Zeina Abirached

Zeina Abirached chose an interesting angle for her memoir of the civil war in Beirut: instead of focusing on the politics or the chronology of the war, she illustrates the impact of the unrest on day-to-day life. From the school bus that won't come to her house, to her mom's bullet-ridden car, to her little brother's shrapnel collection, Abirached remembers it all. And her remembrances are a reminder to the rest of us of just how much most of us take for granted and how much we should be thankful for.

I enjoy Abirached's simple black-and-white illustrations. I especially like her letter O's, with dots in the middle; the curlicue hair she drew on herself, the macaroni-shaped hair she gave to her brother, and the interesting mustaches; and her illustration of Florence Griffith Joyner's Olympic nails.

There were a few references I didn't get, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, because it spurred me to look them up and learn even more.

Note: I received a digital copy of this book through NetGalley.… (mehr)