bmanglass's review against another edition
4.0
We are on Our Own tells the story of a Jewish mother and child during World War II who, forced to flee their home in Budapest, struggle to survive and eventually reunite with their family. The plot and dialogue are elliptical, just giving you the edges of the big picture of the events surrounding our main characters. What the text elides, the chaotic and rich pencil illustrations eagerly fill in, telling a story that is as much an emotional portrait as it is historical one. Katin's specific emphasis on faith (and the questioning thereof) provides a meaningful thematic throughline.
kricketa's review
4.0
though this is a true story, the author was very young during the year she and her mother fled through hungary, away from nazi soldiers. the story is brief but packs a punch, especially in the simple way it expresses the author's family's struggle to believe in a god that would allow genocide to take place.
raloveridge's review
2.0
A really odd book--the art is soft and inviting, which, for a Holocaust memoir, provides a really interesting contrast. However, the storytelling can't keep up. I just didn't "buy" this like I've bought other graphic novels.
annelisegordon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
weltraumpiratin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
sam_dupree_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
4.0
This graphic novel memoir is incredibly moving and likewise difficult to read. It is not for the squeamish and easily upset. Katin is very direct in her narrative and she echoes that directness in a gorgeous pencil art style that is at times highly detailed and others, vague and censoring which makes your mind fill in the gaps.
Since Katin was a child, the main narrative being in black and white pencil not only makes sense thematically, it is beautiful. The lines can be sharper for more distinct memories (who doesn't remember clearly a childhood pet?) but also faded and blurred out for things not as well remembered or actively being placed away where the trauma can't get you. Likewise, the "current day" bit with her mom, husband, and child are in full color and are a different line style entirely. This just further anchors the unreality of war and what happened to Katin and her mother that it feels removed from this technicolor existence.
But see now I sound like the Failed Art Major Turned English Major that I am so I'll leave it with this: this book is both beautiful and horrifying and I highly recommend it.
Since Katin was a child, the main narrative being in black and white pencil not only makes sense thematically, it is beautiful. The lines can be sharper for more distinct memories (who doesn't remember clearly a childhood pet?) but also faded and blurred out for things not as well remembered or actively being placed away where the trauma can't get you. Likewise, the "current day" bit with her mom, husband, and child are in full color and are a different line style entirely. This just further anchors the unreality of war and what happened to Katin and her mother that it feels removed from this technicolor existence.
But see now I sound like the Failed Art Major Turned English Major that I am so I'll leave it with this: this book is both beautiful and horrifying and I highly recommend it.
atippmann's review
5.0
Really loved this memoir. Art was beautiful and story was heartbreaking and hopeful too.
randipace's review
4.0
beautifully illustrated graphic memoir of a little girl surviving the holocaust.