1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sis, Peter. 2007. THE WALL: GROWING UP BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN. New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0374347018
2. PLOT SUMMARY
This autobiographical and historical book by Peter Sis takes the reader on an eye-opening journey into the world on the Eastern side of the Berlin Wall, behind the Iron Curtain. The setting of the story begins in Czechoslovakia in the year 1948, when the Russians take control of the country and close the boarders. This book takes the reader through Sis' childhood, teen, and adult years using cartoon drawings with small amounts of text containing personal and political events ordered by year. Journal entry dates were also dispersed throughout the book, allowing the reader to share the politics of the day and the way it affected Sis' life.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
There is no greater expert on a subject than a person who has lived it. Peter Sis uses words and pictures to describe life in Czechoslovakia when it was ruled by the Communist party. The book begins with an explanation of the Berlin Wall and how it came to be. Through both his words and his drawings, Sis tells of the terrorizing and restrictive world in which he and his family were forced to live. Details on how quickly and completely the Communists took over the lives of the Czechoslovakian people are explained in small blocks of text alternating every few pages with journal entries and large drawings. Sis writes of facts such as the existence of secret police who spied on everyone, censored letters, bugged telephone lines, the censoring of art, the banning and jamming of Western radio, and the brainwashing of children in the schools.
Emotions are strong and vicariously experienced by the reader as Sis writes of tragedies and terror felt by the Czechoslovakian people as they are arrested, tortured, and even killed by the secret police. Excerpts from Sis' journal such as "Vetvicka, a fun guy and bass player died of head injuries after the police beat him in the melee following the Beach Boys concert" and "I was never told that my Uncle Vladimer died in the Communist Leopoldov prison. The guards killed him. My parents kept this news from us kids."
Sis is an art and music lover who longed for freedom as he learned about the Western world. His enthusiasm for Western music and ideals is depicted in his journal writings and drawings of the Western world. One drawing in particular shows his feelings. It is an ink drawing of the Eastern and Western sides of the country split in half by the Berlin Wall. The Eastern side is drawn using blank ink labeled with words such as "terror", "injustice" and "suspicion." The Western side is drawn using light red and orange ink and labeled with words such as "liberty", "hope" and "justice."
Most of this book is dark and disturbing. Sis' cartoon drawings in which the Communist police are depicted as pigs shows his disdain for the Communist party and their way of thinking. The lightest moment, and certainly the only funny moment in this book, comes from his journal entry dated November 1965. It reads "The party newspaper mentions this wild woman called Elvis Presley. It turns out she's a he."
Color in this book is used sparingly in the drawings. Most of the cartoon scenes are drawn in black ink. Russian flags and other Communist symbols are colored red to signify "The Red Party." Sis' drawings contained color in small amounts when artwork and music items were drawn, signifying freedom and hope.
Events in this book are organized in a clear and logical format beginning with the 1948 closing of the Czechoslovakian boarders and ending with the November 9, 1989 falling of the Berlin Wall. The text is placed in small blocks by date for easy reading. Events in Sis' personal life are mixed with those that are political, which helps to maintain the interest of the reader and allows for greater understanding of emotions experienced during that time period.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Starred Review in Booklist: "Throughout, terrific design dramatizes the conflict between conformity and creative freedom, often through sparing use of color; in many cases, the dominant palette of black, white, and Communist red threatens to swallow up young Peter’s freely doodled, riotously colored artwork."
Horn Book: "Media and color choices throughout are expert and telling. It's a surprisingly comprehensive portrait of an era and an artist."
5. CONNECTIONS
*This book is an excellent way to begin a lesson for older children on social conditions during the Cold War era in Eastern Europe.
