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A review by mat_tobin
Barefoot Gen Volume 1: Hardcover Edition: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima by Keiji Nakazawa
5.0
Extraordinary graphic novel autobiography of the author's experiences during the bombing of his home town in Hiroshima. As 'Gen' grows up with his mother, father and siblings, he finds himself outcast and segregated because of his father's brave refusal to not fight in the war and not be blinded by the politics of the wealthy Japanese elite who are controlling the masses.
Isolated to the point of near-starvation, Gen and his family struggle to survive in extreme poverty and struggle desperately to maintain a sense of unity and love as a family. These are brutal and confusing times in which raising a child is far different to what we would see today. Gen and his siblings are regularly smacked and beaten by both parents as well as neighbours and teachers: life as a child is unimaginably hard but it's a story that I am so glad to have read.
Then the bombs drops...
Gen is honest and painful but it is also truth unfettered and told from a perspective that we all need to hear. There are others in series and I will be reading them. Definitely Young Adult+
Isolated to the point of near-starvation, Gen and his family struggle to survive in extreme poverty and struggle desperately to maintain a sense of unity and love as a family. These are brutal and confusing times in which raising a child is far different to what we would see today. Gen and his siblings are regularly smacked and beaten by both parents as well as neighbours and teachers: life as a child is unimaginably hard but it's a story that I am so glad to have read.
Then the bombs drops...
Gen is honest and painful but it is also truth unfettered and told from a perspective that we all need to hear. There are others in series and I will be reading them. Definitely Young Adult+