Thursday, April 26, 2018

Understanding Comics

At the top of our reading list this week is Sarah Glidden’s How to Understand Israel in 60 days or Less. Honestly, the first time I saw the title of her book, I thought it was said, “How to Understand Comics in 60 Days or Less.” To our relief, we were met with a different kind of comic. We have discussed plenty of comics this semester but this one stands out from the rest. Glidden’s comic is a form of graphic journalism, which essentially means she took what could have been a BBC documentary and made it into a graphic novel. She uses the medium of graphic novels and their near complete use of visual storytelling to to more effectively convey how the trip was.
Both documentaries and graphic novels use visuals to tell their story but the difference between them is that through the medium of graphic novels, the images are not bound or trapped by reality, you can convey a feeling or an idea someone is having with crystal clarity while real images leaves viewers confused. Glidden uses this feature of graphic novels to clearly convey everything from her opinions, to how she simplifies the conflict she studies, and even her near existential crisis that she experiences near the middle of the book. Graphic novels and their unique style of storytelling lets Glidden be able to tell her story without losing anything in translation. The main character in this “graphic documentary” is Glidden herself! She narrates the story of her birthright trip to Israel with beautiful watercolor sketches. The relaxed style of drawing also supports the message that Glidden is trying to send, because it allows us to take time reading, and let things sink in, rather than rushing through. The benefit of writing in this form, in comparison to photojournalism, is that the author can include multiple perspectives on an issue, and explain them. It also adds a personal touch that allows you to connect with the author, and develop a deeper understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
As you read the book, you can see Sarah grow intellectually and spiritually. Glidden doesn’t leave out any details and portrays her point of view honestly. The Israeli-Palestine debate is still a hot topic in the media today but Glidden approaches it head on. We all agreed that seeing both her opinions and opposing opinions make it a good, strong read that makes you want to turn the page. No comic is perfect, however, and Glidden had her fair share of bias. In the beginning of the comic, Glidden made it very clear what side she was on, which made the book feel one-sided. As the story progressed, however, characters with differing opinions balanced out the scale. This book is background heavy, and Glidden didn’t give a clear-cut introduction on the Israeli-Palestine conflict. We strongly recommend that you read up on the Israeli-Palestine conflict before you pick up this book or you might find yourself a little confused. Those are just the nitty-gritty things, though, and overall, we encourage you to keep an open mind if you decide to add this book to your spring reading list. 
Need more convincing? You might be able to relate to Sarah in more ways than one, even if you’re not Jewish. She struggles to come to a conclusion in her mind which comes to light in the natural comparison to Sarah in the beginning of the book and Sarah at the end. She’s confident in her beliefs at the start of the story but the same can’t be said of her at the end. We feel that the purpose of Glidden writing this graphic documentary in the first place was to not only inform on the history of the conflict and what is currently happening, but also to force us to look at the conflict in a new way, or from a different perspective. She wanted to show that everything might not be as black and white as it seems. We hope we convinced you to at least google the Israeli-Palestine conflict or, if you’re feeling ambitious, the name of the book (it’s How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less in case you forgot).

1 comment:

Michael Hancock said...

You effectively contrast Glidden's travelogue with a conventional documentary by noting the personal element of her account. Your review acknowledges her initial bias but doesn't elaborate on that. It's worth noting that she sets out to confirm that Israel is the villain in the conflict she explores but is surprised to learn that the situation is more complex than she at first imagines. References to specific episodes, if not to individual pages and panels, would help the reader to sample details of Glidden's narrative.