*Other books by Peter Sis:
KOMODO! ISBN 0688115837
THE THREE GOLDEN KEYS. ISBN 0374375259
*Other books about the Cold War era:
Kort, Michael G. 1994. THE COLD WAR. ISBN 1562943537
Ross, Stewart. 2002. THE CAUSES OF THE COLD WAR. ISBN 0836852729
Sis, Peter. 2007. THE WALL: GROWING UP BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN. New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0374347018
2. PLOT SUMMARY
This autobiographical and historical book by Peter Sis takes the reader on an eye-opening journey into the world on the Eastern side of the Berlin Wall, behind the Iron Curtain. The setting of the story begins in Czechoslovakia in the year 1948, when the Russians take control of the country and close the boarders. This book takes the reader through Sis' childhood, teen, and adult years using cartoon drawings with small amounts of text containing personal and political events ordered by year. Journal entry dates were also dispersed throughout the book, allowing the reader to share the politics of the day and the way it affected Sis' life.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
There is no greater expert on a subject than a person who has lived it. Peter Sis uses words and pictures to describe life in Czechoslovakia when it was ruled by the Communist party. The book begins with an explanation of the Berlin Wall and how it came to be. Through both his words and his drawings, Sis tells of the terrorizing and restrictive world in which he and his family were forced to live. Details on how quickly and completely the Communists took over the lives of the Czechoslovakian people are explained in small blocks of text alternating every few pages with journal entries and large drawings. Sis writes of facts such as the existence of secret police who spied on everyone, censored letters, bugged telephone lines, the censoring of art, the banning and jamming of Western radio, and the brainwashing of children in the schools.
Emotions are strong and vicariously experienced by the reader as Sis writes of tragedies and terror felt by the Czechoslovakian people as they are arrested, tortured, and even killed by the secret police. Excerpts from Sis' journal such as "Vetvicka, a fun guy and bass player died of head injuries after the police beat him in the melee following the Beach Boys concert" and "I was never told that my Uncle Vladimer died in the Communist Leopoldov prison. The guards killed him. My parents kept this news from us kids."
Sis is an art and music lover who longed for freedom as he learned about the Western world. His enthusiasm for Western music and ideals is depicted in his journal writings and drawings of the Western world. One drawing in particular shows his feelings. It is an ink drawing of the Eastern and Western sides of the country split in half by the Berlin Wall. The Eastern side is drawn using blank ink labeled with words such as "terror", "injustice" and "suspicion." The Western side is drawn using light red and orange ink and labeled with words such as "liberty", "hope" and "justice."
Most of this book is dark and disturbing. Sis' cartoon drawings in which the Communist police are depicted as pigs shows his disdain for the Communist party and their way of thinking. The lightest moment, and certainly the only funny moment in this book, comes from his journal entry dated November 1965. It reads "The party newspaper mentions this wild woman called Elvis Presley. It turns out she's a he."
Color in this book is used sparingly in the drawings. Most of the cartoon scenes are drawn in black ink. Russian flags and other Communist symbols are colored red to signify "The Red Party." Sis' drawings contained color in small amounts when artwork and music items were drawn, signifying freedom and hope.
Events in this book are organized in a clear and logical format beginning with the 1948 closing of the Czechoslovakian boarders and ending with the November 9, 1989 falling of the Berlin Wall. The text is placed in small blocks by date for easy reading. Events in Sis' personal life are mixed with those that are political, which helps to maintain the interest of the reader and allows for greater understanding of emotions experienced during that time period.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Starred Review in Booklist: "Throughout, terrific design dramatizes the conflict between conformity and creative freedom, often through sparing use of color; in many cases, the dominant palette of black, white, and Communist red threatens to swallow up young Peter’s freely doodled, riotously colored artwork."
Horn Book: "Media and color choices throughout are expert and telling. It's a surprisingly comprehensive portrait of an era and an artist."
5. CONNECTIONS
*This book is an excellent way to begin a lesson for older children on social conditions during the Cold War era in Eastern Europe.
*Other books by Peter Sis:
KOMODO! ISBN 0688115837
THE THREE GOLDEN KEYS. ISBN 0374375259
*Other books about the Cold War era:
Kort, Michael G. 1994. THE COLD WAR. ISBN 1562943537
Ross, Stewart. 2002. THE CAUSES OF THE COLD WAR. ISBN 0836852729
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