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El silencio de nuestros amigos
En Texas, en los años 60, una familia blanca de un barrio manifiestamente racista y una familia negra del distrito más pobre superan las barreras raciales de Houston, se sobreponen a la humillación, la degradación y la violencia para lograr la libertad de cinco estudiantes universitarios negros acusados de manera injusta del asesinato de un policía.
Los dibujos del brillante Nate Powell (Shallow Me Whole) dan vida a la desgarradora historia de Mark Long. El silencio de nuestros amigos es una nueva e importante entrada en la obra literaria relacionada con los derechos civiles. Se trata de un potente retrato de un momento realmente volátil de la historia de los Estados Unidos.
La historia está basada en hechos reales, acontecidos durante la infancia del autor.
Los dibujos del brillante Nate Powell (Shallow Me Whole) dan vida a la desgarradora historia de Mark Long. El silencio de nuestros amigos es una nueva e importante entrada en la obra literaria relacionada con los derechos civiles. Se trata de un potente retrato de un momento realmente volátil de la historia de los Estados Unidos.
La historia está basada en hechos reales, acontecidos durante la infancia del autor.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 17, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 517 reviews
October 14, 2018
I'm reading this in conjunction with March Vol. 3. I realize that I don't know a whole lot of what happened in the 60s, but the more I learn about this struggle, the more I am amazed by the bravery of a people who stood up and claimed the right to vote. They put their life on the line.
There was a war going on in the south. People lost their lives and suffered horribly. People can be so vicious. That bothers me. Much of what I see and hear today reminds me of the hate and violence from these historic days. I sure hope the violence doesn't come back. I can't imagine anyone wanting to return to these horrible days. Sometimes I feel much to fragile for this world. Yet, the most delicate flower can survive in some harsh places at times. So, I guess I can too.
This is a story set in Houston TX in the 60s. Again SNCC is involved. They were truly pushing for the right to vote and they got the word out. There is a huge riot and the cameraman gets some of it on tape. He and a leader in the SNCC become friends and their families meet, which is dangerous for both sides back in those days. They are in a bigger riot where 2 policemen die. They actually are shot by policeman and blame black men in the dorms at the time. The camera man sees this and has to give an eye witness account.
The title "silence of our friends" is from a Dr. King speech. The SNCC man and the camera man have a fragile friendship. The cards are down and the camera man is scared of getting involved. He and his family are being threatened too. He is summoned to court and he does do the right thing, but it took the court to force the truth out of him. He was not willing to give his life the way the freedom fighters were, at first.
This is a powerful story. I hope we have grown from this, but really, I don't know if we have. I don't know if this story is really over. These people we thought had changed, are still here and they are still voting. Only now do they speak up and we hear what they really think.
These little novels are powerful in filling in gaps of recent US history that many of us don't know, those of us after the 60s were over. It is a reminder of the possibility people have and what some of us are capable of stooping too.
There was a war going on in the south. People lost their lives and suffered horribly. People can be so vicious. That bothers me. Much of what I see and hear today reminds me of the hate and violence from these historic days. I sure hope the violence doesn't come back. I can't imagine anyone wanting to return to these horrible days. Sometimes I feel much to fragile for this world. Yet, the most delicate flower can survive in some harsh places at times. So, I guess I can too.
This is a story set in Houston TX in the 60s. Again SNCC is involved. They were truly pushing for the right to vote and they got the word out. There is a huge riot and the cameraman gets some of it on tape. He and a leader in the SNCC become friends and their families meet, which is dangerous for both sides back in those days. They are in a bigger riot where 2 policemen die. They actually are shot by policeman and blame black men in the dorms at the time. The camera man sees this and has to give an eye witness account.
The title "silence of our friends" is from a Dr. King speech. The SNCC man and the camera man have a fragile friendship. The cards are down and the camera man is scared of getting involved. He and his family are being threatened too. He is summoned to court and he does do the right thing, but it took the court to force the truth out of him. He was not willing to give his life the way the freedom fighters were, at first.
This is a powerful story. I hope we have grown from this, but really, I don't know if we have. I don't know if this story is really over. These people we thought had changed, are still here and they are still voting. Only now do they speak up and we hear what they really think.
These little novels are powerful in filling in gaps of recent US history that many of us don't know, those of us after the 60s were over. It is a reminder of the possibility people have and what some of us are capable of stooping too.
September 27, 2013
just what i was waiting for, a graphic novel about the civil rights movement framed around the white experience
to be fair, i'm sure that it's a deeply personal story for mark long, considering it's about his father and his own experience growing up in 1968 TX. maybe it's a gross kneejerk reaction on my part that i just can't seem to get over, but i cannot fathom the necessity of a whole novel, albeit a graphic one which is obviously more condensed, about white people dealing with black racism. it inherently toes the line on being a white savior tale, and gratuitous use of racial slurs is probably near-unavoidable if you're writing about racism in 1968 america, but it felt uncomfortable not because it's a unique view of the civil rights movement, but because a group of three white guys got together to write and illustrate a comic about it.
i don't know, maybe it brings up an important question for me: is a story of the white 'allies' of the civil rights movement ever relevant? can it exist in tandem with the obviously 10,000x more important story of the "black struggle"? (there is no one monolithic 'black struggle,' but i'm sure you catch my drift, especially in this context.) the nature of racism means that white voices end up speaking over those of poc, and i feel like stories like this end up just contributing to that.
