Jerusalén: Un retrato de familia

Jerusalem: A Family Portrait #1-2

by Boaz Yakin

Sobre los hombros patriarcales de Izak y Yakov Halaby, dos hermanos únicamente ligados por lazos de sangre, recae la responsabilidad de coordinar una comunidad familiar abrumada por los tiempos conflictivos que vive su tierra. Ambos, y con ellos todo su entorno, se van a ver afectados por las circunstancias que rodearon la creación del moderno estado de Israel, tomando caminos diferentes, todos igualmente difíciles.
El guionista Boaz Yakin y el dibujante Nick Bertozzi nos emplazan a la convulsa Palestina de los años 40, donde el crisol de procedencias e ideologías compusieron una sinfonía de fuerzas humanas tan turbulenta como sugerente para soñar la fundación de un futuro todavía irresuelto.
Jerusalén es una novela gráfica épica y ambiciosa, social, política y sentimental, que se inspira en los acontecimientos reales vividos por tres generaciones de un lugar disputado desde hace milenios.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Historical Fiction, Middle East, Israel, Historical, Fiction

404 pages, Hardcover

First published April 16, 2009

About the author

For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/boaz-yakin

Reviews

[Simon Yoong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've mixed feelings about this book. The subject matter is close to my heart, the story is no doubt moving and powerful, but it just didn't do much for me. Maybe it is the (necessary but) desensitising violence, or the lack of overarching strong, central protagonist.

Good tale, but could have been much better presented.

[Gauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a graphic novel about the author's family history, during the time his family lived in Jerusalem during the occupation of Britain. The plot is somewhat fictionalized, filling in empty parts of the accounts he painstakingly gathered from his relatives. The art and dialogue is very powerful; the author doesn't impose his own thoughts about the events in the novel, but rather gives the reader a chance to create his or her own interpretation. What I took away from this experience was the understanding of the pain and misery that collected in each individual due to their losses and suffering because of the conflict. Because the author focuses on different individuals and frequently shifts between the characters, he creates a rich portrayal of family dynamics and how perspectives and interests for the war differed. However, it was slightly difficult to follow because there were so many characters, and I didn't have much knowledge of Jerusalem's history.

[Dani Shuping · Rating 4 out of 5]

The year is 1940. The place is Jerusalem. And there is war all around. Not only is World War II continuing and taking away the men and boys of Israel to fight Hitler’s armies, but Jews and Arabs are fighting once more within Jerusalem. This story follows three generations of the same family, 15 members in total, from 1940-1948, through war, through jail, through faith, and through death. This is a story that will not let you go.

This has been one of the most difficult books for me to review, not only because of the content (which at times draws close to some buried family secrets) but also because of the way the story is told. Boaz is a filmmaker at heart and it shows in how he writes and plots his stories as he moves from one person to the next and then back again to pick up the characters tale. It’s a powerful and interesting way to create a story, but at the same time there were times I got lost and needed a scorecard to keep up with the characters (of which thankfully there was one in the front.) It took me two read throughs to see the entire story, which is probably more my reading style than that of Boaz's writing. That aside though, this is a powerful story and is one that you’ll want to read again and again to see what you might have missed. Although Boaz fictionalized parts of the story, much of it still has the feel of a biography which makes it even more interesting to read.

Nick’s black and white illustrations make it feel like we’re watching one of those old classic black and white films and gives the film a sense of heaviness, of reality that grounds the story and helps keep it real. We watch as the characters grow and change during this 8 year time period and come to life. Although the illustrations are relatively simple, Nick adds details to keep visual interest that will keep the reader looking for visual imagery that enhances the story.

This is one of those books that you need to have a box of tissues next to you and a computer handy so that you can lookup aspects of the history, not to verify anything, but to enhance your understanding of the story and the places discussed. And once you get done...read it again. And then pass the book onto someone else. I give the book 4 out of 5 stars.


ARC provided by Gina at FirstSecond

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely outstanding! This chunkster of a graphic novel is a gripping read that I could not put down once started. It is one I already plan to re-read. Starting off with a map and couple pages of text we are given an historical background of Israel/Palestine up to the starting date of the book post-WWII 1945. Follows is a one page text background of the fictional family featured in the book up to this date as well. The reader is then fully immersed into the chaotic, war-torn life of a Jewish family whose members have differing viewpoints on the issues surrounding them. Very much a family story but heavily grounded in its political background. If, like me, you know of this conflict only from modern times, you will find the historical background of the making of Israel a compelling story. The author manages to give an even presentation showing no bias to either Jew or Arab, only coming off as being extremely anti-war and biased totally against the former British Commonwealth. The family story is heart-wrenching; there are moments of levity but mostly it is a dark tale of hatred and love. The b/w artwork is beautifully realistic though at times the realism of the atrocities of war can be painful to look at. A stunning book which I wouldn't be surprised to see on a few award lists for 2013.

