Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda by J.P. Stassen. GRAPHIC NOVEL. First Second (Macmillan), 2018. $22
Language: R (8 swears, 6 “f”); Mature Content: R; Violence: R.
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW
Frames in this graphic novel switch between events leading up to the Rwandan Genocide and the after-effects on one individual, Deogratias, who participated in the brutality. The story rotates around two girls and their mother and the white missionaries they work for. Deogratias is in love with the girls but betrays them in the end. His punishment is to become a dog and beg for mercy from the village.
I have to acknowledge that this book takes on the most difficult and brutal of subjects, so I feel hesitant to say it was too dark, given it is a mirror held up to actual events. But the events were portrayed unflinchingly and comprehensively, taking on foreign hypocrisy, rape, murder, prostitution, alcohol abuse, and of course genocide. The illustrations were not gratuitous, but that does little to soften the difficult subject matter.
Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment