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alyssabookrecs's review
4.0
Really dense but solid graphic novel that delves more into the details of what immediately led up to June 4, 1989 in Beijing and the aftermath. Lun Zhang, having lived through it, presents this moment in recent history through a documentary storytelling lens, zooming in and out from the intimacies of the China democracy movement to what was happening within the Party. I recommend, especially if you want to know more of the details of the movement in Tiananmen Square.
mootastic's review
4.0
An oral history of a group of young people willing to risk it all in hopes for a better tomorrow, only for it to be violently crushed by those in power in order to preserve the status quo at all costs. Thankfully every nation on Earth learned from this incident and nothing like this has ever happened again.
I'm very wary about reading anything modern about China since I expect it to be either pro-CCP or anti-Chinese propaganda. However, this book feels as if it's being told by people who were actually a part of the pro-democracy student movement so it seems believable, at least to me. I was very young when this occurred but I still remember seeing these images playing across the evening news. I appreciate the nuanced explanation of how and why this particular pro-democracy movement started, especially the media's role at attempting to influence popular opinion. The book can be occasionally dense, but it's presented in a clear and concise way that doesn't bog down the narrative.
I think the thing that personally stuck out to me is the acknowledgement that revolutions are joyous, hopeful things, driven more by a desire to help everyone rather than an angry desire to overthrow the state.
I'm very wary about reading anything modern about China since I expect it to be either pro-CCP or anti-Chinese propaganda. However, this book feels as if it's being told by people who were actually a part of the pro-democracy student movement so it seems believable, at least to me. I was very young when this occurred but I still remember seeing these images playing across the evening news. I appreciate the nuanced explanation of how and why this particular pro-democracy movement started, especially the media's role at attempting to influence popular opinion. The book can be occasionally dense, but it's presented in a clear and concise way that doesn't bog down the narrative.
I think the thing that personally stuck out to me is the acknowledgement that revolutions are joyous, hopeful things, driven more by a desire to help everyone rather than an angry desire to overthrow the state.
libeerian's review
3.0
Thanks to Netgalley for a free advance copy in exchange for a review.
A graphic history of the Tiananmen Square Massacre that is clear and easy to follow, but lacks tension and comes up short in depicting the truly awful scene of the massacre. I would have liked a bit more depth, especially how the massacre changed is viewed in present-day China and any impact it has had on society there.
A graphic history of the Tiananmen Square Massacre that is clear and easy to follow, but lacks tension and comes up short in depicting the truly awful scene of the massacre. I would have liked a bit more depth, especially how the massacre changed is viewed in present-day China and any impact it has had on society there.
bryanzk's review
5.0
It's THE history that I've been part of, not in the center, but still could, and still can fill the shock of the movement, the whole China Mainland as well. And let's not forget what happened in other cities, Chengdu, i.e. It's reported during recent years, hundreds, at least, of people were kidnapped, tortured, and killed during the aftermath of 6.4. As to how many actually died, how I wish one day, the monument in the Tiananmen square today would have their names on it and in every Chinese's heart.
mrs_bookdragon's review
4.0
Thank you NetGalley and IDW Publishing for sharing an eARC of this graphic informational work with me in exchange for an honest review. I remember the first time I had heard about the Tiananmen Square massacre and Tank Man. It was in college and I still reflect on that event, which is why I was drawn to this book. The author did a great job at keeping things to the point while also adding in character traits and development to make you feel for the students. It was a very informative novel and it makes me want to keep reading about this movement that led to the massacre.
fruitpit's review
3.5
great artwork, great narrative.
learned a lot.
good balance of intriguing storytelling with historical information.
learned a lot.
good balance of intriguing storytelling with historical information.
saramarie08's review
3.0
This historical graphic novel begins an explanation for the student protests beginning April 15th, 1989 and concluding in the Tiananmen Massacre on June 5th, 1989. Most people know of this event from the famous photo, Tank Man (pictured below). What isn't largely talked about is the months before this photo where students camped out in Tiananmen Square and inspired protests across China. Students and professors participated in Hunger Strikes against the Chinese government and demonstrated in the hopes that the country would move away from dictatorships and into democracy. The People's Liberation Army was called in to clear the square, but citizens of Beijing impeded their progress and protected the students. Wealthy businessmen became involved as financial backers of the protest. Some of these protests were captured by the Worlds' Press reports during a state visit from Mikhail Gorbachev, but there still exists a lack of certainty about those involved, number of deaths from the Massacre, and much more.
As important as this topic is to discuss, there are a few flaws with the execution of the novel. IDW creatives have capitalized on the format from George Takei's They Called Us Enemy in that Lun Zhang seems to be standing in a lecture hall delivering this story. We cut between Zhang and images of China from his recollection of events. There are lots of large blocks of narrative text next to an illustration depicting a small portion of what’s described, which leads to a missed opportunity to really involve the reader in the visual narrative. There are a lot of people introduced without really describing who they are or how they were important, almost as if we as readers are supposed to have enough background information to fill in the gaps. Because this is told from a personal perspective, some national perspectives were included, but lacked at other times. At only 112 pages, it really seemed like there was more room to flesh out this story completely. All that said, Lun Zhang provides insight from the perspective of the protestors and shows how important the fight for democracy was for them. This event is an important piece of Modern China's history that is often only discussed as a photograph, and this book gives much more weight to the insurmountable odds of one man standing in front of an onslaught of tanks.
Sara's Rating: 6/10
Suitability Level:
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Edelweiss. The publication date for this title is set for June 16, 2020.
Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.
As important as this topic is to discuss, there are a few flaws with the execution of the novel. IDW creatives have capitalized on the format from George Takei's They Called Us Enemy in that Lun Zhang seems to be standing in a lecture hall delivering this story. We cut between Zhang and images of China from his recollection of events. There are lots of large blocks of narrative text next to an illustration depicting a small portion of what’s described, which leads to a missed opportunity to really involve the reader in the visual narrative. There are a lot of people introduced without really describing who they are or how they were important, almost as if we as readers are supposed to have enough background information to fill in the gaps. Because this is told from a personal perspective, some national perspectives were included, but lacked at other times. At only 112 pages, it really seemed like there was more room to flesh out this story completely. All that said, Lun Zhang provides insight from the perspective of the protestors and shows how important the fight for democracy was for them. This event is an important piece of Modern China's history that is often only discussed as a photograph, and this book gives much more weight to the insurmountable odds of one man standing in front of an onslaught of tanks.
Sara's Rating: 6/10
Suitability Level:
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Edelweiss. The publication date for this title is set for June 16, 2020.
Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.