The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain

Sis, Peter, The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, Frances Foster Books, 2007, 50 pg

Summary: This is a graphic novel telling of the Communist Iron Curtain imposed by Nazi Germany and it’s affect on Czechoslovakia. The whole story is told through simplistic drawings and captions to depicting the history of the time period. The history is laced throughout the entire novel through journal format and provides the human element necessary to take a complex topic and make it more understandable for the reader. As the reader moves through the story of the author as a child and blindly following what he is told to do and then as he enters young adulthood and is confused as to why he can’t do what he wants an understanding of the historical events and the importance is illustrated.

Evaluation: I personally loved this novel as I am of Czech descent and had always heard stories of this time period. I found this topic to be very understandable in this format. Although this is a very complex time period I think many would be surprised to know that the Cold War wasn’t decades and decades ago, but rather the threat of nuclear war is still relevant.

Annotation: I wanted to express myself but if I did, I would be punished maybe even killed, so I held it in until I couldn’t.

Significance of Book: This book looks at the affect of the Iron Curtain in more than just Germany. Often I think it is believed to only have affected Germany, and this book highlights that other countries were part of the rules as well.

Genre/subject: non-fiction, Iron Curtain, biography

Awards:

National:

• ALA Notable Children's Books: 2008,
• Caldecott Honor: 2008,
• Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award: 2008

Why I selected the book: I am Czechoslovakian so finding a book that focuses on how the Iron Curtain affect not just Germany was very interesting to me.

Price: $18.00