to be fair, i'm sure that it's a deeply personal story for mark long, considering it's about his father and his own experience growing up in 1968 TX. maybe it's a gross kneejerk reaction on my part that i just can't seem to get over, but i cannot fathom the necessity of a whole novel, albeit a graphic one which is obviously more condensed, about white people dealing with black racism. it inherently toes the line on being a white savior tale, and gratuitous use of racial slurs is probably near-unavoidable if you're writing about racism in 1968 america, but it felt uncomfortable not because it's a unique view of the civil rights movement, but because a group of three white guys got together to write and illustrate a comic about it.
i don't know, maybe it brings up an important question for me: is a story of the white 'allies' of the civil rights movement ever relevant? can it exist in tandem with the obviously 10,000x more important story of the "black struggle"? (there is no one monolithic 'black struggle,' but i'm sure you catch my drift, especially in this context.) the nature of racism means that white voices end up speaking over those of poc, and i feel like stories like this end up just contributing to that.
January 9, 2012
There are a few stories about the civil rights movement we all know, and this isn't one of them.
Yet.
One of the things that I found most interesting about this book (besides that Nate Powell's art is gorgeous -- as always!) is just how much of an unknown story this is. We all know about the civil rights movement -- that's what grade school was for -- but when you start reading about everything that was going on in the sixties, it turns out that Rosa Parks and sit-ins are only a part of the whole picture. What _The Silence of Our Friends_ says is, there were things like those pivotal events that went on in just about every community across the US, and all of them put together is how we got to where we are today -- even if most of it is so behind-the-scenes to us now that it doesn't pop up in eighth grade social studies class.
Yet.
One of the things that I found most interesting about this book (besides that Nate Powell's art is gorgeous -- as always!) is just how much of an unknown story this is. We all know about the civil rights movement -- that's what grade school was for -- but when you start reading about everything that was going on in the sixties, it turns out that Rosa Parks and sit-ins are only a part of the whole picture. What _The Silence of Our Friends_ says is, there were things like those pivotal events that went on in just about every community across the US, and all of them put together is how we got to where we are today -- even if most of it is so behind-the-scenes to us now that it doesn't pop up in eighth grade social studies class.
December 20, 2022
The Silence of Our Friends encapsulates a sympathetic white perspective of the American civil rights movement in Houston, Texas circa 1967. Taken as such, as a bystander's chronicle, it's incredibly well written and drawn. This isn't a definitive accounting of shameful American history, but rather an epilogue written by an eye witness. That is where this novel is successful. Where it falls short is in its attempt to portray a black point of view - at those points the story becomes cliché.
July 26, 2018
The title comes from Martin Luther King "In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends". Goosebumps. At the end Long explains that his book is based on his family's experience in Houston, Texas 1968-an explosive time in the civil rights movement. Certainly not a definitive book, but adds a slice of understanding for that part of our nation's ugly history, and the illustrations are terrific.
October 14, 2018
The title draws on one of Martin Luther King’s more pointed but widely quoted comments: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.” But it is a barbed comment – the silence of not using and perpetuating the language of oppression or the silence in the face of that language being used. In this wonderful (and fabulously drawn) tale of the civil rights movement in Houston, we get both kinds of silence, in a story where a local but new to town television reporter befriends an African-American college professor, community leader and significant player in the local SNCC. This is a very real and human friendship run through with tension and contradiction, on both side.
Wrapped up in the tale of protest in Houston’s Third Ward and police assault on a dormitory at the (historically Black) Texas Southern University the book explores the growing friendship between Long’s family (the journalist in question was his father) and Larry Thompson’s, the TSU professor. In both cases they need to confront the personal aspects of the ‘racial divide’ that have developed in their families, the costs within their local residential circles of the friendship and in Long’s case the potential professional costs and ethical issues when he is summonsed to testify and have his news film used as evidence in the trial related to the shooting of a police officer during the attack on the dormitory. The killing, it turned out, was one of ‘friendly fire’ – a police ricochet.
It is not, however, the major tale of the TSU events that makes this book so compelling and powerful (although this little told tale of civil rights struggle needs telling) but the small and mundane moments of the family and wider events that gives depth to the need for the civil rights struggle; the random acts of drivers who run down black kids on bikes, of redneck customers who queue jump and abuse blacks in ‘white’ stores, of kids who when they first meet touch each other’s hair because this is the first time they have played with white/black kids. To their credit, the authors also have the families doing things that are the mundane things of life – crabbing, watching the Saturn Five launch…. these are characters with depth (and I suspect there is a great and equally mundane set of tales of this kind that could be told; I’d like to know more about Long’s blind sister Julie in all of this – she seems to problematize/disrupt simplistic readings of many of the issues throughout the story).
The story is great, the art (all power to Nate Powell there) is superb; it is these kinds of things that remind me that comic books….. sorry, graphic novels, can be a powerful and important form and open up our past in ways that many ‘professional’ historians (mea culpa) struggle to do.
