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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
This book and its synchronous sequel made my heart heavy. People prefer to pick sides and find someone worthy of their support, but the book really muddles all of those roles. There was a lot of poignant points about judgement, forgiveness, and the murkiness of motive.
Remarkable storytelling. There is no ducking or sugar coating of the complexities of war here. There were actually points where I found myself shocked (in a good way) by the frankness of Gene Luen Yang's approach. Loved the book.
You have to read it together and read in sequence. Epic. Love it when stories are told from two points of view and they come full circle...
This is a great novel. Powerful imagery. It tells the story of the Boxer rebellion in China from 1898-1900. It is a sad story of war. It shows how both sides of a war believe they are the “good guys”. In reality, wars merely brings death to all.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read with Saints. I thought it was well done, but I'm not sure that this will be all that popular with teens.
Wow. This graphic novel definitely left me thinking. The main character is a young Chinese man whose mentor is killed by the "foreign devils" (I don't think that's a spoiler since it happens in the first part of the book, I'm sorry if it is). He then becomes a part (if not the leader) of a group of Chinese who try to fight against the foreigners and regain China for the Chinese. Often the main characters kill innocent men. They kill Christians just for being Christian and they kill women and children too in time. It is hard to read, but you also see the torment that the protagonist goes through. These are not easy choices and he is truly fighting for China. Much like the protagonist in Saints he is not sure what his supernatural guide is telling him and he isn't sure if what he is being told is the right thing to do. He is torn between his conscience and what he feels he must do to save China. Read these books now.
