Jerusalem: A Family Portrait
A substantive graphic novel set in a four-year period beginning in 1945 follows the fate of a single family and those connected to them as Palestine and Jerusalem are on the edge of sweeping changes. A family feud of Biblical proportion is part of the backdrop, and the tension and fighting within the family mirrors the tension and fighting in Palestine at the time. Through the older sons, various aspects of activism and politics in Jerusalem at this time play out: Avraham has just returned from serving with the British in World War II and joins the Communists, where his voice is united with other Palestinians—Jews, Arabs, and Christians—demanding economic justice. David takes his turn going off to war once Avraham returns, and eventually a young Italian Jewish woman shows up at the door: his pregnant wife, who has seen things she can’t talk of in Europe. Elias is secretly involved with the Zionist movement, working toward establishing an independent Jewish state. The United Nations vote to partition Palestine is shown in a breathless series of pages here as the characters who’ve become familiar—Jewish and Arab—listen to nations casting their vote. In the aftermath, once peaceful relationships between Jews and Arabs dissolve into a war that is awful on all sides, leading to an ending that is tragic and feels unfinished, suggesting the possibility of a sequel. ©2014 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Illustrated by Nick Bertozzi
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 16 and older
Age Range:
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Graphic Novel
Subjects:
20th Century
Activism and Resistance
Arguments/Conflict
Families
Historical Fiction
Jewish People
Palestinians and Palestinian Americans
Politics and Political Systems
World History
World War II
Diversity subjects:
Arab
Middle East
Christian
Jewish
Publishers:
First Second, Roaring Brook
Publish Year: 2013
Pages: 385
ISBN: 9781596435759
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 741.5 Yakin