Wrapped up in the tale of protest in Houston’s Third Ward and police assault on a dormitory at the (historically Black) Texas Southern University the book explores the growing friendship between Long’s family (the journalist in question was his father) and Larry Thompson’s, the TSU professor. In both cases they need to confront the personal aspects of the ‘racial divide’ that have developed in their families, the costs within their local residential circles of the friendship and in Long’s case the potential professional costs and ethical issues when he is summonsed to testify and have his news film used as evidence in the trial related to the shooting of a police officer during the attack on the dormitory. The killing, it turned out, was one of ‘friendly fire’ – a police ricochet.
It is not, however, the major tale of the TSU events that makes this book so compelling and powerful (although this little told tale of civil rights struggle needs telling) but the small and mundane moments of the family and wider events that gives depth to the need for the civil rights struggle; the random acts of drivers who run down black kids on bikes, of redneck customers who queue jump and abuse blacks in ‘white’ stores, of kids who when they first meet touch each other’s hair because this is the first time they have played with white/black kids. To their credit, the authors also have the families doing things that are the mundane things of life – crabbing, watching the Saturn Five launch…. these are characters with depth (and I suspect there is a great and equally mundane set of tales of this kind that could be told; I’d like to know more about Long’s blind sister Julie in all of this – she seems to problematize/disrupt simplistic readings of many of the issues throughout the story).
The story is great, the art (all power to Nate Powell there) is superb; it is these kinds of things that remind me that comic books….. sorry, graphic novels, can be a powerful and important form and open up our past in ways that many ‘professional’ historians (mea culpa) struggle to do.
August 26, 2017
I'm not really sure what to make of this one. It's an earnest memoir about author Mark Long's childhood in Houston in the 60's, when his dad worked as a TV reporter covering race issues and befriended the one black man who was willing to talk to him.
On the one hand, the tensions between whites and blacks are starkly shown in sad and disturbing incidents, and the fact that these two men are able to bridge that gulf at all and introduce their families to each other is really touching and inspiring. On the other hand, the "child's eye view" combined with scenes between the adults left the story with a somewhat uneven feel. There's also no real ending, since it's a bit of life, so an epilogue saying what happened to the two families over the next few decades would have filled this out a lot better for me.
As it is, this story just hangs suspended, not exactly pessimistically, but not exactly hopefully, either.
I'm glad I read it, as 1960's Houston is a place entirely unfamiliar to me, and this slice of history is worth seeing. But I'm not really sure what I'll take away from this story over the long run. Except, let's not go back to that!
On the one hand, the tensions between whites and blacks are starkly shown in sad and disturbing incidents, and the fact that these two men are able to bridge that gulf at all and introduce their families to each other is really touching and inspiring. On the other hand, the "child's eye view" combined with scenes between the adults left the story with a somewhat uneven feel. There's also no real ending, since it's a bit of life, so an epilogue saying what happened to the two families over the next few decades would have filled this out a lot better for me.
As it is, this story just hangs suspended, not exactly pessimistically, but not exactly hopefully, either.
I'm glad I read it, as 1960's Houston is a place entirely unfamiliar to me, and this slice of history is worth seeing. But I'm not really sure what I'll take away from this story over the long run. Except, let's not go back to that!
March 24, 2015
I'd recommend this to readers who are looking for a factual/historical account of the Civil Rights movement, but I didn't think it had the emotional investment and power of books like Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry and To Kill a Mockingbird. However, the artwork did, at times, create powerful imagery which added to the story.
I did read it in one sitting, so that might have influenced my opinion. When I was done, I wished there would have been another 100 pages or so to delve into the families a bit more.
I did read it in one sitting, so that might have influenced my opinion. When I was done, I wished there would have been another 100 pages or so to delve into the families a bit more.
April 3, 2012
This is a very specific story.
For some reason, when I was reading about this book prior to reading it itself, I had the impression that this was a more comprehensive story about the civil rights struggle in one particular locale. Instead, it's a very personal story about a couple of families and one particular trial after one particular incident. Which doesn't make it a bad book, of course - it just wasn't what I'd expected.
I appreciated the depiction of what being a "race reporter" (I think I got the term right) was like in the south during this period. This is a great depiction of what individual people and families can do to make historic bridges between cultures. The creators set out to show many sides to the stories and they were successful in that.
Personally, though I admire Powell's skill, I don't find his artistic style all that aesthetically pleasing. He's not afraid to show ugliness, and for that I thank him, but sometimes this results in his characters not feeling all that likeable.
A valuable new perspective on civil rights, and a story which needs to be told. An extra star for that value.
For some reason, when I was reading about this book prior to reading it itself, I had the impression that this was a more comprehensive story about the civil rights struggle in one particular locale. Instead, it's a very personal story about a couple of families and one particular trial after one particular incident. Which doesn't make it a bad book, of course - it just wasn't what I'd expected.
I appreciated the depiction of what being a "race reporter" (I think I got the term right) was like in the south during this period. This is a great depiction of what individual people and families can do to make historic bridges between cultures. The creators set out to show many sides to the stories and they were successful in that.
Personally, though I admire Powell's skill, I don't find his artistic style all that aesthetically pleasing. He's not afraid to show ugliness, and for that I thank him, but sometimes this results in his characters not feeling all that likeable.
A valuable new perspective on civil rights, and a story which needs to be told. An extra star for that value.
