Can Love Overcome Hate?

There is a fallacy out there that a graphic novel can't be serious. People assume they are frivolous and unintellectual. I call BS on those assumptions! And Jay Cantor and James Romberger's Aaron and Ahmed will destroy any assumptions you may have had, too. 

Aaron wasn't a privileged man, but he took advantage of the military to send him to medical school. When the woman he loved was killed in a hijacked plane on 9/11 when it crashed into the second tower, he made a decision fueled by anger and revenge: he chose to become a doctor at Guantanamo Bay. He supervised the torture and made sure the prisoners held without due process weren't tortured to death. While he thought it would be easy to watch these men tortured, he realized even the loss of his love didn't change the man he truly was. 

He proposed an alternate means to get information out of the most closed-off and stubborn inmate: Ahmed. Aaron's idea was to feed Ahmed estrogen and treat him kindly in an effort to gain his trust and open him up. Aaron thought he could change Ahmed, but in reality, something different happened. Ahmed changed Aaron. The humanity, or lack thereof, in what was happening in the prison was affecting Aaron in ways that he couldn't contain any longer. Together they would travel a journey that explored the nature of hate and manipulation that leads to one human choosing to do the most inhuman thing they could- choosing to end the lives of innocent people. 

This graphic novel was absolutely not what I expected going into it. It was so much more. In fact, now that I have finished it, I am having trouble even remembering my preconceived notions because it was so transformative. There is so much to the ideas of humanity and torture and safety and fear, that unless we expose ourselves to those raw nerves, they will never be soothed. It reminded me of the experience I had in a class recently where my students and I were discussing Civil Rights. They were obviously uncomfortable about the frank and earnest discussion at first, but they persisted and the idea of discussion Civil Rights and humanity became easier with each statement. When we avoid talking about the things that make us uncomfortable, we give them power. By talking about them and thinking about them, we can change ourselves and the world for the better. If those people who started and have continued to fight for Civil Rights in this country succumbed to the discomfort of difficult questions and situations, would we still have separate drinking fountains and bathrooms? Confronting the difficult is how we make progress, and Aaron and Ahmed wanted us to think about torture, fear, understanding our similarities and acknowledging our differences so we can find a way to stop the atrocities that are committed by both sides of this deadly and clandestine war on terror. 

I would give this to any older students because the material is very deep, dark, and thought-provoking. It requires a certain maturity and self-awareness in order to make the impression it was written for upon its reader. A more immature reader would fail to connect to the difficult questions being asked. I look forward to sharing this story with appropriate students and am intrigued by the kind of discussions it will no doubt spurn. Now we must continue these tough questions in order to make our present better than our past. 

Few Words, Great Power

Great power can be found in few words. But still, I don't often seek out books written in free verse. The subject of Terry Farish's The Good Braider, however, intrigued me enough to give the book a chance. And powerful it was...

Living in southern Sudan carries more dangers than anyone could imagine. The pressure to convert to Islam can be carried out in ways that make people afraid to leave their homes, especially women. Viola can deal with the scarcity of medicines and food, but the idea that a man could violate her on a whim with no repercussions is both terrifying and stifling. But getting out of the Sudan is almost as difficult as living in it. Surrounded by land mines and drunken, violent, trigger-happy soldiers, and being beaten down and starved into submission is enough to keep most people there, but after Viola is raped, thereby losing her "bride wealth", she, her mother, and her brother are determined to finally escape the violence of their home.

But you can't outrun your culture. With a sponsoring uncle in the states, Viola and her mother make it to Maine, but their Sudanese heritage is right behind them. They might be surrounded by other Sudanese families, but they are enveloped by the American culture. And who would have thought the idea of her daughter succumbing to American values would be more terrifying to Viola's mother than the constant fear of rape and murder back in their home country? But it is, and so is the idea of completely abandoning everything you have known all your life. 

This was a hauntingly beautiful story. I remember loving Inside Out and Back Again this spring, and this book reminded me of that book for a number of reasons, including the verse and the idea of being an immigrant from a harsh environment into the United States. But this book was much more mature and dark than that book. This story really got to the heart of the terror Viola felt from her life in the Sudan to the immigration into a new culture. It was scary, and Farish portrayed that well. 

But I really loved the fact that the Sudan was not all violence and starvation. It was also their home, with the people they loved, the river, the land they adored. Viola truly missed her homeland even if she didn't miss living in fear every day of her life just for walking to get water for her home. I think the important lesson that these violent people who perpetuate these situations like what is happening in the Sudan are not a representation of the entire country, area, continent, etc. is vitally important. There are wonderful, kind people there who just want to live and celebrate their lives without the fear they have come to know. This is a great book for any high school student, especially one learning more about the African continent and cultures or who just needs a bit of a reality check. It is certainly an eye-opener that will make you appreciate the safety you feel in our own country.