Book Review THE WALL

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sís, Peter. 2007. THE WALL: GROWING UP BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN. New York: Frances Foster Books. ISBN 0374347018

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Peter Sís, the narrator of The Wall, tells his account of growing up in Prague, Czechoslovakia during the Cold War era. Sís grew up living on the Red side—the Communist side—of the Iron Wall. The author describes how as a child he was forced to join the Communist youth movement, the Young Pioneers, and believe whatever he was told to believe. Sís did not question what he was being told until he reached adolescence and wanted to paint want he wanted, join a rock group, have long hair, and wear blue jeans like Westerns did.

During a brief time in the spring of 1968, Prague citizens got a taste a freedom; however, this was short-lived. In the end, Sís takes us through his journey and shows us that “sometimes dreams come true.” On November 9, 1989, the Wall fell.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This autobiographical picture book though having only a few sentences tells the life of Peter Sís. The sentences are short and direct: “At first he drew shapes. Then he drew people. After drawing whatever he wanted to at home, he drew what he was told to at school.”

Sís adds more to his story with his detailed panel art mostly in black and white with red being the only other color included. The drawings filled with military tanks, police, food lines, and school children hiding beneath their desks show the lifeless times of the Cold War era in Prague. Then the Prague Spring of 1968 arrives: a time of freedom and joy! A time when “everything seemed possible.” To show the change in atmosphere, Sís dedicates two full pages of psychedelic color-filled illustrations.

Overall, The Wall is a great informational book that gives an accurate and real portrayal of childhood in Czechoslovakia under Soviet rule. Sís’s own journal entries added in the book bring together his memories and history.

4. AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
American Library Association Notable Books for Children
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book
Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year
Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “…the author pairs his remarkable artistry with journal entries, historical context and period photography to create a powerful account of his childhood in Cold War-era Prague.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Personal, political, passionate-these are among the qualities that readers have come to appreciate about S's's autobiographical books…”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Older elementary and middle school students learning about the Cold War can read The Wall as an introduction to understand this era. Some students tend to get confused with history because of the many dates and details, but The Wall eliminates the confusion by focusing on the main issues and feelings felt in Communist Czechoslovakia.

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