September 3, 2015
Graphic novel fan? Of course. Civil rights buff? Yes, indeed. The Silence of Our Friends is a strong offering from First Second Books. It tells an important and interesting story about the struggle for civil rights in Texas, made even more engaging by its obscurity. Pair this with John Lewis's March: Book One for a well-rounded look at the civil rights movement portrayed in graphic novel format.
January 15, 2012
A powerful, semi-autobiographical story of racial tensions in late 1960's Dallas that raises tough question and offers no easy answers.
August 16, 2018
Very interesting story in American History. So much of the ignorance of today could actually be solved if we address our history.
December 20, 2011
Every so often a book will come along that will challenge you, that will make you think, and that will hopefully leave you a bit better after you’ve read it. And this is just one such book. And yes some people are probably thinking that’s high praise for a graphic novel, but the story will give you chills within the first three pages and suck you in and not let you go until the very end of the story.
It’s 1968 in Houston, Texas and the fight for civil rights is heating up. Young Mark Long’s father, Jack Long, is the local TV station's race reporter and he’s embedded into the third ward, one of the poorest parts of the town. Jack is attempting to cover the events occurring in town, such as the expulsion of the the SNCC (student nonviolent coordinating committee) from Texas State University, and do justice to the people that he’s covering. He’s saved at one event by Larry Thompson, a local black leader, and the two become friends and their lives intertwine. One white family from a notoriously racist neighborhood in the burbs and one black family from the poorest ward in Houston, come together and find common ground in a conflict that threatens to tear the city apart. But before the end it may all come crashing down with the arrest of the TSU five. Which will be the loudest before the end, the words of hate or the silence of friends? This semi-autobiographical tale is based upon true events of Mark Long’s father.
One of the problem that I normally see with autobiographical stories, like this one, is that they often try to give the reader to much information about the story and invariably the reader gets lost or there are moment that leave us wondering why we’re supposed to care about the story. But this book...this book doesn’t have that issue. The authors have focused the story upon specific events of the race issues affecting the town in a given time period and give you enough information that you understand where the characters are coming from, but it never lets you wander away from what the focus of the story is. And more importantly you don’t ever feel like you’re missing out on something.
My favorite part of the storytelling though is how we get to see the story from two different perspectives--a white family from a racist neighborhood and a black family from one of poorest areas of Houston. Living in many ways on opposite sides of the world and yet we get to see the overlap and the differences between the two families clearly. And while that may sound like a cheesey way or stereotypical way of telling the story, Mark Long and Jim Demonakos tell the story in such a deft manner that you don’t really see it being told that way. You see the characters as real people. You get to understand a bit of what they went through, the troubles that each family faced for the actions they took and didn’t take, and that you want to know them in real life--just so that you could learn more from them. One last thought about the story--the title of the book comes from a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. "In the end, We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” And this book does justice to those words.
Nate Powell’s artwork is absolutely gorgeous. It’s done in his typical grace/style of capturing the human form oh so perfectly and it seems like this time he’s gone even further in his use of shading to give us the beauty of all different types of skin tones, each character’s is unqiue. His artwork is perfectly suited for this story capturing the range and intensity of emotions--the sorrow, the joy, and the fear that sends chills down your spine. That intensity, that feeling of life that he captures in their faces really makes them come alive. And the last pages of the books are some of the most powerful of the book. It seems like a rather basic layout of people walking in the street, with a closeup so that you can see the people’s skin tones--both black and white, and you can see their faces. But then he starts pulling back and all you can see are forms of people all different sizes, both genders, and all muted gray. No race and no color to divide them, just one people.
You can’t help but feel moved by this story and you can’t walk away unchanged. The combination of story and art works perfectly in capturing this event and this time period. I’m predicting this book will be one of the best graphic novels of the year, perhaps even one of the best books of the year.
A review copy of this book was provided by Gina at FirstSecond
It’s 1968 in Houston, Texas and the fight for civil rights is heating up. Young Mark Long’s father, Jack Long, is the local TV station's race reporter and he’s embedded into the third ward, one of the poorest parts of the town. Jack is attempting to cover the events occurring in town, such as the expulsion of the the SNCC (student nonviolent coordinating committee) from Texas State University, and do justice to the people that he’s covering. He’s saved at one event by Larry Thompson, a local black leader, and the two become friends and their lives intertwine. One white family from a notoriously racist neighborhood in the burbs and one black family from the poorest ward in Houston, come together and find common ground in a conflict that threatens to tear the city apart. But before the end it may all come crashing down with the arrest of the TSU five. Which will be the loudest before the end, the words of hate or the silence of friends? This semi-autobiographical tale is based upon true events of Mark Long’s father.
One of the problem that I normally see with autobiographical stories, like this one, is that they often try to give the reader to much information about the story and invariably the reader gets lost or there are moment that leave us wondering why we’re supposed to care about the story. But this book...this book doesn’t have that issue. The authors have focused the story upon specific events of the race issues affecting the town in a given time period and give you enough information that you understand where the characters are coming from, but it never lets you wander away from what the focus of the story is. And more importantly you don’t ever feel like you’re missing out on something.
