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Arab of the Future 2: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1984-1985: A Graphic Memoir
Arab of the Future 2: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1984-1985: A Graphic Memoir | Riad Sattouf
9 posts | 20 read | 4 to read
The highly anticipated continuation of Riad Sattouf s internationally acclaimed, #1 French bestseller, which was hailed by "The New York Times" as a disquieting yet essential read In "The Arab of the Future: Volume 1," cartoonist Riad Sattouf tells of the first years of his childhood as his family shuttles back and forth between France and the Middle East. In Libya and Syria, young Riad is exposed to the dismal reality of a life where food is scarce, children kill dogs for sport, and his cousins, virulently anti-Semitic and convinced he is Jewish because of his blond hair, lurk around every corner waiting to beat him up. In Volume 2, Riad, now settled in his father s hometown of Homs, gets to go to school, where he dedicates himself to becoming a true Syrian in the country of the dictator Hafez Al-Assad. Told simply yet with devastating effect, Riad s story takes in the sweep of politics, religion, and poverty, but is steered by acutely observed small moments: the daily sadism of his schoolteacher, the lure of the black market, with its menu of shame and subsistence, and the obsequiousness of his father in the company of those close to the regime. As his family strains to fit in, one chilling, barbaric act drives the Sattoufs to make the most dramatic of changes. Darkly funny and piercingly direct, "The Arab of the Future, Volume 2" once again reveals the inner workings of a tormented country and a tormented family, delivered through Riad Sattouf s dazzlingly original talent."
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Adventures-of-a-French-Reader
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Pickpick

Riad Sattouf continues to recount his childhood in Syria.
Riad Sattouf does a great job at describing his experiences with honesty: school, life in his village, holidays, etc. Even the parts that are violent.
In this installment, the use of the child as a narrator actually increases the emotional weight of some events: assassination of the aunt, a pupil not coming back to school.
I preferred this book to the previous one.

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trueisa4letterword
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Pickpick

Someone had checked the third one out before #plaguebreak so I only checked out the first two. But they were both fantastic. I enjoyed the artwork and the story. (I hate his father, but his father is pretty unlikeable...) I can't wait to read the rest and I hope he's still working on his fifth and final installment.

#graphicmemoir #authorillustrator

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JanuarieTimewalker13
Pickpick

Interesting. Culture shock, once again. The “crime of honor” was horrific. 4⭐️

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JanuarieTimewalker13
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I‘m speechless. Volume 2 is 1984-1985. I‘m thanking God/the Universe that I was dancing to Madonna at that time, with my rubber bracelets on. Lol

JanuarieTimewalker13 I thought this was bad, until page 114. “Crimes of Honor”. Sickening. 4y
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Creadnorthey
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Pickpick

I‘ve just hacked my way through this one and it gets a soft thumbs up 👍 from me. The art, the situations, the insights are all laudable, but the father character gets on my nerves even more than in the last volume- though the main character‘s father worship seems a bit more toned down. The final sequences of the book, with some plot threads coming full circle helps keep the meandering memoir at bay.

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cristiana_de_sousa
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Bengali.bookworm
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Jokila
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Mehso-so

This was a lot funnier than part one, BUT it still has the same abrupt, uncomfortable tonal shifts. Riad moves from childhood observations of behavior that appears harmlessly absurd to horrors like honor killings with little warning 😥 A very surreal window into a completely foreign culture, and definitely not for the faint of heart.

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LonesomeReader
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These graphic memoirs have me as excited as a kid with a new Harry Potter book! Volume 2 is out in the UK this week & it's excellent!

charl08 Liked this a lot - do you know if there will be a vol 3? 7y
LonesomeReader @charl08 There will be but not sure when it's being published - early next year I think. 7y
charl08 Glad to hear it, will keep my eyes peeled. 7y
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