Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Saints by Gene Luen Yang

★★★★

These two graphic novels are paired together and take place in China during the end of the nineteenth century. Saints follows the rebellion from the point of view of a girl from the same village of Little Bao named “Four-Girl.”  Four-Girl is an unwelcome fourth daughter and finds belonging in Christianity, where she renames herself Vibiana.  Through her journey, Vibiana faces danger because of her new religion and she hopes to be like her hero, Joan of Arc.

I really enjoyed both of these books.  The graphic novel format was a great way to tell the story of the Boxer Rebellion.  It allowed for a lot of historical detail to be incorporated into the storyline in a fascinating way.  I loved the author used two separate volumes to tell opposite sides of the conflict.  I thought this was a great way to get young adults to think critically about different views of past periods in history and relate it to the present.  I also thought that the usage of mystical elements added a unique perspective on the events.  I would highly recommend this book to others.
 

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