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lostinfrance's review
3.0
https://thehumanist.com/arts_entertainment/books/lets-talk-banned-books-craig-thompsons-graphic-novel-habibi-powerful-problematic/
I had a lot of feelings about this book- while it is a masterpiece and the amount of drawings are impressive (and I love the Islamic art style)--- it is a hard story, and I kept questioning why the author felt compelled to tell a story based in the Middle East when this is not his world. Yes, authors can tell stories from anywhere in the world- but is he able to truly know this culture? I really enjoyed learning more information about the characters from the old testament- I assume these details are taught in Islam, but I also kept questioning if Thompson created them himself as he was not brought up in a mosque.
This is the story of a woman who flees an abusive marriage (child marriage) and hides in the desert- she rescues a toddler and he becomes her child/brother...they grow together. The woman (Dodola) sells her body in order to get food for them-- and he (Zam) is in charge of finding water. She is captured one day and taken to the sultan's haram- and Zam is forced into the city in search of food...Their paths will cross within the story and they become each other's lifesavers. The art is great, the story- is often interesting, other times stomach churning- and I didn't throw the book once (though it is so heavy I barely took it off my bed).
Read if you are a graphic novel enthusiast- as I think this is a book that should be read, but also- question and explore outside the book if anything leaves you alarmed.
I had a lot of feelings about this book- while it is a masterpiece and the amount of drawings are impressive (and I love the Islamic art style)--- it is a hard story, and I kept questioning why the author felt compelled to tell a story based in the Middle East when this is not his world. Yes, authors can tell stories from anywhere in the world- but is he able to truly know this culture? I really enjoyed learning more information about the characters from the old testament- I assume these details are taught in Islam, but I also kept questioning if Thompson created them himself as he was not brought up in a mosque.
This is the story of a woman who flees an abusive marriage (child marriage) and hides in the desert- she rescues a toddler and he becomes her child/brother...they grow together. The woman (Dodola) sells her body in order to get food for them-- and he (Zam) is in charge of finding water. She is captured one day and taken to the sultan's haram- and Zam is forced into the city in search of food...Their paths will cross within the story and they become each other's lifesavers. The art is great, the story- is often interesting, other times stomach churning- and I didn't throw the book once (though it is so heavy I barely took it off my bed).
Read if you are a graphic novel enthusiast- as I think this is a book that should be read, but also- question and explore outside the book if anything leaves you alarmed.
lastbraincell's review
3.0
I wanted to put 4 stars because the artwork is so lush and detailed, and the meditations on the Arabic letters inspire reverence for the script. But something about the main characters did not draw me in. I liked one of the crazy old side characters better. Somewhere near the end though, my appreciation bumped up a notch when I realized this wasn't merely an alternate Middle Eastern universe, but, wait for it... a dystopian, post-diluvian, garbage-saturated future world of our own, where apparently civilization regresses to its baser nature and turns into a pleasure-seeking, sometimes barbaric society: widespread slavery, especially of dark-skinned races, children killed or sold off into slavery or marriage when deemed burdens, women treated as slaves or objects to satisfy lust, men choosing or being forced to turn into eunuchs to be able to support themselves, and death and punishments based on the whims of a spoiled, desensitized sultan. It's a waste land, where the poor have water shortages and live in toxic sludge, and the rich or promiscuous beautiful waste away in a haze of opium and sex and gold. Or... SPOILER! at least part of it was created that way by politicians. We find out that on the other side of the secret dam lies the source of this large-scale conspiracy.
But the two characters? If I were the more crude sort, I'd say it's about discovering lust and love for the woman who raised you (in effect, your foster mother), and finding happiness together even though she wants a baby but, oops, you already got yourself castrated.
But I don't want to seem fixated on that aspect, so, uh, yeah. GREAT artwork! And I liked Dodolah's stories. Very Thousand and One Nights.
But the two characters? If I were the more crude sort, I'd say it's about discovering lust and love for the woman who raised you (in effect, your foster mother), and finding happiness together even though she wants a baby but, oops, you already got yourself castrated.
