The Other Side of the Wall

by Simon Schwartz

Overview

Simon Schwartz was born in 1982 in East Germany, at a time when the repressive Socialist Unity Party of Germany controlled the area. Shortly before Simon's birth, his parents decided to leave their home in search of greater freedoms on the other side of the Berlin Wall. But East German authorities did not allow the Schwartzes to leave for almost three years. In the meantime, Simon's parents struggled with the costs of their decision: the loss of work, the attention of the East German secret police, and the fragmentation of their family.

In his debut graphic novel, Simon Schwartz tells the true story of his parents' coming of age in East Germany, their rejection of the communist way of life, and the challenges of leaving that world behind.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467786706
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	814,076
File size:	61 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	12 - 13 Years

About the Author

Simon Schwartz grew up in Berlin, Germany. He is a freelance illustrator and illustration professor in Hamburg, Germany.

Editorial Reviews

01/19/2015
In Watkinson’s graceful translation, German author-illustrator Schwartz charts each painful step of his parents’ departure from East Germany. Black-and-white panels set amid the grim institutional architecture of post-WWII East Berlin record the courtship of Schwartz’s focused father and artistic mother, who meet as university students and, despite their differences, realize that they’re attracted to one another. “You’re in the church?” he asks disbelievingly; just as disbelievingly, she counters, “You’re in the party?” When the two begin to spend time with dissidents, and the state apparatus starts to close around them, they apply for an exit permit. But their departure is blocked, and Schwartz describes with anguish the family’s alienation from his father’s parents and its persecution by the Stasi, the East German secret police. The story suffers somewhat from the way Schwartz shuffles back and forth between the family’s time pre- and post-emigration; it’s not always clear what’s happening when. Complex political undercurrents demand a lot from readers, too, but Schwartz’s smart, probing account makes this piece of history matter. Ages 12–up. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"...Schwartz's smart, probing account makes this piece of history matter."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

01/01/2015
Gr 6 Up—In the opening pages of this graphic memoir, the author as a young child realizes that his neighbors and relatives are not free to move around. They live on the eponymous other side of the wall. Schwartz shares his story growing up in West Berlin and that of his parents' lives in East Berlin as they grow increasingly disillusioned with the communist government of East Germany and face great resistance to their desire to immigrate. Depicted in black and white with a realistic style that portrays a grim history without being overly stark, this graphic novel shares an important view of recent history. Likely to have greatest resonance with high schoolers, this book would be appropriate for middle school as well. While it might appeal most to adults with personal memories of a communist empire, Schwartz's work is also a fantastic supplement to traditional textbooks. A good addition to school and public libraries looking to add diversity to their teen or secondary education graphic novel collections.—Elizabeth Nicolai, Anchorage Public Library, AK

School Library Journal

2014-12-22
A stark and pensive glimpse at a young boy's family as they immigrate to West Berlin prior to the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Through the dual lenses of childhood innocence and adult hindsight, Schwartz tells the story of how his parents fled East Germany, leaving behind all they had ever known and even severing ties to loved ones who disagreed with their defection. More artistic than allegiant, and keenly observant, his parents come separately to their own realizations that they want to leave their oppressive homeland. When they apply for leave, they face the wrath of the fierce Stasi—East Germany's police force, which knows no boundaries—and suffer ridicule, loss of privacy and humiliation as they are slowly denaturalized. Readers will feel the force of the stern and smothering oppression and should re-examine their own given freedoms. However, while significant and evocative, Schwartz's offering—bobbing about in a veritable sea of graphic memoirs—doesn't leave enough that lingers, down to its art, which is reminiscent of Marjane Satrapi's or Zeina Abirached's. For a more memorable—and visually striking—look into this time, check out Peter Sís' remarkable The Wall (2007). Though important both culturally and historically, unfortunately what should be haunting is less than. (glossary, timeline, map) (Graphic memoir. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews