Title- Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda
Author- Jean Stassen
ISBN-1596421032
Publication Information-First Second, 2006
Plot Summary- This is the story of a young Hutu who loses his mind as the Rwanda genocide destroys the people he cares about and he is forced to comply with his countrymen and also kill people. Deogratias, which means "thanks be to God" is a teenager who has feelings for two Tutsi sisters and a developing drinking problem. As the story moves back and forth in time from before the genocide, during, and after, we see the deterioration of this boys mind as the dogs destroy him. Over the course of the story, he attempts to save the girls and other Tutsis but instead witnesses their brutal rape and murder. He poisons several people that he believes are responsible for the genocide and eventually is arrested.
Critical Evaluation- The brilliance of this novel comes at the expense of your heart. Nothing about the genocide is spared in the text. The language is vulgar but accurate, and the violence is horrific. As a person who remembers the film footage of the genocide, it is a fair artistic representation of history. They great symbol of the story is the protagonist's degeneration into a dog. He knows that what he and others did was horrifically wrong and the dogs that feast on corpses during the genocide symbolically feast on his sanity. Graphically, he becomes the dog as the story progresses. This is not a novel for the faint of heart. For students not familiar with the genocide, there is a very well-written introduction by the translator that summarizes the history behind the conflict.
Reader's Annotation- The story of one boy's descent into hell as his country destroys itself.
Author Information- There is very little about the author available. He was born and raised in Belgium and currently lives in Rwanda. His books have been translated into many languages and he does his own artwork for the story.
Curricular Ties- History
Genre- Graphic novel, war
Book talking ideas- When does a person choose to take a stand against injustice? How does the author use the metaphor of the dog to describe Deogratias's state of mind?
Challenge issues- language, very violent depictions of war and rape. Honestly, were it not that this is based on a real genocide, I'm not sure I could defend it.
- Re-read the text to familiarize myself with the story
- Ask parents for their specific objections (they are required to file that with our school district)
- Review approved books list from California Department of Education for similar materials
- Review approaches from ALA
Interest Age- 15-adult
Why I selected this piece- Librarian recommendation, and I teach a unit on Night that culminates in a research paper on another genocide.
No comments:
Post a Comment