But I don't want to seem fixated on that aspect, so, uh, yeah. GREAT artwork! And I liked Dodolah's stories. Very Thousand and One Nights.
alisarae's review
Adorei! Li Retalhos pelo mesmo autor, mas prefiro Habibi. Thompson ficou estudando caligrafia árabe, o Alcorão, os hadith, as tradições do povo árabe, e os mitos árabes durante nove anos pra realizer esta obra de Habibi. O resultado é um livro imenso, cheio de beleza, com uma história que combina magnificamente tudo que o autor estudou. Tem várias coisas surpreendentes, mas o que realmente me marcou foi a complexidade da combinação da caligrafia com histórias religiosas e As Mil e uma Noites. Lindo demais!
allowvera's review
5.0
The most beautifully illustrated and well written graphic novel I have ever read. It’s tragic, real, and yet somehow still hopeful. It’s well over 500 pages but I was constantly enthralled by Thompson’s story weaving and religious stories. Do yourself a favor and read this graphic novel if only for the gorgeous illustrations.
acmarinho3's review
5.0
Já não me lembrava da última vez que um livro me deixou em lágrimas...
Dodola e Zam são personagens inesquecíveis, a história extremamente intensa e os desenhos belíssimos. Daqueles livros que se quer ler devagar, observar cada pormenor, apreender toda a informação. É tão rico e enriquecedor! É uma pena que este livro não seja nada divulgado em Portugal... É que tem tanto para oferecer aos seus leitores! Fiquei maravilhada com este livro.
Dodola e Zam são personagens inesquecíveis, a história extremamente intensa e os desenhos belíssimos. Daqueles livros que se quer ler devagar, observar cada pormenor, apreender toda a informação. É tão rico e enriquecedor! É uma pena que este livro não seja nada divulgado em Portugal... É que tem tanto para oferecer aos seus leitores! Fiquei maravilhada com este livro.
raven1358's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
I am being so real when I say this but I don’t understand what the end goal of this graphic novel was , literally confused from beginning to end. Also I’m not sure I’m fully comfortable with the idea of a white man from Michigan being the one illustrating and writing about stories from the Qu’ran , when I first started reading it I honestly didn’t know who the author is until I saw that I had read another graphic novel by him and I also disliked that novel as well. The complete nudity that only the women in this book were subjected to also didn’t sit right with me as well because a lot of it was honestly so unnecessary and added absolutely nothing to the storyline. Tbh the only thing I like about this was the art work , everything else was subpar and it’s quite obvious that this author isn’t for me , I don’t recommend what so ever.
htoo's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
White man doing white man thingz.
Craig Thompson said in a 2011 PopTones interview that "Edward Said talks about Orientalism in very negative terms because it reflects the prejudices of the west towards the exotic east. But I was also having fun thinking of Orientalism as a genre like Cowboys and Indians is a genre — they’re not an accurate representation of the American west, they’re like a fairy tale genre. "
The light are on but nobody's home.
Seriously Craig, tell me you're projecting without telling me you're projecting. Dehumanizing books like these say more about the author than the people they claim to be writing the story about.
Craig Thompson said in a 2011 PopTones interview that "Edward Said talks about Orientalism in very negative terms because it reflects the prejudices of the west towards the exotic east. But I was also having fun thinking of Orientalism as a genre like Cowboys and Indians is a genre — they’re not an accurate representation of the American west, they’re like a fairy tale genre. "
The light are on but nobody's home.
Seriously Craig, tell me you're projecting without telling me you're projecting. Dehumanizing books like these say more about the author than the people they claim to be writing the story about.
shieldbearer's review
ok the art was beautiful and the lyrical, fable aspect was lovely, but the characters were shallow and it felt almost like a fetishization of Arab culture. The obsession with sex is pretty weird too
ebt137's review
5.0
I had kind of low expectations because, even though Blankets is one of my favorite books, I'm always skeptical of people of one culture depicting people of another. I was worried it would appear colonial really. But it was so sensitive and so beautiful that sometimes I would tear up just from his loving depictions of the Arabic script. It's one of the most beautiful novels I've ever read. The plot was unexpected and sentimental, but not perfect. That was made up for, in my mind, by Thompson's amazing art. I loved this book.