Miriam Libicki

A North American Jewish woman shares thoughts on her love/hate relationship with Israel, from its sexy and scary soldiers to its racist attitudes toward the Beta Israel or Ethiopian Jews. The 2006 Lebanon War is backdrop to her vacation trips to the country. There is also a graphic essay about the influence of Philip Roth and other Jewish men (as well Catholics Justin Green and Robert Crumb, just because) on the evolution of the autobiographical graphic novel.

The first part of the book is mediocre, but flows along quickly enough. But everything completely bogs down in the long, dense and tedious ten-part tirade about racism. It needs to be said, but dozens of super-long quotes from dozens of floating heads is perhaps a failure in utilizing the graphic format. It's over 40 pages long, and it felt like the last 17 pages alone took an hour to read. I was receptive to her message until I shut down from pure boredom.… (meer)

An autobiographical account of an American girl's time as admin support to the Israeli army. The art is fine, feeling quite intimate and also producing a rather dreary atmosphere that fits the army theme. It must be said, though, that it feels rather less appropriate for what are presumably supposed to be more cheerful interludes.

It's a very personal take, with a heavy focus on the author's uncomfortable sex life, interspersed with excerpts from news bulletins about the conflict. It gives some impression of how things are as a member of the army, and how some of the recruits feel about things. On the other hand, I felt like the very idiosyncratic angle diluted that. Much of the book is both mundane and personal, and so not interesting to me - quite generic conversations that don't particularly inform the reader or produce an interesting narrative. I was expecting a much bigger focus on the army life side of things, but essentially what you've got here is a personal diary that happens to take place in the army, one-third of which is about sex, and one-third of which is illustrated news bulletins. Also to my regret, we never find out how the author really felt about the conflict - there are loads of images of them watching reports of Palestinian deaths, but we don't even learn whether she feels torn or is hawkishly pro-Israeli. It's not really what I was expecting; I'd even say not really as advertised.… (meer)

Libicki's memoir of her time as a "jobnik" (someone with a deskjob) in the Israeli army is simply drawn, but really gives insight into a young girl's heart. If you don't have a connection with Israel and have no emotions about the Intifada, you'll still be moved by the experiences and the mistakes made by a young girl on her own for the first time. If you do have a connection, you'll be hit double with the frightening onset of the war. Libicki's simple drawing-style adds to her persona's wide-eyed view of the world around her, and she has a true eye for the "sabra" look and feel. A stunning panel shows Libicki overwhelmed by the starry sky, falling (in slow-motion!) to the ground in awe. Libicki is a natural story-teller, and I sincerely hope she eventually turns to fiction - I would love to see what she does with fiction if this is what she does with reality.… (meer)