Another graphic novel from my school library. I'm trying to get as many of these read as I can (along with everything else I have to read!) before we leave.
Title: Burma Chronicles
Date: 2009
Company: Drawn & Quarterly
Writer: Guy DeLisle
Artist: Guy DeLisle
Cartoonist Guy Delisle tells the story of his year spent in Myanmar (Burma) under the dictatorial rule of the military junta that has controlled the nation since the 1960s.
Doing his cartooning and taking care of his baby son while his wife works for Medecins Sans Frontieres, he has time to explore the neighborhoods around him, as well as examining different sides of the NGO expat community in Burma.
The book is loaded with details, and the visuals are great, especially on some of the wordless sequences that he uses to show sightseeing trips around the country or little adventures walking or biking in Rangoon.
There are some politics, both the politics of Myanmar, and the political realities facing aid organizations attempting to work in the country.
There were also a lot of scenes that I could relate to as an expat experiencing life in Southeast Asia. Little absurdities and quirks are found on every page in the story and in the art.
The one area where I felt the book fell short is that it sticks so strongly to the expat perspective that there were times when the Burmese voices seemed entirely missing.
Still, there was a lot going on in this story and it was a fun and thought-provoking read.
Rating: 7.5/10
Date: 2009
Company: Drawn & Quarterly
Writer: Guy DeLisle
Artist: Guy DeLisle
Cartoonist Guy Delisle tells the story of his year spent in Myanmar (Burma) under the dictatorial rule of the military junta that has controlled the nation since the 1960s.
Doing his cartooning and taking care of his baby son while his wife works for Medecins Sans Frontieres, he has time to explore the neighborhoods around him, as well as examining different sides of the NGO expat community in Burma.
The book is loaded with details, and the visuals are great, especially on some of the wordless sequences that he uses to show sightseeing trips around the country or little adventures walking or biking in Rangoon.
There are some politics, both the politics of Myanmar, and the political realities facing aid organizations attempting to work in the country.
There were also a lot of scenes that I could relate to as an expat experiencing life in Southeast Asia. Little absurdities and quirks are found on every page in the story and in the art.
The one area where I felt the book fell short is that it sticks so strongly to the expat perspective that there were times when the Burmese voices seemed entirely missing.
Still, there was a lot going on in this story and it was a fun and thought-provoking read.
Rating: 7.5/10
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