Great artwork and a compelling story of how French people survived the first part of WWII and the beginnings of the resistance. ( )

ok - it's been done so much better though. ( )

French children in Vichy France hide a Jewish friend and are caught up in Resistance

[Resistance] by [[Carla Jablonski]]
[Defiance] by [[Carla Jablonski]]
[Victory] by [[Carla Jablonski]]

This is a series of three graphic novels about the French Resistance written for young adults. I read them all one right after the other, in one day, and they read well as one book. I know nothing about the French Resistance other than a foolish romanticized notion and this gave me a lot of pretty good information quickly. Now I will be looking for a non-fiction memoir. This trilogy covered a surprising number of aspects of resistance. How does a person make the choice to join a resistance movement? How do those actions affect families as a whole and as individuals? How old should an active member be? There were many factions of resistance - which philosophy fits your beliefs and how to work together well, or IF to work together. What is to be done with collaborators and how do you even identify them? As you can see, these books addressed many, many ideas and issues. It also involved me emotionally with the characters. How would it be to see your children involved? How would it be to see your parents involved? What if someone you love was starving or injured and collaborated? This series has managed to address all of those issues without simplifying them or making them black and white. After reading this and looking at the colored drawings, I feel as if I have just left an epic movie. And I want to tell all my friends to go see it. ( )

Solid art and story. My only question is appeal. Outside of a classroom it might be a tough sell although I do really like the exploration of what it means to resit an occupying force and how everyday decision become impossible and dangerous. ( )