Marzi: A Memoir takes a look at life behind the Iron Curtain

Mon, 05/28/2012 - 1:53pm by K.C.

"I am Marzi, born in 1979, ten years before the end of communism in Poland. My father works at a factory, my mother at a dairy. Social problems are at their height. Empty stores are our daily bread. I'm scared of spiders and the world of adults doesn't seem like a walk in the park."

Told from a young girl's perspective, Marzena Sowa's memoir of a childhood shaped by politics fits right in today’s world of political upheaval. The striking thing about her story is that in spite of the harsh realities of life behind the Iron Curtain, Marzi: A Memoir also portrays the simple normalcy of everyday life - going to school and to work, children playing in the courtyards, holidays.

Marzena’s stories are engaging while Sylvain Savoia’s art draws the reader in with many of the panels presented at a child’s level view. This is one story not to be missed.