Baddawi

One of the world's crueler political ironies is that the creation of Israel, a country built for a culture that for a long time had no state of its own, led to a vast refugee society. Ahmad is one of these Palestinian refugees, coming of age in the titular refugee camp. He is a smart, resilient young man who, for instance, stays behind with his siblings to complete school in Baddawi when his parents relocate to Beirut, or makes a very mature choice when faced with either a youthful betrothal or pursuing his education in the U.S. As likable as he is, however, his harrowing circumstances and the psychological toll of a refugee life are less examined here than merely presented. Clearly living in the shadow of Art Spiegelman's Maus (1986) and Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis (2003), Abdelrazaq tells the story of her father's childhood, mainly recounting events and only seldom unpacking them. Ultimately, however, this proves a useful guide to woefully underdepicted events and, especially for culturally diverse collections, could help fill an important gap.--Karp, Jesse Copyright 2015 Booklist

In her debut, cartoonist Abdelrazaq tells the story of her father, Ahmad, a Palestinian baddawi (derived from the word bedouin, meaning a nomad). Displaced after the establishment of Israel, he grows up in refugee camps in the 1960s and '70s, attempting to live a normal life in a world where death is a daily reality. Comparisons to Persepolis are inevitable-both books employ a childlike black-and-white style to depict coming of age against the backdrop of war. Abdelrazaq never achieves the cohesion of Satrapi's work, owing partly to the story's origin as an online serial and partly to the secondhand nature of the storytelling. But it's an important story, presenting a personal account of a seemingly endless conflict that is far too often contextualized in terms of ideology, rather than human life. Historical context-the sectarian violence of Lebanon in the '70s-sheds light on key events often lost in the rhetoric, for a welcome look at the people caught up in endless political strife. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Gr 7 Up-Abdelrazaq's father, Ahmad, grew up as a refugee in Lebanon after his family fled Palestine in the 1940s, dividing his time between Baddawi, a refugee camp, and war-torn Beirut. Here, the author depicts Ahmad's childhood and teenage experiences, from the celebration of Ramadan to nighttime raids of the camp. The story builds on this mix of mundane, day-to-day moments and singular, devastating events to create a picture of the life and struggles of a Palestinian refugee. This work is reminiscent of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis (Pantheon, 2003), as it illuminates the experiences of a young person caught up in a country's political conflict, although the vignettes and historical explanations are less refined. Like Persepolis, the events of Ahmad's story are also still very relevant today. Abdelrazaq's black-and-white drawings are evocative, and Ahmad's tale serves as a solid foundation for an exploration of a part of the Palestinian experience in the second half of the 20th century. A glossary provides some context, defining Arab words and explaining key political players and places. VERDICT A student-friendly introduction to the conflicts in the Middle East.-Marian McLeod, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.