[Jim Angstadt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jerusalem: A Family Portrait
Boaz Yakin, Nick Bertozzi (Illustrations)

This graphic novel is based on stories from the 1940s told to the author by his family. The content of those stories, as presented here, seems consistent with the history of the region. There appears to be no effort to relate this story to a fuller picture of the region, with viewpoints from multiple and conflicting sources. Although attempting to generalize about the region, on the basis of this story, is appealing, it might not be accurate or complete.

For sure, life there was hard. Just getting enough to eat was often difficult. Living in crowded apartments was difficult. Militia made movement difficult. And some people made it still more difficult. There were some tender moments. One child cared for another. One women took in a single pregnant woman. But these instances stood out by their exception.

Another recent graphic novel, Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City by Guy Delisle, gives a current day perspective. It is interesting to contrast the conditions, anger, and outlook of the two books.

[Trevor · Rating 2 out of 5]

This looked such an interesting read - Jerusalem in the mid/late 1940's at the time of the end of the British mandate and the first war with neighboring countries, but unfortunately I found it very flat and uninteresting.

There was little character development, the story jumped about all over the place, perhaps i missed something, but there seemed to be lots of loose ends when the story finished. It just wasn't a satisfying read.

Perhaps reading it on a kindle wasn't the best idea. I'll certainly try another graphic novel, but next time it will be a physical book.

[Justine Cucchi-Dietlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sad to say this is the first graphic novel I've ever DNFed, but I can't pretend I'll get into something after reading 100 pages. It's not that I didn't think the content was important, but that I really couldn't follow along with the story. The narrative changes perspective often, characters look similar, and it quickly becomes hard to determine whose 'side' you're reading from at a given moment.

[Gabie (OwlEyesReviews) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very confused throughout my reading of this, which makes me realize that I am very ignorant about this topic. I need to do research in order to understand this story. Hopefully, when I read it a second time, I will enjoy it more.

[Garth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've recently been reading a bunch of literature on the Jewish-Palestinian conflict in hopes of understanding it better. I read Jerusaem in hopes of understanding the establishment of the Jewish state. The story was gripping and there were some interesting plot twists. I just didn't love the lack of context at the start of the story, the artwork, or how the story ended. Even though I'd recently studied and read related literature, it was pretty difficult to understand what was going on in the story, especially because there were so many characters. The author didn't establish the history or context well. I also admittedly judge graphic novels on their artwork. The drawings and artwork looked a lot like Persepolis and Maus, which made sense. I just didn't love the art. Finally, as sad and horrible as the narrative about the Jews is, I thought that somebody dying at the end of the story like they did was too dark, especially because it had happened throughout the novel. I know that this story is based on real events, but the ending was still REALLY rough. In the end, I don't know if I enjoyed much of this story even though I really wanted to love it.