My favorite part of the storytelling though is how we get to see the story from two different perspectives--a white family from a racist neighborhood and a black family from one of poorest areas of Houston. Living in many ways on opposite sides of the world and yet we get to see the overlap and the differences between the two families clearly. And while that may sound like a cheesey way or stereotypical way of telling the story, Mark Long and Jim Demonakos tell the story in such a deft manner that you don’t really see it being told that way. You see the characters as real people. You get to understand a bit of what they went through, the troubles that each family faced for the actions they took and didn’t take, and that you want to know them in real life--just so that you could learn more from them. One last thought about the story--the title of the book comes from a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. "In the end, We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” And this book does justice to those words.
Nate Powell’s artwork is absolutely gorgeous. It’s done in his typical grace/style of capturing the human form oh so perfectly and it seems like this time he’s gone even further in his use of shading to give us the beauty of all different types of skin tones, each character’s is unqiue. His artwork is perfectly suited for this story capturing the range and intensity of emotions--the sorrow, the joy, and the fear that sends chills down your spine. That intensity, that feeling of life that he captures in their faces really makes them come alive. And the last pages of the books are some of the most powerful of the book. It seems like a rather basic layout of people walking in the street, with a closeup so that you can see the people’s skin tones--both black and white, and you can see their faces. But then he starts pulling back and all you can see are forms of people all different sizes, both genders, and all muted gray. No race and no color to divide them, just one people.
You can’t help but feel moved by this story and you can’t walk away unchanged. The combination of story and art works perfectly in capturing this event and this time period. I’m predicting this book will be one of the best graphic novels of the year, perhaps even one of the best books of the year.
A review copy of this book was provided by Gina at FirstSecond
March 30, 2013
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
Set in a racially-divided and charged Houston, in 1968, this graphic novel follows two storylines: Jack Long, a white television news reporter, covering the the events around civil rights protests in the city, and Larry Thompson, an African-American teacher at Texas Southern University, who is an organizer of the protests. The two form an uneasy and unexpected friendship, and their paths intersect both in the streets, and in their homes. The TSU campus is tense, and with the recent expulsion of SNCC from the campus, the Black Panthers arrive to participate in what is intended to be a peaceful sit-in. Violence erupts, though, and when a police officer is killed, blame falls on five TSU students. The ensuing trial will divide the city, and test the limits of Jack and Larry's friendship.
This was an astounding book, based in large part on Long's own childhood in Houston. The illustrations are tremendous - black and white, with excellent use of shading and texture. The panels move easily, if not always in a traditional fashion, and the words don't get in the way of the visuals, and vice versa. There is also great use of silences throughout the book, both from the characters, as well as visually (the stark white pages following the announcement of MLK's death are striking in their simplicity). I found myself having to remember 1960s history as I read, in terms of SNCC, Stokely Carmichael, and others; for those not familiar with the era, the author provides a helpful note at the end of the book, tying the panels to the real-life events that inspired them. This is a small chapter in the civil rights movement, but an important one that should not be forgotten or neglected. The potential uses of this novel with a social studies class would be immense, and I hope more teachers read it when it's released this month.
Set in a racially-divided and charged Houston, in 1968, this graphic novel follows two storylines: Jack Long, a white television news reporter, covering the the events around civil rights protests in the city, and Larry Thompson, an African-American teacher at Texas Southern University, who is an organizer of the protests. The two form an uneasy and unexpected friendship, and their paths intersect both in the streets, and in their homes. The TSU campus is tense, and with the recent expulsion of SNCC from the campus, the Black Panthers arrive to participate in what is intended to be a peaceful sit-in. Violence erupts, though, and when a police officer is killed, blame falls on five TSU students. The ensuing trial will divide the city, and test the limits of Jack and Larry's friendship.
This was an astounding book, based in large part on Long's own childhood in Houston. The illustrations are tremendous - black and white, with excellent use of shading and texture. The panels move easily, if not always in a traditional fashion, and the words don't get in the way of the visuals, and vice versa. There is also great use of silences throughout the book, both from the characters, as well as visually (the stark white pages following the announcement of MLK's death are striking in their simplicity). I found myself having to remember 1960s history as I read, in terms of SNCC, Stokely Carmichael, and others; for those not familiar with the era, the author provides a helpful note at the end of the book, tying the panels to the real-life events that inspired them. This is a small chapter in the civil rights movement, but an important one that should not be forgotten or neglected. The potential uses of this novel with a social studies class would be immense, and I hope more teachers read it when it's released this month.
January 17, 2012
Giving away 5 copies: http://tiny.cc/rra9o
Set in Houston, Texas, Silence of Our Friends takes place during a time where racial tensions are high and people's patience is at an all-time low - 1968. Jack is a local television newsman assigned to report on "racial news." After a police officer is shot and killed during a non-violent rally at Texas State University, the town is in an uproar and people start pointing fingers. Actually, all fingers are pointing to five innocent African-American men. Jack and Larry, an African-American professor who recently lost his job on campus, befriend each other at an unlikely time and the two gentleman try to restore hope in their community.
The illustrations in this novel are moving to say the least. If you remove every single word throughout the entire book, you would still be able to follow the story. Nearly 200 pages of striking black and white drawings are vivid and in such great detail that you will spend time pouring over the images. We are taken from the rally, to the newsroom, the rodeo, and finally the trial. The story had a shocking ending and I felt a few minutes of emptiness afterward. I questioned the timing, but it does come full circle when you think about the title of the
book.
