I don't know how to rate this. I'm new to graphic novels, in general. This is one is quite different from the few I've read, though. The thing that geI don't know how to rate this. I'm new to graphic novels, in general. This is one is quite different from the few I've read, though. The thing that gets me, is the kids in danger. I just can't do children and dogs getting hurt. And there is very real danger and hurt lurking in these pages. I can't decide if that means that I'm digging what the author has to say about the horrors of racism and our country's not so long history. Or if it means that I just don't like this story. I've decided to try the next volume, and re-assess after that....more
Lovely, lyrical passages. The book is suffused with metaphor and symbolism. This is a story on many different levels, and I may have missed some of thLovely, lyrical passages. The book is suffused with metaphor and symbolism. This is a story on many different levels, and I may have missed some of the finer points. I think also that someone who knows more about Japanese post-war society might have a deeper connection to the book. Still, I'm glad to have read it....more
This book is dense. I cannot pretend to have understood everything. Which I'm still trying to decide if that's good or bad? Is it a mark of something This book is dense. I cannot pretend to have understood everything. Which I'm still trying to decide if that's good or bad? Is it a mark of something that will take many reads and lead to richness of understanding as different insights are reached? Or is it just pretentious? Something that folks will say is excellent because it will make it appear they are smart? It reminded me a lot of the experience of reading My Name Is Red, just 10 times more so. There were times when I just had to let the philosophical passages wash over me and trust that I could sort it all out in the end. Going back and reading the introduction after finishing did help a bit (both in assuring me that my cognition was pretty much in tact, and clarifying some of the overarching intentions of the author) and I will probably do some searching for other essays on the subject. Obviously, if the book had enough of an effect to make want to do additional scholarship after finishing, then it was worth the read. All of that said, I have no idea how many stars to award, but I am quite glad to have read it....more
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