The Wall

The Wall:Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain
By Peter Sis
Frances Foster Books
New York, New York
978-0-374-34701-7
2007

Summary
Peter Sis grew up in Prague, Czechoslovakia during the Communist Era. Communism means the state gets control of basically everything. When the state controls the social aspects this means that they can tell a person what they can and cannot listen to and draw only specific items. Creativity is discouraged, or only allowed with certain parameters. The Wall is the story of one boy’s desire to be free: free to be himself and free to draw his art.

Peter dreams of being free, and as news from America finds its way into Prague, Sis questions his communist culture. Sis knows to keep his questions to himself because it is dangerous for people to know about his questions. What is even more dangerous is the fact SIS is an artist who likes drawing abstract paintings, but under Communism only the Socialist Realism is allowed. But things start to change in January of 1968 when Jan Ducek is elected First Secretary of the Communist Party. Dubcek lifts some censorship bans and the students are now allowed to have long hair and wear jeans. Things look good until Soviet tanks rolled into Prague on August 21, 1968. Then things returned to Communism normal only with more mistrust from the government.

Impressions

Sis does a good job of telling the story of communism in picture book format. The stark black & white drawings with bits of Communism red gives the reader a hint of what life might have been like. The writing around the edges is short, and to the point. The pictures speak for themselves. Besides the red used to represent communism, Sis includes other symbols like every person who is pro-communist is depicted as a pig. Interspersed throughout the book are pages that are written as timelines with Sis’ thoughts of what was happening at the time. It was interesting to read how he reacted to things like hearing Elvis Presley for the first time. Sis and his friends thought Elvis was a girl! Surrounding the pages providing a border are pictures of Sis during the time period and drawings also. The book does give a good introduction to Communism and provides a glimpse into one person’s life. It leaves me wanting to know more about certain events like the 1969 Beach Boys concert because the book gives just enough information about events. It is a good springboard to get students interested in the period.

Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Born out of a question posed to Sís (Play, Mozart, Play!) by his children (Are you a settler, Dad?), the author pairs his remarkable artistry with journal entries, historical context and period photography to create a powerful account of his childhood in Cold War–era Prague. Dense, finely crosshatched black-and-white drawings of parades and red-flagged houses bear stark captions: Public displays of loyalty—compulsory. Children are encouraged to report on their families and fellow students. Parents learn to keep their opinions to themselves. Text along the bottom margin reveals young Sís's own experience: He didn't question what he was being told. Then he found out there were things he wasn't told. The secret police, with tidy suits and pig faces, intrude into every drawing, watching and listening. As Sís grows to manhood, Eastern Europe discovers the Beatles, and the Prague Spring of 1968 promises liberation and freedom. Instead, Soviet tanks roll in, returning the city to its previous restrictive climate. Sís rebels when possible, and in the book's final spreads, depicts himself in a bicycle, born aloft by wings made from his artwork, flying toward America and freedom, as the Berlin Wall crumbles below. Although some of Sís's other books have their source in his family's history, this one gives the adage write what you know biting significance. Younger readers have not yet had a graphic memoir with the power of Maus or Persepolis to call their own, but they do now. Ages 8-up. (Aug.)
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From Booklist
*Starred Review* In an autobiographical picture book that will remind many readers of Marjane Satrapi's memoir Persepolis (2003), Sís' latest, a powerful combination of graphic novel and picture book, is an account of his growing up in Czechoslovakia under Soviet rule. Written in several stands, the somewhat fragmented narrative never dilutes the impact of the boldly composed panels depicting scenes from Sís' infancy through young adulthood. 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. The panels heighten the emotional impact, as when Sís fleeing the secret police, emerges from one spread's claustrophobic, gridlike sequence into a borderless, double-page escape fantasy. Even as they side with Peter against fearsome forces beyond his control, younger readers may lose interest as the story moves past his childhood, and most will lack crucial historical context. But this will certainly grab teens—who will grasp both the history and the passionate, youthful rebellions against authority—as well as adults, many of whom will respond to the Cold War setting. Though the term picture book for older readers has been bandied about quite a bit, this memorable title is a true example. Mattson, Jennifer