[Gabrielle Lyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may contain spoilers!
Jerusalem A Family Portrait begins in April 1945 and tells the story of two branches of the Halabys family. Jonathan and Motti are cousins, and despite their fathers' poor relationship, are also best friends. It should be noted though that their relationship has plenty of ups and downs. The family is torn apart due to the jealousy that Jonathan's father, Yakov, felt towards his younger brother Izak. Izak is debt to his brother, but Yakov refuses to forgive the debt despite the fact that his family is losing everything. The issue gets so bad that Izak has to rent out a room to the Hehmads in order to meet ends meet. At one point though he serves time in jail for back payments. He is released on bond once the pregnant Sylvia, David's supposed wife, sells her late mother's earrings. While the fight over the debt continues throughout the story, many political events are occurring. Avraham Halaby is Izak's eldest son, who serves for Britain during WWII, but once he returns to Jerusalem he becomes a member of the local communist party. His younger brother Ezra is a member of the rebels, who fight for Israel to become a Jewish state once again. His activities often end in bloodshed. David, their other brother and favorite of Motti, leaves Jerusalem to fight in Europe once Avraham returns. Motti and David had an extremely close relationship, and his departure leaves Motti devastated. Izak's only daughter, Devorah,does not play a big role; she often called worthless by her mother. However, she is courted by her cousin, Jonathan for sometime. After the United Nations votes to make Israel a state war erupts and all of the Halabys spend the next months either hiding or fighting. Sylvia reveals that she is not David's wife, after he dies in battle for Jerusalem, she was merely someone he tried to help escape the horrors of Europe by forging a marriage license. Izak's wife, Emily tells Sylvia that she has known the whole time, but she tells Slyvia to stay with the Halabys. Eventually the war is over, and the family begins to try to return to a normal life, but tragedy strikes in the final pages of the story.
Two of the main themes the authors deal with in the book are the complexity of family and the devastation of war. Family life is shown to be quite complex throughout "Jerusalem" such as when Emily is crying over the fact that all of her sons are leaving their mother. When Devorah goes to comfort her though she scolds her for not having a chore done. Izak and Yakov's relationship is very troubled. They do care for their nieces and nephews, but they almost despise each other. While Izak begs his brother to forgive the loans, Yakov refuses to do so because he strongly believes that Izak's financial issues are a punishment from above. The novel also shows how devastating war can be throughout its course (1945-1948). In one instance when Ezra is working to encourage an uprising against the British, his friend Haim is shot by British soldiers when they are discovered hanging up posters. Perhaps the most horrific incident was during the invasion of an Arab town. Two sisters, Nadia and Yusra are running away from the Jewish soldiers when they decide to hid in a nearby building.Unfortunately, a bomb is thrown into the building at the same time and the youngest sister is killed.
The authors' purpose for writing this book is to make people understand what was occurring in Jerusalem during the mid-1940's. In the beginning of the novel the British occupation is heavily discussed. While Motti and Jonathan are both Jewish, they attend a school run by British priests who refused to allow the students to speak in Hebrew and/or Arabic. When Avraham and his fellow communists hold a protest, the British soldiers tell them that they must have a permit in order to hold a demonstration. Once the British occupation is over, the real fighting begins. As the war between Israel and many Arab nations raged on, the inhabitants of Jerusalem were left without supplies and were cut off from the world. When Emily needed to fed Ika, it was shown that the Halabys had barely any food remaining in their house. Also, once David returns to Israel, he has a difficult time making it to Jerusalem, and is sadly killed by the opposing forces in a trap before he returns to his family. The Halabys have to make bomb shelters that the children are often seen living in, in oder to survive the fighting.
I would most definitely recommend this book to someone. I don't typically read graphic novels, but this one was excellent. The images were gory sometimes, but they left an impression on me. They really help one understand the devastation that everyone in Jerusalem was facing during this crucial point in it's history. I couldn't put this book down because I always wanted to know what was going to happen to the Halabys. I was constantly hoping for Izak and Yakov to recoil, but they sadly never nor do I ever think they will now. I didn't particular enjoy the ending because it left me with so many unanswered questions. I really would like to know the affect the tragedy will have on all of the Halabys.

[Cindy Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jerusalem was often a time of chaos and conflict during the years the state of Israel was being established in the 1940s. Communists, Zionists, Jews, Arabs, and British soldiers were mixed into a boiling pot that pitted brothers against brothers and race against race.

Graphic novelists Boaz Yakin and Nick Bertozzi have sought to capture those unsettling times through the lens of one family: the Hallabys. In their novel, Jerusalem: A Family Portrait, they introduce readers to brothers Izak and Yakov, the patriarchs, estranged from each other over past differences. Izak and Yakov’s children are caught up in their personal war, as well as in the larger conflict that swirls around them.

Izak’s adult sons are a reflection of the myriad forces at work. Two of them fought with the British army in Europe during World War II. One would like to see Israel become Communist and cooperates with Arabs who feel the same, another fights with Jewish rebels. Everyone suffers privation and shortages during the most difficult times.

Each family member has a different perspective, and through their eyes the larger tale unfolds. While this is fairly recent history, it also seems to be not very well known or understood. The authors provide background in an introduction that provides a map of the British Mandate Palestine in 1945, a brief history of the city of Jerusalem beginning with the Ottoman takeover in 1517 until 1939, and a personal history of the Hallaby family. The stories are based on the experiences of Yakin’s own family, who lived in Palestine during this time.

As with any good graphic novel, the images tell so much of the tale, and such is the case in Jerusalem. The fighting, confusion, suffering, and turmoil leap off the pages, as do small moments of joy and triumph that sometimes shine through. I recommend it for anyone who loves history.

