS
A delightful exploration of navigating the bumpy road to adulthood.
A story of a long-overdue Sapphic coming-of-age.
Through an autobiographical graphic narrative that is at times hysterically funny and at times gut-wrenching, readers follow Mieri, a young Japanese woman living in the U.S. From the lesbian characters in anime that she crushed on to the first real girl Mieri was attracted to, she’s known for a while that she likes butch girls. The fact that she sees fewer butch x butch relationships won’t stop her from trying to find a girlfriend even though the path, in person and on dating apps, is fraught with challenges. After she goes to visit her grandparents, Mieri meets Ash, a White American teaching English in Japan who becomes her first girlfriend. It starts out great: College sophomore Mieri experiences the stress and rewards of making the first move and even has her first kiss. But a month later, Ash breaks up with her, Mieri’s parents get divorced, and her grandparents learn about and aren’t cool with her sexuality. Worst of all, she can’t stop thinking about Ash. As Mieri navigates the aftershocks of the breakup, she also grows into maturity. The book has impeccable pacing and is engaging from start to finish. The humorous art enhances the narrative in a meaningful way, especially in portraying Mieri’s own emotional journey.
A delightful exploration of navigating the bumpy road to adulthood. (extra panels, author’s note, creating a manga, Q&A, bonus gallery) (Manga. 14-adult)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2023
ISBN: 9781974736591
Page Count: 208
Publisher: VIZ Media
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
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