Strong language, racial slurs, and violence place this in a high school and public library. Based on actual events, younger readers might not be able to decipher what is fictional, but I promise this story will lead to additional research and readings of the time period. The Author's Note is informative and insightful, giving us a personal look at the color line in Texas.
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
Set in Houston, Texas, Silence of Our Friends takes place during a time where racial tensions are high and people's patience is at an all-time low - 1968. Jack is a local television newsman assigned to report on "racial news." After a police officer is shot and killed during a non-violent rally at Texas State University, the town is in an uproar and people start pointing fingers. Actually, all fingers are pointing to five innocent African-American men. Jack and Larry, an African-American professor who recently lost his job on campus, befriend each other at an unlikely time and the two gentleman try to restore hope in their community.
The illustrations in this novel are moving to say the least. If you remove every single word throughout the entire book, you would still be able to follow the story. Nearly 200 pages of striking black and white drawings are vivid and in such great detail that you will spend time pouring over the images. We are taken from the rally, to the newsroom, the rodeo, and finally the trial. The story had a shocking ending and I felt a few minutes of emptiness afterward. I questioned the timing, but it does come full circle when you think about the title of the
book.
Strong language, racial slurs, and violence place this in a high school and public library. Based on actual events, younger readers might not be able to decipher what is fictional, but I promise this story will lead to additional research and readings of the time period. The Author's Note is informative and insightful, giving us a personal look at the color line in Texas.
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
March 12, 2013
This is a nonfiction graphic novel about a small period of time in Houston, Texas in 1968 when life was pretty tense due to the civil rights struggle. It is the story of two men–one who is white and one who is African-American–and how they came together to try to break the race barrier in their neighborhoods. Of course there is more to the story than that. Each family is also portrayed and readers learn a bit more about the dynamics of the family behind each man.
I enjoyed reading about these stories. I am grateful that there were people who would stand up for what was right and truth even when it wasn’t popular to do so. However, I did feel that some of the story was a little choppy. The story line would jump from what was happening with the parents to suddenly one of the sons had a black eye. When a jump like this happened, it would take me a bit to figure out what was going on (and what certain bits had to do with the over-all civil rights story). But overall, I think this is a good book to show that even though it was just two men in one Texas town, they worked to do what they knew was right and overall they made a difference. And, it would be a great way to get teens interested in reading more about the civil rights movement and how many people contributed to make a change. Also, I once again think it interesting that one of the nonfiction award winners had a similar theme to one of the graphic novels. I would be interested to see what teens had to think about comparing this book with We ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson.
I enjoyed reading about these stories. I am grateful that there were people who would stand up for what was right and truth even when it wasn’t popular to do so. However, I did feel that some of the story was a little choppy. The story line would jump from what was happening with the parents to suddenly one of the sons had a black eye. When a jump like this happened, it would take me a bit to figure out what was going on (and what certain bits had to do with the over-all civil rights story). But overall, I think this is a good book to show that even though it was just two men in one Texas town, they worked to do what they knew was right and overall they made a difference. And, it would be a great way to get teens interested in reading more about the civil rights movement and how many people contributed to make a change. Also, I once again think it interesting that one of the nonfiction award winners had a similar theme to one of the graphic novels. I would be interested to see what teens had to think about comparing this book with We ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson.
April 4, 2013
This graphic novel is based on the author's father's experiences being a newscaster in Texas during the Civil Rights movement. Jack Long is the newscaster who films the sit-in by Texas Southern University African American students and civil right activists after the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was banned from campus. This non-violent protest became violent after an undercover policeman was shot and police stormed the men's dormitory. It was believed that the policeman was shot by someone in the dormitory and Long's footage was used against the alleged gunmen during the trial. It soon came out that the policeman was not shot by an protesters but by a fellow officer after his bullet richochet off the wall while trying to shoot out the lights.
This is the brave story of two families, who overcome race and become friends during a very tense time in American history. This would be a good book to introduce to students while doing Civil Rights lessons in school or for young adults who just want to read more about the time period.
This is the brave story of two families, who overcome race and become friends during a very tense time in American history. This would be a good book to introduce to students while doing Civil Rights lessons in school or for young adults who just want to read more about the time period.
February 21, 2017
This is an impressive graphic novel that tells the true story of the TSU Five and civil rights in Houston from the dual viewpoints of a black professor and a white television news man. The story a somewhat fictionalized account of real events in which Mark Long's father was involved. Police opened fire on the TSU dormitories, and one officer was killed; it was Long's father's testimony that demonstrated that the officer had been killed by friendly fire and helped acquit the black man who was arrested for this officer's death.
I really liked this because no one is a glowing hero. Long's family was struggling hard not to be racist, and it's definitely not a "white man saves everything" kind of story. It is, however, replete with instances of how white people can use their privilege to fight racism.
It's a moving and stirring story that still feels strikingly relevant.
I really liked this because no one is a glowing hero. Long's family was struggling hard not to be racist, and it's definitely not a "white man saves everything" kind of story. It is, however, replete with instances of how white people can use their privilege to fight racism.
It's a moving and stirring story that still feels strikingly relevant.
May 2, 2018
Ganz knappe vier Sterne.