[First Second Books]

This book is based on the story of Boaz Yakin's family dealing with living in Israel from 1940-1948, but it's not a strict biography -- it has been fictionalized.

That's one of the things I like about it.

You know how sometimes you read memoir or biography and at the end you're left kind of furrowing your brow and going, 'huh,' because the main character didn't die in a blaze of glory or after they established their global pinochle empire, they miscellaneously got themselves killed trying to climb Everest without ever making things right with their family (or having decided not to make things right with their family)?

This is because while non-fiction is a wonderful narrative form, sometimes it doesn't tie up quite as nicely as a fiction book would, where everyone gets killed or married or lives happily ever after at the end. The world just isn't that neat and tidy. (Unless it is -- which is the reason that even coincidences that happened in real life should be written out of most all fiction; it just isn't convincing to tell readers that your protagonist accidentally married her fiance's twin brother).

So for those times when the non-fiction story doesn't quite match up to the marriage-blaze of glory-heroic triumph narrative, we've got this: fictionalized nonfiction, which is loyal in spirit to the actual history, but has changed names/dates/places/events to better catch the emotional resonance.

[Jean-christophe Boudreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jerusalem is about a family living in Palestine, this takes place from 1940 to 1948 and has to do with the series of events that happening during that time. Its a very well told showing how tough it was for the people living there at times and even how sometimes British soliders mistreated the locals. The artwork was nice to look at and felt realistic and not like some crazy over the top cartoon-like graphic novel. This one I would recommend to people who enjoy history or stories based on historical events.

[Greta G · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jerusalem: A Family Portrait is a graphic novel written by Boaz Yakin and illustrated by Nick Bertozzi, which traces the chaotic, bloody early history of the modern Jewish state in Palestine, focusing on a fractious family living in the hotly contested city of Jerusalem.

It follows the families of two estranged Israeli brothers, focusing primarily on the sons of these brothers as the many wars involving Jerusalem rage around them. They suffer life, death, and everything in between, all while searching for their own identities within a passionate love for the place they call home.

The narrative draws lovely if depressing parallels between these families and the Arabs and Jews, as they fight for control of Jerusalem. While the troubles of the Middle East are familiar, it's impossible not to get drawn in to the plight of these characters.

The youngest sons, first cousins Motti and Jonathan, are perhaps the sole bright spots and also the most tragic aspect of this work. Best friends regardless of their fathers' estrangement, they are eventually pulled apart as they grow up, and as Jerusalem continues to pull itself apart. The way Motti and Jonathan's story ends is somehow both shocking and inevitable.

Jerusalem: A Family Portrait is written and constructed rather well. Bertozzi's art, in grimly appropriate shades of black, white, and grey, sets a fitting tone for a story filled with unflinchingly honest violence.

All in all, Jerusalem: A Family Portrait is a wonderful graphic novel following a fractious family through the bloody history of Jerusalem.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

More graphically violent than necessary, but it is a very violent subject matter. Heartbreaking and informative, but not as conclusive as I'd have liked.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was optimistic about this book, but found it very disjointed and hard to follow. I wound up learning very little from it. Maybe if I gave it a second read it would be easier to follow, but I probably won't take the chance and will move on to other works.

[Tyska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gruesome - just like reality.

[Prospero · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is the 1940s. While the world is being shredded by war, a colonial power presiding over a large populace in a land steeped with history begins a policy of divide-and-conquer to keep the inhabitants divided and conquered. Tribes begin to form along the lines of religion and politics, nationalists and extremists of all stripes contend with intellectuals and opportunists to shape society in their favor. Sibling turns on sibling, communities are ripped apart, and education, history and a history of peaceful coexistence are quickly forgotten as a family caught in the mayhem struggles to find its place in a brave new world, where the only things that seem modern are the weapons and machinations of politicians. Sound familiar?

This book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in the roots of the Israel-Palestine issue, and especially for readers from the Commonwealth (particularly from the Indian Subcontinent) who have a personal understanding of the horrors of colonial Partition.

A personal history of the story of the founding of Israel told through the eyes of three generations of an Israeli family. What I loved about this graphic novel is that it took a balanced view of the issue, and provided additional context around the history of British rule in Palestine, whose divide-and-conquer policies helped further fan Israeli-Arab divisions which were on their way to reconciliation with the younger generation of the 1940s. (Essentially the practice of divide-and-rule under the British continues to exert its legacy in the ongoing tensions in Palestine, Cyprus and India-Pakistan.)

