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A review by lenoreo
Borders by Thomas King
4.0
https://celebrityreaders.com/2021/11/23/borders-by-thomas-king-natasha-donovan/
4 stars — *snort* I don’t think I realized this was a children’s graphic novel, and then I’m thinking “wow, this is reading really fast.” Not that it matters, I can read children’s books if I want to…it just amused me.
I really enjoyed that it told a story that was fraught with a lot of different issues, but from the boy’s POV, so it was mixed with normal kid thoughts — like how he often focused on food and treats and the fun aspects of a road trip. But you could still see his concern for his family as he remembered the past events of his sister leaving, and the struggle between his Mom and his sister.
And then there’s the whole bit about citizenship. I think that’s something very hard for me as a white adult to fully embrace and understand. I don’t know what it is to feel like these things of my identity are taken away and I should fight for it. I don’t know what it is to have something that important that it is worth being stubborn about. A tiny part of me was still stuck thinking, what was the point? And I guess that’s kind of why it would be nice for this generation’s children to grow up reading books like this so they can question things earlier…and hopefully understand people who are different from you better — better than me. Which is not to say that I thought her resistance was silly, it’s just hard to get those nuances you know? Not sure if I’m making sense.
ANYWAYS. As someone without children, I have NO IDEA about how a child would enjoy it. But the artistry is beautiful, in general the concepts are clear and straightforward, but provoke thought. And the little boy is easy to connect with.
4 stars — *snort* I don’t think I realized this was a children’s graphic novel, and then I’m thinking “wow, this is reading really fast.” Not that it matters, I can read children’s books if I want to…it just amused me.
I really enjoyed that it told a story that was fraught with a lot of different issues, but from the boy’s POV, so it was mixed with normal kid thoughts — like how he often focused on food and treats and the fun aspects of a road trip. But you could still see his concern for his family as he remembered the past events of his sister leaving, and the struggle between his Mom and his sister.
And then there’s the whole bit about citizenship. I think that’s something very hard for me as a white adult to fully embrace and understand. I don’t know what it is to feel like these things of my identity are taken away and I should fight for it. I don’t know what it is to have something that important that it is worth being stubborn about. A tiny part of me was still stuck thinking, what was the point? And I guess that’s kind of why it would be nice for this generation’s children to grow up reading books like this so they can question things earlier…and hopefully understand people who are different from you better — better than me. Which is not to say that I thought her resistance was silly, it’s just hard to get those nuances you know? Not sure if I’m making sense.
ANYWAYS. As someone without children, I have NO IDEA about how a child would enjoy it. But the artistry is beautiful, in general the concepts are clear and straightforward, but provoke thought. And the little boy is easy to connect with.