Book Review - "The Wall" by Peter Sis

This book is a graphic memoir for children, but I enjoyed it and definitely recommend it if you want a quick, easy to understand, recent history of the Czech Republic.

It starts with the Soviet Union's closing of Czechoslovakian borders in 1948 and ends with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. In between those years Sis describes life in his country and how the Soviet repression affected him and his art.

He happily describes the Prague Spring in 1968 when there was a temporary reprieve and uncensored music, literature and films were available. During this time he got the opportunity to travel to London. But too quickly the Soviet repression returned and once again, he was forced to draw what he wanted to draw in hiding, while in school and in public he drew what he was told to draw.

Through illustrations and journal entries we get a glimpse into how a creative child and young man endured varying degrees of censorship and lack of freedom of expression.

As I said, I recommend this book for both adults and kids.