Books+for+Literary+Groups

=Book Descriptions=

//Maus: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History// by Art Spiegelman – //Maus// turns our world on its head by depicting people as animals. No longer are we humans, but dogs, cats and mice; each animal representing a group of people during a tumultuous time in history. As the first of two books, //Maus I// tells the story of Vladek and his family during the beginning of the Holocaust. As Vladek tells his son Artie of his time in Poland during World War II, images of injustice and confusion cover the pages. Vladek’s story continues in //Maus II//.

//First they Killed My Father// by Loung Ung – " After a string of work camps, Loung and her family had almost grown used to the constant hunger and tiredness, the fear of and separation from every other member of their villages, and to hiding their emotions so as to not appear weak. Soon, Loung’s teenaged brothers, Khouy and Meng, and sister, Keav, were sent away to a different bong camps. Keav died shortly after her arrival from food poisoning, which was a common way to die. Then Loung’s father was taken away and killed. Loung’s mother forced Loung, her sister Chou, and her remaining brother Kim to run away, leaving herself and her baby daughter Geak behind. Loung and Chou, too afraid to split up as they had been ordered, arrived at a child work camp where they stayed together until Loung was sent to a different camp to be trained as a child soldier. Soon, Ma and Geak are assumed to be dead, because the soldiers 'took them away.'" Source: Wikipedia

//Zlata’s Diary// by Zlata Filipović – This diary was written during the Bosinian War. Zlata Filipović lived with her parents in Sarajevo. This diary shows us what Zlata observed and felt while she and her family were in hiding from 1991 to 1993. //Zlata’s Diary// shows us what it was like for this little girl as she watched her family, friends, and country fall apart because of war.

//Deogratias, A Tale of Rwanda// by J.P. Stassen – Deogratias is living in Rwanda after the 1994 Genocide. As Deogratias goes through his day, we learn about his life and how he came to live in the streets. As the country tries to pick itself up after the terrible crimes commited, Deogratias must also come to terms with what he saw during the war. No longer is he the boy only thinking of girls, now he is dealing with the grief of a country. Through the images on the page the reader sees how the countries past is tearing Deogratias apart.

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