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Poppies of Iraq
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
22 posts | 19 read | 31 to read
A personal account of an Iraqi childhood Poppies of Iraq is Brigitte Findaklys nuanced tender chronicle of her relationship with her homeland Iraq, co-written and drawn by her husband, the acclaimed cartoonist Lewis Trondheim. In spare and elegant detail, they share memories of her middle class childhood touching on cultural practices, the education system, Saddam Husseins state control, and her familys history as Orthodox Christians in the arab world. Poppies of Iraq is intimate and wide-ranging; the story of how one can become separated from ones homeland and still feel intimately connected yet ultimately estranged. Signs of an oppressive regime permeate a seemingly normal life: magazines arrive edited by customs; the color red is banned after the execution of General Kassim; Baathist militiamen are publicly hanged and school kids are bussed past them to bear witness. As conditions in Mosul worsen over her childhood, Brigittes father is always hopeful that life in Iraq will return to being secular and prosperous. The family eventually feels compelled to move to Paris, however, where Brigitte finds herself not quite belonging to either culture. Trondheim brings to life Findaklys memories to create a poignant family portrait that covers loss, tragedy, love, and the loneliness of exile.
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Reyzl
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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Pickpick

What a wonderful autobiographical graphic novel! The memoir of Brigitte Findakly co-written and drawn by her husband, Lewis Trondheim. I have read it in one go and I will surely reread it, so straight to my to-buy book list.

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trueisa4letterword
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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Pickpick

Another jury duty read. I had to go return my books and check more out while on my lunch break. This was one I picked up! Quick read and I enjoyed the facts about Iraqi culture sprinkled into this #graphicmemoir.

#nonfiction #iraq #memoir

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GatheringBooks
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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Pickpick

#LetsTravelJuly Day 27: This graphic memoir is a good introduction to the landscape of Iraq, its varied people, and the divisiveness that eventually drove the entire country apart. It is also about displacement, exile, and a #journey of going back to one‘s roots and living in the in-between. My review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-iXx Very lucky to hear the author-artist speak during the Singapore Writers Festival last year.

OriginalCyn620 👌🏻📚❤️ (edited) 5y
39 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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BruceWalken
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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Some of the stuff in this book was absolutely fascinating to read.

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AlizaApp
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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Pickpick

Memoir about growing up in a changing Iraq. I enjoyed the asides about Iraqi traditions and the interspersed photos.

RaimeyGallant Sounds interesting. 6y
36 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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brownekr
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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Front: snow day reading, morning edition

Back: three (!) tote bags full of library books that need to be returned, foot of snow or not.

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Lindy
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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Pickpick

A charming memoir in comics format about growing up Christian in Iraq and then emigrating to Paris with her family as a young teen. Funny and poignant. It reminds me of Marjane Satrapi‘s Persepolis; Findakly is 10 years older than Satrapi.

readordierachel That art is really cute! 7y
Lindy @ReadOrDieRachel It‘s drawn by Findakly‘s husband Trondheim (who has also done children‘s books) and she did the colour work. 7y
59 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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Lindy
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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The Findalky family encountered so much bureaucracy when they moved from Iraq to Paris in 1972. Brigitte‘s mother, who was born in France to French parents, was told (falsely) that she had lost her citizenship by marrying an Iraqi. Brigitte‘s father, who got his dentistry credentials in Paris 30 years earlier, was told that his was considered a “foreign certification” and not valid for practice in France.

Riveted_Reader_Melissa That‘s horrible, what craziness! 7y
Lindy @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Her mother ended up getting a civic official to intervene on her behalf in order to get an ID card from the police. It was misspelled, perhaps deliberately, forcing her to go through the process yet again. 😣 7y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Lindy If that‘s systemic, which it sounds like it is....I guess I can see why they are some very deep class divisions and enmity in France between Muslim and non-Muslim citizen. 7y
Lindy @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I‘ve read memoirs by white Canadians and Americans who‘ve run into tangled piles of bureaucracy in Paris too (illegally refused to open a bank account, for example). It may be worse for brown and black people, I don‘t know. 7y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Lindy I guess I should be happy it‘s systemic across the board and not just racially/ religious discriminatory 🤷‍♀️😂 what a low bar we have to find to make a silver lining. 7y
45 likes5 comments
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Lindy
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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Findakly‘s husband Lewis Trondheim created the art for her memoir. I like what he did in this bottom panel, showing Findakly as a child, visible through the hole Iraqi customs officials had cut in her mother‘s French magazine, removed because it was a photo of a Jewish musician. ☹️