Die Geschichte und die Umsetzung als Graphic Novel ist für meine Begriffe nicht so ganz stimmig. Zwar sind die Zeichnungen sehr gut und atmosphärisch - vor allem die wechselnden Perspektiven finde ich sehr gelungen - aber die Personen bleiben stellenweise doch recht flach und blass. Es empfiehlt sich bei diesem Buch das Nachwort des Autors/Zeichners zuerst zu lesen, um zu verstehen, um was es eigentlich geht. Als Einstiegslektüre in dieses Thema durchaus empfehlenswert, als eigenständige Geschichte nur dann, wenn man sich mit den Hintergründen beschäftigt. Ansonsten bleibt man ein bisschen hungrig zurück.
Die Geschichte und die Umsetzung als Graphic Novel ist für meine Begriffe nicht so ganz stimmig. Zwar sind die Zeichnungen sehr gut und atmosphärisch - vor allem die wechselnden Perspektiven finde ich sehr gelungen - aber die Personen bleiben stellenweise doch recht flach und blass. Es empfiehlt sich bei diesem Buch das Nachwort des Autors/Zeichners zuerst zu lesen, um zu verstehen, um was es eigentlich geht. Als Einstiegslektüre in dieses Thema durchaus empfehlenswert, als eigenständige Geschichte nur dann, wenn man sich mit den Hintergründen beschäftigt. Ansonsten bleibt man ein bisschen hungrig zurück.
August 26, 2013
This is (mostly) history done right, which doesn't happen often enough in graphic novels. This is an affecting portrait of the segregated south told from both sides of the divide. This is a quick read, though it is 200 pages long, in part because so much rides on the great Nate Powell who shows rather than tells much of the story. This is a little ironic given the title comes from MLK's "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." Powell silently gives us the actions that mattered and that more than anything else really sets this book apart.
December 24, 2017
Impossible not to compare this to the March graphic novels - it even has the same illustrator. This is told mainly from a white perspective, and while it is interesting and also a personal story from the authors own life, it doesn't have the power or gravitas of March. Great to read alongside each other.
August 11, 2016
I like story book about civil right.
That good long story happen to they.
I really love a story about happen. Rhys same happen before
That good long story happen to they.
I really love a story about happen. Rhys same happen before
March 13, 2020
I had never heard of the TSU incident before this book. At times, the narrative seemed to get lost in an effective construction of setting and mood. I found myself having to re-read sections because of what I initially thought were unfinished or contradictory strands. The pace of the last 20 pages is especially quick and compelling. I love the detail of weaving important quotes and ideas into the dialogue of the characters: it's a subtle effect that I would have missed if not for the epilogue. If you're reading it for the first time, keep your ears alert for echoes of important thinkers.
August 8, 2017
This story is taken from events that ooccured in Houston, Texas, about 50 years ago.
quote from
The TSU Riot, 50 years later What really happened that night in 1967, and what does it mean for Houston?
Alex LaRotta, for the Houston Chronicle May 16, 2017 Updated: May 17, 2017 9:02am
"Local and national newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, labeled the incident a riot. Visit the Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas History Online, and there, under "Riots," a brief description reaffirms parts of the prevailing narrative: On the night of May 17, 1967, TSU students rioted. (They were black.) Police officers responded. (They were mostly white.) All of which resulted in thousands of shots fired, the arrest of nearly 500 students, traumatic injuries on both sides and the tragic death of a rookie police officer, Louis Kuba. (He was white. And young. And an expectant father.)
What was often left out of press coverage is that the students weren't actually rioting. There were no reports of looting, destruction of property or mass resistance of arrest, all essential hallmarks of a riot.
More accurately, this was a protest, followed by the alleged throwing of debris at a police car, followed by a police invasion of campus, followed by an isolated shooting of a police officer, which then escalated into an Alamo-scale shootout — all of which, while complex, does not constitute a riot.
Nor was there much discussion on how the so-called "TSU Five" — the five students charged with conspiracy and incitement to riot — were exonerated due to insufficient evidence.
Or that Officer Kuba was shot and killed with a .30 caliber bullet, which was not only incompatible with confiscated guns from the dormitory, but, in fact, indicated HPD ricochet fire, confirmed in ballistic and coroner reports.
Nevertheless, most reports confirm that HPD fired somewhere around 3,000 rounds into Lanier Dormitory. That was followed by a police raid which caused tens of thousands of dollars in property damage."
*eARC Netgalley
quote from
The TSU Riot, 50 years later What really happened that night in 1967, and what does it mean for Houston?
Alex LaRotta, for the Houston Chronicle May 16, 2017 Updated: May 17, 2017 9:02am
"Local and national newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, labeled the incident a riot. Visit the Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas History Online, and there, under "Riots," a brief description reaffirms parts of the prevailing narrative: On the night of May 17, 1967, TSU students rioted. (They were black.) Police officers responded. (They were mostly white.) All of which resulted in thousands of shots fired, the arrest of nearly 500 students, traumatic injuries on both sides and the tragic death of a rookie police officer, Louis Kuba. (He was white. And young. And an expectant father.)
What was often left out of press coverage is that the students weren't actually rioting. There were no reports of looting, destruction of property or mass resistance of arrest, all essential hallmarks of a riot.
