Every time I write a post about a comic book I have to resist the urge to write a long post about why I disdain the term "graphic novel". It's a struggle.
So: Sarah Glidden and her friend took a Birthright trip to Israel, on a tour that focused on the history and politics of the places they went as opposed to being focused on shopping or all-out sight-seeing.This book is the result of that trip, and Glidden manages a level of even-handedness and openness that is impressive. She goes into the trip with a certain set of ideas about Israel and the situation there, and has many of them challenged. She talks about propaganda and preconceived notions and the history of Israel and it's all very well written and drawn. Read it! Or at least consider reading it.
It is a bit difficult to write a post about this book. It's very good, Israel is very complicated, you will probably gain some insight by reading this wee tome.
Maybe you are unsure of the literary value of comics, or you just haven't tried out the medium to see how you like it, or you are a comic lover who doesn't know what to read next. I think I can safely say that I speak for myself and the comic lover when I say that comics are worth your time, and can deliver stories/messages/ideas in a way that no other medium can. Yes: there are ridiculous comics, but there are also ridiculous books and TV shows and movies and newspaper articles and things from every other media source. Comics get a bad rap sometimes, which I attribute to the 90s, but let me encourage you to give them a go. There are some true gems out there, and you don't even have to look very hard to find them.
Some comics other that How to Understand Israel which may expand your ideas about comics or which you might enjoy: Persopolis / Marjane Satrapi, Jerusalem and Burma Chronicles / Guy Deslisle, and Magneto: Testament, Red Skull: Incarnate, and Battlin' Jack Murdock from Marvel. One I've read and loved but which comes with a lots of violence, it is classified as a horror story warning is Locke & Key and if you've ever talked with me about comics for more than five minutes I've probably a) talked about how much I love Locke & Key, b) peered at you through narrowed eyes while wondering if you'd like it, and c) lent you a copy of the first volume and then pestered you for your opinion thereafter.
I love comics, I think you might too, you just have to get the right ones. It's like books! Some people love some of them and some love others. I have a friend who hates 1984 but I love it and have 1984 shirts and a "doubleplusgood" necklace and that's just life, ain't it? You gotta find what you like. 'Nuff said.
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