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chantaal's review against another edition
(I'm not giving this a star rating, and that's on purpose.)
Tiananmen 1989 is the story of the massacre from the point of view of a sociology professor who was there and took a very active part in the protests. For someone like me, who grew up in an American school system where the only part of Tiananmen I know about is the picture of the man facing down the tanks, this book was highly enlightening. It provides not only a greater depth of understanding of what actually happened - and it was so much more than just one day! - but it also does its best to provide a historical and cultural context for why the protests were happening in the first place. I learned a LOT from this graphic novel.
Unfortunately, I think the educational aspect of this is where it fell flat for me. This reads more like a proper university lecture than it does an attempt to set this story in a way that would appeal to many. I found no reason whatsoever for this to be in graphic novel format. With so many words and the lecture-like quality of the writing, I don't think having it in image format did anything to elevate the story being told.
Granted, it's a good lecture. It lacks a bit of emotional resonance beyond the fact that so many lives were lost, because it's a lecture. I wish the writing had been a bit pared down, and that the emotional impact was felt more.
If you want a good first hand account of the context of what led up to Tiananmen, then this is a pretty decent starting point. Just temper your expectations a bit, realize this is a lecture that happens to have images attached, and appreciate it that way.
Tiananmen 1989 is the story of the massacre from the point of view of a sociology professor who was there and took a very active part in the protests. For someone like me, who grew up in an American school system where the only part of Tiananmen I know about is the picture of the man facing down the tanks, this book was highly enlightening. It provides not only a greater depth of understanding of what actually happened - and it was so much more than just one day! - but it also does its best to provide a historical and cultural context for why the protests were happening in the first place. I learned a LOT from this graphic novel.
Unfortunately, I think the educational aspect of this is where it fell flat for me. This reads more like a proper university lecture than it does an attempt to set this story in a way that would appeal to many. I found no reason whatsoever for this to be in graphic novel format. With so many words and the lecture-like quality of the writing, I don't think having it in image format did anything to elevate the story being told.
Granted, it's a good lecture. It lacks a bit of emotional resonance beyond the fact that so many lives were lost, because it's a lecture. I wish the writing had been a bit pared down, and that the emotional impact was felt more.
If you want a good first hand account of the context of what led up to Tiananmen, then this is a pretty decent starting point. Just temper your expectations a bit, realize this is a lecture that happens to have images attached, and appreciate it that way.
shea_proulx's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Violence, and Self harm
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Torture
miocenemama's review against another edition
5.0
This graphic novel tells the real story of Tiananmen Square and the student protests there as seen by a participant. It is full of detail and clarifies some misconceptions I had about the nature of the protests and the extent of participation of the citizens of Beijing. It also explains the timeline and its ramifications. It was not as I thought it was. The Communist regime took some of the images out of time and out of context to use as their own propaganda. He also fits it into the global timeline and we see other major changes like the freeing of Nelson Mandela and the breaking down of the Berlin Wall. All in all, this was a beautifully done book which I enjoyed very much.
ajswhimsy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
3.0
haleybre's review against another edition
4.0
I think I would've liked this more if I knew more background on the event/history of China.
cornynat's review against another edition
3.0
(3.5 stars)
As someone who only knew of the 1989 massacre at Tiananmen Square by name, the amount of background information provided and the commentary throughout was really helpful. That being said, it wasn't as immersive as other historical graphic novels I've read: the dialogue felt unnatural (which could be a result of being translated after originally being published in French - but I read The Arab of the Future books and they were translated from French and felt natural, so I dunno - maybe because it's co-authored?). And I'm torn over the art style: while it conveys the author's sense of foreboding about everything really well - and of course the somber mood at the end - it was mentioned how he was kind of alone in that respect amidst the younger students, so I felt like the art style would have been easier to follow if it was even just a little lighter in the beginning. It made some of the superimposed text uncomfortable to read, too.
Overall I liked it though! I see myself reading it again someday.
As someone who only knew of the 1989 massacre at Tiananmen Square by name, the amount of background information provided and the commentary throughout was really helpful. That being said, it wasn't as immersive as other historical graphic novels I've read: the dialogue felt unnatural (which could be a result of being translated after originally being published in French - but I read The Arab of the Future books and they were translated from French and felt natural, so I dunno - maybe because it's co-authored?). And I'm torn over the art style: while it conveys the author's sense of foreboding about everything really well - and of course the somber mood at the end - it was mentioned how he was kind of alone in that respect amidst the younger students, so I felt like the art style would have been easier to follow if it was even just a little lighter in the beginning. It made some of the superimposed text uncomfortable to read, too.
Overall I liked it though! I see myself reading it again someday.
lauren_endnotes's review against another edition
▫️ TIANANMEN 1989: Our Shattered Hopes by Lun Zhang and Adrien Gombeaud, illustrated by Ameziane, tr. Edward Gauvin, 2020.
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