Suet624 Wow. 7y
35 likes1 comment
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Lindy
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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The cartoonish style in this memoir adds an element of dark humour and simplifies the complicated politics of 20th c Iraq. The next two panels explain how the author‘s mother was indirectly affected: everything red (umbrellas, clothing, cars) was strictly banned and so she had to put away her pretty red purse.

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Lindy
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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In 1966, my mother ordered a dictionary. When we got it, we immediately looked up the entry for Iraq. But the page was torn out. It hadn‘t been censored to hide information about Iraq… but to remove the entry about Israel included on the same page.

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DogMomIrene
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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Pickpick

Interesting story about growing up in Iraq from 1959 to late 70s. You feel the author‘s heartbreak when she returns to Iraq in the 80s with much drastically change. Feel her frustration with stereotypes too. Specific pages are dedicated to traditions in Iraq. At the end, she shares fond memories of her childhood there as well. While she covers horrific events, the overall message focuses on one person mourning the country of her childhood.

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DogMomIrene
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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Came home from walking Lizzie and found Bernie reminding me that I should finish this graphic novel featuring middle class family life in Iraq in the 1970s and 80s. #dogsoflitsy

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤️❤️❤️ 7y
Baileeandme ❤️🐶 7y
LauraJ Good dog! 7y
44 likes3 comments
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elizabethlk
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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Pickpick

Beautifully told story of the writer's childhood in Iraq. Told in different snapshots of information about the history and culture of Iraq and personal details of Findakly's childhood experiences, I feel like I got a good story and a lot of information. The art is cute and suits it, and the vibrant colouring brings it to life.

Definitely recommended.

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Nitpickyabouttrains
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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Pickpick

Reading even more graphic novels today! I loved how this book told history of Iraq as we don‘t usually see it. It was a personal story of her family while also looking at every day life.

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charl08
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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Sweet story of emigration.

UrsulaMonarch Loved the lower right portion! 7y
charl08 @Lkelly I liked the way she showed both religions in her life made little impact. 7y
29 likes1 stack add2 comments
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UrsulaMonarch
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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Pickpick

Such a unique perspective. The illustration style is not my favorite, but it's very expressive and effective. #graphicnovels #Iraq

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UrsulaMonarch
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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What an opening! #graphicnovels

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BellaBookNook
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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My #DeweysReadathon plan: start with the graphic novels, then dip into my recent library hold (Celeste Ng) and try to get closer to finishing Chambers‘ book. When my eyes get tired I‘ll turn to my current audiobook (A Murder in Time) and of course snack a lot!!! Look forward to reading time!

RealLifeReading Hooray! That is an excellent plan. For me I tend to start with a novel and then intersperse my reading with comics! 7y
BellaBookNook Your plan sounds good and might be more effective. I‘m trying not to set myself up for disappointment so I am just going to enjoy reading and if I finish something, I‘ll do a happy dance if not no big deal. I just love the excuse to be with my books all day!!! Happy reading my friend! 7y
11 likes1 stack add2 comments
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razmanda
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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Pickpick

Really short, heartbreaking read. It covers both the personal narrative of the author and her family as well as the immense turmoil of her country and sheds light on Iraqi customs and norms.

15 likes4 stack adds
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razmanda
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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This is both unimaginable to me and absolutely lovely. Which sums up my experience of this graphic novel so far.

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Wow, and well wow. Looks like a good one to read. Adding it.... 7y
CouronneDhiver Interesting! 7y
20 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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WanderingBookaneer
Poppies of Iraq | Lewis Trondheim, Brigitte Findakly
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Another graphic memoir purchased at Metro Comics.

71 likes4 stack adds