A graphic novel based on the stories and recollections of Boaz Yakin's father, [Jerusalem] is the story of both a family and the city itself. The book begins in April 1945 and ends in June 1948 after the second cease fire in the Arab-Israeli War, about a month after the establishment of the state of Israel. The heavy black-lined drawings amplify the mood of the book. From protests over the White Papers to sabotage of the British forces and atrocities committed by both the Jews and Arabs, the action is violent and often chaotic.

The Yakin family has been fictionized into the Halaby family. The three oldest boys all fight for different factions: Avraham is a communist and doesn't want to fight in Israel, after fighting in the Palestine Regiment under the British in WWII; David fights in Europe and helps countless Jews escape to Palestine, then joins the Palmach; Ezra fights both the British and the Arabs in the paramilitary Irgun. Young Motti is a hoodlum always in fights until he joins the theatre.

If it sounds confusing, it is, but I think that is one of the points of the book: it was a confusing time in history, with no one completely right or wrong and atrocities committed by everyone involved, including the British. No one is a winner and tragedy abounds. The book helped me better understand how those tumultuous years could divide and scar a family, as well as the city at large. ( )

Very powerful, tense story that gives a glimpse of the violence and the complexity around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the 1940s. Within one family, one finds secular and observant Jews, communists and Zionists, poor and wealthy, and all around them, allies and enemies, colonizers and colonized, British and Arabs. There is a Biblical feel to the story of brothers set against one another, which at times errs on the side of excess. The narrative could have used some breathing space; there are a lot of threads to follow. I would also have liked for the Arab characters to be featured more meaningfully in the story; they are not fleshed out nearly as much as the Jewish characters. Overall though, a gripping tale offering an intimate perspective on historical events that changed the geopolitical face of the Middle East. ( )

An epic story about three generations swept up in tumultuous, violent historical events in the years 1940-1948.
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The story of the Halaby family and their experiences in Jerusalem 1940-1948 as British Palestine is on the verge of becoming the State of Israel. The story is very engaging and heartfelt, but the times were thus so that's not too surprising. The scenes that deal with human interaction (rather than battles) are well worth the read, but unfortunately the art is such that I had an extremely hard time telling the characters apart and it became a struggle to follow the different storylines. I'd recommend it for someone who already has a grasp of the historical events, but I think the politics would be hard to follow unless you know, for example, the difference between the Irgun and the Haganah. ( )

The story of a Jerusalem family in a turbulent time, the 1940s, when war, faith and politics cause division among family members. ( )