A Game for Swallows : : to Die, to Leave, to Return

Locations
Call Number: Teen Graphic Novel / Abirached, Zeina, Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / Nonfiction / Biography / Abirached, Zeina
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Traverwood Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Graphic Novel / Abirached, Zeina	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / Nonfiction / Biography / Abirached, Zeina	4-week checkout	On Shelf

Translation of Le jeau des hirondelles.
Living in the midst of civil war in Beirut, Lebanon, Zeina and her brother face an evening of apprehension when their parents do not return from a visit to the other side of the city.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

A small but tense snapshot of life in a warzone submitted by wampishing on June 24, 2013, 2:39pm Tense but quiet, Zeina Abirached weaves this autobiographical story spanning a single night of the Lebanese civil war: her parents, trapped a few blocks away, cannot get back to their children because of the day's violent bombardment. Abirached's heavy, geometric blacks, repetition, and thoughtful use of negative space ramps up the anxiety of the make-shift family of apartment dwellers, gathering in the safest apartment in the complex to wait out the bombing, and hope for the safe arrival of Abirached's parents. Humor and matter-of-fact acceptance of the situation offset the horrors of war, as Similar to Marjane Satrapi's "Persepolis" in style and in subject matter, this title nevertheless stands out in its approach. While "Persepolis" spans many years and many locations, Abirached's story trades comprehensive narrative for suspense. Visually, the story breathes more than "Persepolis," yet the linework, more thick and stylized, feels heavier. Abirached uses ticking clocks, puffing cigarettes, and a tapestry depicting Moses and the Israelites fleeing Egypt to further create a thick atmosphere, that contrasts with the tenants' attempts to keep positive. Perhaps not a title that children would choose without prompting, this translated (from French) account of anxious waiting provides a top-quality look into life during a time of violence.

powerfully simple yet complex submitted by camelsamba on August 29, 2014, 11:04pm This story is powerful, simple yet quite complex at the same time. It is simple because it focuses on one evening in the foyer of a single apartment in Beirut. But in that small setting, it reveals histories and complexities of life in Beirut during the civil war.

The graphics are stark & bold. It is easy to distinguish between different characters (in part because limited number, but also because they are each quite distinct - not always case in graphic novels).

I felt a personal connection to the book because I have a friend who grew up in Lebanon (his parents taught at the American University in Beirut). He was older than the children in this story, but even so, reading what Zeina and her brother face gave me some insight into he might have felt. He attended college in America during part of the war, and on at least one occasion he had to go into hiding while visiting his parents during a school break in order to avoid being forcibly pressed into service.