A moving tale set in the past, made all the more biting because as readers we know it is merely a prelude to further bloodshed to come, with little having changed between 1948 and the present.

[Sami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technically read during the school semester and I SUCK at adding books on here BUT this was AMAZING and I CRIED!!! Big family drama set between 1945-1948/9 during the period of the creation of the state of Israel -- you got a deep-seated decades-long feud between two brothers that extends to their children, young cousins best friends despite said feud, other brothers becoming peace-seeking Communists, idealistic terrorists, and awesome soldiers, and a sister that's definitely in love with a neighbor girl!!!!! It is GREAT

[Christina Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the British Mandate of Palestine on the eve of its independence, it would be all too easy to ascribe historical or political meaning to every plot point in the story about an extended family torn apart by jealousy and ideology. While Yakin almost certainly intends for the reader to consider such interpretations, any mapping of this narrative to another is bound to reveal less about the author's opinion than it does about the audience's point of view. Halaby family patriarch Yakov is dedicated to immiserating his younger brother Izak because their father favored his youngest son in his will. As a successful businessman and rabbi, he certainly has the means to do so, and does not hesitate. The ravages of instability and poverty take a heavy toll on Izak’s family, driving its sons to seek empowerment via the two major underground movements of the day: international communism and militant Zionism. The interplay between historical events and family dynamics is at once sophisticated and intimate. While a working knowledge of the era is useful to understanding the forces at play, the powerful story is itself a powerful inducement to learn more about the historical context. CHRISTINA E. TAYLOR

[Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took my time with this book. It looked like it deserved it and I was not wrong, it’s a great read.

The panels are well planned out and shows the amount of heart out into the book in the earlier parts. However, towards the end there was less “play” with paneling which was a shame.

The art serves its purpose but I do wish each character was drawn a little more distinctly so I did not have to second guess who they were.

But these are small gripes, the book is good and the subject matter interesting. The sheer work load to pull something like this off is huge; my deepest respects to the team.

Give the book a go.

[Dustyloup · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pas trop "ma tasse de thé." Bon travail sur l'histoire. Des fois j'ai eu du mal à suivre qui était qui. même si ça vaut le coup d'être lu, je suis toujours confus sur le contexte - le besoin de tuer des gens parce qu'ils ont tués des autres gens. Le moment le plus triste c'était quand Johnathan est venu pour demander le loyer. et le plus beau- quand la maman (Emily) a expliqué qu'elle savait déjà pour le secret de Sylvia.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! A family saga set against the backdrop of Jerusalem in the mid-40s. Characters and motivations feel real. The ending is just ... Wow! Wasn't sure I was going to like this when I began. War is an ugly business ...

[Kristin]

I read this as an ebook, and I think I missed a lot of nuance because of it. That, or it was hard to follow. In any case, it was still very good (I'd need to read it again to really get what happened). The illustrations are extremely expressive.

[Uday · Rating 2 out of 5]

The strung together vignettes alternate between intimate and sweeping, but end up feeling disjointed and abrupt. I wanted to like this book more than I did.

[Jurij Fedorov · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading it. Initially it was hard to get into. Without colors everything looks the same. And we follow sons from the same family so all have black hair. Who is doing what? It takes a long time to start to remember each personality. Even the dad looks similar with such a cartoony drawing style. And most of what we see is not explained. It becomes quite a mess. Each page needed an info box then it would have been great.

But then it grows on you. I started to recognize historical events. Even the terrorist Jewish groups that wanted to chase out the Arabs using any means. That the Israeli army later attacked when they tried to bring weapons into the country. Israel bombed the ship with passengers on board. Meanwhile the Muslims started to accept terrorist groups after this. So I think these little story is culturally revealing. The terrorist group did kill British soldiers. Mad about the deal with Arabs that blocked Jews from going to Palestine after 1939. Meaning they had nowhere to go and Hitler exterminated them. This is a black mark on British history and one can understand the hate some Jews felt toward the British. But it's good Israel got rid of them just as fast.

This initial war of 1948 creating Israel had a lot of factors it seems. There is even a communist group with both Jews and Arabs. But Arabs don't show up when the war starts. The British are made into monsters. The Arabs adore them and they even help Arabs loot Jewish stores and kill Jews as they are fed up with Jews. I'm not sure it really happened this way as Jewish forces helped the British fight the terrorist Arabs who wanted to get rid of Britain. And then as I said, the Jewish forces later nearly started a civil war to defeat the rebels in their nation so the British for sure could trust them with their lives.

