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I Remember Beirut
In her graphic novel memoir A Game for Swallows (U.S. edition: Graphic Universe, 2012), Zeina Abirached built a story around a single night of her childhood growing up in Lebanon during the Civil War in the 1980s. Here, she offers a broader sense of what life was like for her and her family during that time of unrest, covering a span of years. Less story than a series of vignettes, this account details individual, disparate memories of that time, and yet a sense of story emerges: about the resilience of children and families and people enduring incredible hardship; and about how the unthinkable becomes normalized, especially for children who have no other experience. The memories she shares are of both small details and big moments of her childhood, many of which are widely relatable, and often quite funny. “I remember the year I had to get braces. That same year I found out I was nearsighted … and I thought it would be a good idea to get my hair cut. Not exactly cause for celebration.” The “I remember” phrase is used over and over, offering the events of her life during this time with measured matter-of-factness regardless of whether what follows is humorous or hair-raising — there was a war on, after all. But there are occasional blank pages suggesting there is more she isn’t — perhaps cannot — say, while the closing pages show adult Zeina haunted by nightmares of her childhood. Abirached’s drawing style is striking with its stylized, dramatic white-on-black art and expressive faces. ©2014 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Illustrated by Zeina Abirached
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 14 and older
Age Range:
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Formats:
Biography, Autobiography and Memoir
Graphic Novel
Subjects:
20th Century
Autobiography/Memoir
Families
History (Nonfiction)
Lebanese and Lebanese Americans
Resiliency
War
World History
Diversity subjects:
Arab
Black/African
Publisher:
Graphic Universe
Publish Year: 2014
Pages: 96
ISBN: 1467738224
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 741.5 Abirached