Morten DürrBesprekingen

Representation: Syrian main character
Trigger warnings: Death of a child in the ocean, military violence and war themes, refugee experiences
Score: Five points out of ten.
This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.

A few years back, I saw this book on the shelf at one of the two libraries I go to, and it looked like an intriguing read to me until I opened it. The book was short but left an impact that was ultimately depressing. I like that it raises awareness of refugees, but I won't reread this. Where do I begin? It starts with a girl on a boat with other asylum seekers, and the boat tosses her into the sea. That's where it gets unique since there is a flashback to an earlier time when it is revealed the girl is called Amina, and there was a scene where she played hide and seek with her mother. Amina lived her life until the civil war came, then bombs destroyed the neighbourhood, and Amina was forced to escape. Amina's mother reminded her to remember Zenobia, the ancient queen. I don't get it. The book cuts to the present day, where Amina sunk further into the sea, but then it cuts to when her uncle sends her out onto the boat seen at the start. Maybe it was to close the gap between the current time and the past, I don't know. I have one last statement: The author is a white European, and he must've researched this issue before making this, but perhaps it would've been better if a refugee wrote an account of their experiences. I think it's just me. Toward the end of the book, Amina sees the sunken ship, Zenobia, hence the title, which juxtaposes the last time I saw that name. Now, it is in a darker light to set a hopeless mood. The final few pages are the saddest as I hear Amina's final thoughts after she died. (If she could swim, maybe she could survive.) Wow. That's a low note. Read When Stars are Scattered; it's just better.

Ayoung Syrian refugee tries to flee the horrors of war in this Danish import.

In this nearly wordless graphic novel, Amina is a young Syrian girl living in the midst of violent conflict. Instructed by her parents to wait as they venture out for help, she remains home for days when they don’t come back, as the tanks and fighter planes thunder around her small home. An uncle arrives to inform her that her parents will not be returning and she must leave immediately. With only enough money for a single passage, Amina finds herself alone on an overcrowded boat. In one heart-stopping moment, the congested vessel capsizes, throwing her overboard. While descending into the waves, she recalls happy memories of her parents, playing hide-and-seek and making sarmas with her mother. She also remembers their stories of Zenobia, an ancient Syrian queen who defeated the Romans, and the strength that she signifies. Amina’s journey is tragic and will leave readers with much to reflect upon and discuss. Horneman’s large, compelling, and evocative panels brilliantly portray Amina’s struggles, infusing recollections of joy into moments of terror. Panels alternate between past and present, with the past rendered in a two-color earth-toned scheme and the present depicted in vivid full color. Deceptively spare, this timely and important offering is a must-read, helping bring greater understanding and empathy to a situation that for many feels far away.

Graphic storytelling at its most powerful. (Graphic fiction. 8-14)

-Kirkus Review

Une courte bande dessinée qui suit le parcours d’Amina, une petite Syrienne condamnée à quitter son pays dévasté

Jusqu’au canot pneumatique plein à raz bord de migrants fuyant la guerre et la désolation

C’est très vite lu, mais ça dit beaucoup !

diverse children's middlegrade/teen graphic novel - a young Syrian refugee (she's maybe 8? 10 years old?) falls off the evacuation raft (overcrowded with other refugees) and has her life flash before her eyes--from her memories of playing hide and seek with her mother, to her parents' disappearance after venturing out into the dangerous city, to her uncle's using the last of his money for her safe passage away from Syria on a raft (he only had enough money for one person to leave, he says).
I spent the whole time thinking, this is a "kids' book," she's gonna get rescued at the end, right? But she doesn't. It's really sad, but also very real. The artwork is gorgeous, too.

Gorgeous art accompanies this devastating story of a young Syrian refugee told mostly through pictures. It would make an excellent book for a later Elementary or Middle School social studies course.½

I've read four graphic novels about the Syrian civil war and refugee crisis in the last year or so. Thanks to its simple story and the silent moments captured expertly by the artist, Zenobia is the most powerful and heartbreaking.

A powerful piece of activism.

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss.)

One day, young Amina's parents leave her home alone, ostensibly while they travel to the market. This is kind of a Big Deal because they haven't had much to eat lately. But when they fail to return, Amina must summon the courage of Zenobia - a warrior woman and queen of the Palmyrene Empire, who once ruled over Syria and is now widely considered a national hero - to help her traverse her war-torn homeland and make it to safety.

Zenobia provides a window into the Syrian war and resulting refugee crisis through the eyes of a child. The result is deeply personal and moving. The narration is sparse and the illustrations, simple, sometimes rendered in just two tones of a single color. This allows Amina's experiences take center stage.

The ending is rather jarring and deeply unsatisfying. I've been trying hard to shake the hollow feeling settling deep in my bones since finishing the book several hours ago. But perhaps that's the point: there is no happy ending, at least not yet. And though I consider Zenobia a powerful piece of activism, it's hard to imagine that it will soften hearts and change minds in this deeply divided and hateful political landscape.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2018/10/16/zenobia-by-morten-durr-and-lars-horneman/

Hvad andre synes om bogen:
http://www.pallesgavebod.dk/boeger/draebersvin
Andre bøger af Morten Dürr i serien "SORT chock":
Aligatorblod: http://www.pallesgavebod.dk/boeger/alligatorblod-sort-chok
Øksemorderens ansigt: http://www.pallesgavebod.dk/boeger/oeksemorderens-kranium-sort-chok
En papfar fra helvede: http://www.pallesgavebod.dk/boeger/en-papfar-fra-helvede-sort-chok
BONUSVIDEN:
Faren ved at svin får for meget penicellin: http://ing.dk/artikel/danske-svin-faar-stadigt-mere-antibiotika-158183
Mød forfatteren:
http://www.pallesgavebod.dk/boeger/interview-p2/morten-durr/
Forfilm til en anden film med et svin i hovedrolen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WriOdgX0Dmo

Læs om spøgelser: http://www.pallesgavebod.dk/boeger/spoegelsesbogen-spoegelsesbogen
Mere gys: http://www.pallesgavebod.dk/boeger/de-taknemmelige-doede
Skeletter: http://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skelet
Gæt et kranie: http://www.vestrehus.dk/dyresider/kranier.htm
Anmeldelse: http://www.pallesgavebod.dk/boeger/oeksemorderens-kranium-sort-chok
Forfatterportræt: http://www.pallesgavebod.dk/boeger/interview-p2/morten-durr/

Morten Dürr skriver rigtig fint og lige til! Denne bog vil helt sikkert underholde (drengene). Blot titlen vækker nysgerrighed - og så er det altid herligt når de usympatiske mobbere kommer ned med nakke pga. af list fra mobbeofrene. Let læst, men fin historie.

Smuk bog om krig og mod½