I adore the honest brutality. We see a massacre on an Arab town by the terrorist Jews. Families are getting killed, men with arms are captured and executed. Women are shooting back. The Deir Yassin massacre was a real thing and this is definitely how I can imagine it went down. I assume most here happened in some way. But it's not really an easy read as some of it is overly obscure. The ending is also nonsense. I don't quite understand what happened and why. We can assume things, but it's not clearly shown. The whole family drama is a bit silly to be fair. And there is not much focus on romance. I wanted more and something a tad happier at the end.

I think it's a recommended read for sure if you love history as there is a ton here and it's brutally honest. But without colors this is not quite as good as it should have been.

[H.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This certainly elaborates on the increasingly nuanced view I take on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Having been to this region in my early 20s, I was struck by the murky complexity of the political climate as I got to know the people living there. Everyone is just trying to exist in a pressure cooker that they happened to be born into. Their response to it, like everyone's response to everything, is rooted in their upbringing - and this goes beyond ethnicity or politics, into the emotional tone and psychology of their family.

The often violent responses of the characters in this book feel natural given the dysfunction of their home life, and there's a symmetry between their personal issues and those of the broader world. The adult brothers are locked in a conflict where one takes everything from the other, while the children navigate an environment in which British soldiers treat them much as modern Israeli soldiers too often treat Palestinians. The mirroring of public and private, past and present, and the typically impotent rage of people born into circumstances way beyond their control really stood out to me, as did the sense of fate at play. Throughout history, there are countless moments where things could've gone differently, and the middle east in the 1940's contained a dense array of such possibilities. No one alive then (and certainly no one in this story) could've predicted what personal choices and global politics might lead to for them - let alone people living 80 years down the line.

I'm unsure if the author was conscious of the interplay between the microcosm and the macrocosm when making this, but I appreciate that uncertainty - for none of us are fully conscious of this in our own lives, either.

Also, great artwork. As a wannabe graphic novelist myself, I could never.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was this Popular book sale at Avenue K where one book costs RM10 but if you buy five books, you can get them for RM25. While sifting through the available books, I saw this and it was a hardcover graphic novel. And damnshit if I buy five books, this will technically cost RM5 which is a steal considering most graphic novels cost RM40-RM100++.

I read this fresh after watching Dunkirk so I felt super horrified by war and couldn't stop thinking why we humans have to initiate them when they cost us so much unnecessary loss and pain. I was also super fascinated by this because of the WW11 setting and curious because I've yet to read things from the Israeli front before.

It was stark and the art style really brought out the bleakness of the situation. Of people constantly fighting. Of people dying. Of people being so antagonistic to each other. And while war is happening around everyone, life goes on with how family support each other and how family can also make life difficult to live.

I cannot imagine that this is someone's life translated into this because how can anyone live like this? Ok some parts are fictionalised but still. Even when things seemingly get better in the end, it's like the effects of war is always there and they are just tragic. I think I just laid down for a very long time after reading this, contemplating on human existence and wondering why do we do this to ourselves?

[Alessandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gerusalemme: Un ritratto di famiglia di Boaz Yakin e Nick Bertozzi è uno di quei libri che rimangono addosso molto più a lungo dell’ultima pagina. Attraverso la storia di tre generazioni di una famiglia ebrea, Yakin costruisce un racconto intenso e delicato che attraversa gli anni cruciali tra il 1940 e il 1948, restituendo non solo un contesto storico complesso, ma soprattutto un ritratto umano di rara lucidità.
Ciò che colpisce è la capacità di intrecciare il personale e il politico senza mai perdere di vista le persone: paure, speranze, fratture interne e slanci di tenerezza si alternano con un’umanità che disarma. I disegni di Bertozzi, con la loro essenzialità espressiva, amplificano ogni emozione: i chiaroscuri, gli sguardi trattenuti, la tensione che attraversa le strade di una Gerusalemme in trasformazione.
Il libro non cerca semplificazioni. Racconta il tumulto della nascita di una nazione attraverso gli occhi di chi ci vive dentro, con tutte le contraddizioni e lacerazioni che questo comporta. È una storia che parla di identità, appartenenza e sacrificio, ma anche della forza delle relazioni familiari quando tutto sembra crollare.
Una lettura coinvolgente, storicamente ricca e profondamente toccante. La consiglio a chi ama le graphic novel che sanno unire rigore narrativo e sensibilità emotiva, e a chiunque voglia scoprire un punto di vista intenso e umano su un momento fondamentale della storia del Novecento.