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A review by chantaal
Tiananmen 1989: Our Shattered Hopes by Adrien Gombeaud, Lun Zhang
(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.