More accurately, this was a protest, followed by the alleged throwing of debris at a police car, followed by a police invasion of campus, followed by an isolated shooting of a police officer, which then escalated into an Alamo-scale shootout — all of which, while complex, does not constitute a riot.
Nor was there much discussion on how the so-called "TSU Five" — the five students charged with conspiracy and incitement to riot — were exonerated due to insufficient evidence.
Or that Officer Kuba was shot and killed with a .30 caliber bullet, which was not only incompatible with confiscated guns from the dormitory, but, in fact, indicated HPD ricochet fire, confirmed in ballistic and coroner reports.
Nevertheless, most reports confirm that HPD fired somewhere around 3,000 rounds into Lanier Dormitory. That was followed by a police raid which caused tens of thousands of dollars in property damage."
*eARC Netgalley
March 7, 2018
The book I read was “The Silence Of Our Friends” I would give it an 8.5/10 it is a very interesting book but I will say right now racism is touchy subject for you this is no the book for you, with that out of the way this book is about how in the 1960’s Texas was a racist place. I won't give up to much about this book you will have to read the book to find out what I’m talking about, The Silence Of Our Friends is about how in a place where blacks and whites hate each other one white family accepted a black family through all the sacrifices and all the torment of helping a black family because they are friends they have a conflict later on in the story you're going to have to see what that's about saying that this book is also historically accurate it is a very entertaining book it will grab your attention I can say that much about it, it also has a lot of pictures in it so you don't have to imagine what's going on you can see for yourself. I will warn you this book does have strong language in it just ignore those parts and you will be fine.
August 29, 2017
Before I start this review, I want to add a quick caveat: as far as I can tell, the creators of this comic are all white (and the main writer, Mark Long, is the son of the white news reporter depicted in this story). That being said, I was a bit dubious at the "white guy is not a dick to black people" story that makes up this comic's plot - those stories often feel like they're pandering to white readers and their feelings. I still gave this book a higher rating because I did enjoy reading it, but I wanted to make it clear that this is a point that is still simmering in my mind.
All in all though, this was solid. This would make a great readalike to MARCH, both because of the subject matter and because Powell is the artist for both. His style is really well-suited to these historical recountings - it has a timelessness to it that's accentuated by his B&W washes that lends itself well to stories taking place in the recent past.
All in all though, this was solid. This would make a great readalike to MARCH, both because of the subject matter and because Powell is the artist for both. His style is really well-suited to these historical recountings - it has a timelessness to it that's accentuated by his B&W washes that lends itself well to stories taking place in the recent past.
Read
April 29, 2020"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
4.5 stars - rounded up
A strong semi-autobiographical narrative surrounding events in Houston, 1968. The book is constructed around two families, one black and one white, in deeply divided Texas during the Civil Rights movement. Long relates the story of his father, a white news reporter, who befriends a professor at Texas Southern University and a civil rights activist, on the eve of a race riot in Houston.
A powerful story, only docked slightly in my rating because I felt a hint of the "white savior" device in the final scenes of the book - hard to ignore, even despite the true story. That being said, is is a wonderful addition to civil rights literature.
4.5 stars - rounded up
A strong semi-autobiographical narrative surrounding events in Houston, 1968. The book is constructed around two families, one black and one white, in deeply divided Texas during the Civil Rights movement. Long relates the story of his father, a white news reporter, who befriends a professor at Texas Southern University and a civil rights activist, on the eve of a race riot in Houston.
A powerful story, only docked slightly in my rating because I felt a hint of the "white savior" device in the final scenes of the book - hard to ignore, even despite the true story. That being said, is is a wonderful addition to civil rights literature.
October 14, 2012
I majored in history education as an undergrad, so when I come across historical themed books, I can’t shake the part of me that says ‘This would be great in a classroom library, this could hook reluctant learners.’ See, that’s exactly what I thought when I finished The Silence Of Our Friends by Mark Long and Jim Demonakos with art by Nate Powell, a graphic novel detailing a neighborhood suburb of Houston, Texas rife with racial tension in 1968 after SNCC protests.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
April 6, 2016
Just another story about how white allies "suffered" for supporting the fight for POC's rights.
I'm tired of this extremly outrageous white-washing of oppresion that white people performed during history.
Also, the authors portray the families from very racist perspectives: while the white family is loving, caring, and supportive, the black family is shown as rude and even violent. For example, they fight a lot, the father hits his son, etc.
Basically, the portray the white family as the good one, and the black family as the bad one.
This story could be summarised as: "White people's tears"
I'm tired of this extremly outrageous white-washing of oppresion that white people performed during history.
Also, the authors portray the families from very racist perspectives: while the white family is loving, caring, and supportive, the black family is shown as rude and even violent. For example, they fight a lot, the father hits his son, etc.
Basically, the portray the white family as the good one, and the black family as the bad one.
This story could be summarised as: "White people's tears"
August 1, 2017
This was just okay. I was expecting a lot out of it, and it didn't really deliver for me. I think the sketchy style of the art was hard to follow sometimes. The scrawled lettering that was supposed to represent distant voices I think threw me off a lot of the time. I'm from Houston, so I liked reading about events that took place in an area I'm familiar with. Also, the "they shot King" page was great. All in all, just okay though.
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