Nora Krug

Timothy Snyder and Nora Krug’s On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century offers a guide on how to resist the current rise of tyranny in western democracies, complete with illustrations that support the main argument and underscore Snyder’s theses. They implore their readers not to obey in advance; to defend institutions; to beware the one-party state; to take responsibility for the face of the world; to remember professional ethics; to be wary of paramilitaries; to be reflective if they must be armed; to stand out; to be kind to our language; to believe in truth; to investigate; to make eye contact and small talk; to practice corporeal politics; to establish a private life; to contribute to good causes; to learn from peers in other countries; to listen for dangerous words; to be calm when the unthinkable arrives; to be a patriot; and to be as courageous as they can. They caution that the current era of post-truth only serves fascism as it feeds propaganda (p. 63). Discussing the importance of a private life, Snyder writes, “We are free only insofar as we exercise control over what people know about us, and in what circumstances they come to know it” (p. 80). This cautions people not to accept leaks from unethical sources in the same caliber as serious, investigative work that puts information in context. Describing the importance of history, Snyder writes of Russia’s propaganda efforts in the mid-2010s, “History, which for a time seemed to be running from west to east, now seems to be moving from east to west. Everything that happens here seems to happen there first” (p. 89). Further, “History gives us the company of those who have done and suffered more than we have” in resisting totalitarianism and fascism (p. 119). Krug’s artwork perfectly complements Snyder’s text while using historical art to reflect the sources Snyder cites. Snyder and Krug’s book is all-too-timely, especially as the 2024 election approaches.… (más)

Nora Krug offers up two different views of the Russo-Ukraine War.

Called K. to protect her identity, the first narrative is from a Ukrainian citizen who immigrated from Russia and is now a journalist covering the war in the field. She and her journalist husband zip back and forth between Kyiv, the front, and Copenhagen where they have taken their children for refuge.

D. is a Russian who feels guilty by association about Putin's aggression and worried about being drafted into Putin's army. He leaves his family and his home to wander around Europe looking for a new place to live, while fretting that the only place he wants to live is in St. Petersburg. He's a wishy-washy jackass, which I unfortunately found relatable.

Each two-page spread in the book represents a week in the first year of the war, with K. giving her updates on the left side and D. taking the right. Their slice-of-life vignettes and ongoing opinions on the war are pretty engaging.

My biggest problem with this book is that it gets lumped in with graphic novels, when it is really just an illustrated text -- even if that text is (or given the appearance of being) hand lettered. At the very start of the book, we are given a couple non-sequential pictures layered between two or three large caption boxes. But very quickly the layout transforms to one little picture in the middle of two to four caption boxes that take up two-thirds to three-quarters of each page. If they had simply typeset the text it would be easier to read and perhaps the picture could at least be made a little bigger.

It doesn't help that the faces of the people in the illustrations are frequently cropped to show only chins or cheeks or are left entirely out of the picture. It adds a little to the anonymity aspect, but it also makes it hard to connect with the people depicted as human.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Introduction -- Winter - Spring -- Spring - Summer -- Summer - Fall -- Fall - Winter -- Acknowledgments -- Image Sources -- About the Author

(Best of 2023 Project: I'm reading all the graphic novels that made it onto one or more of these lists:
• Washington Post 10 Best Graphic Novels of 2023
• Publishers Weekly 2023 Graphic Novel Critics Poll
• NPR's Books We Love 2023: Favorite Comics and Graphic Novels

This book was Honorable Mention on the PW list.)… (más)

I would give this book ALL the stars, but Goodreads restricts me to 5 so this book is 5 stars with a hidden zillion stars.

There are only 2 types of books about the Holocaust/WW2 published in English: heroic British/American/non-Brit Europeans (in that order) fighting evil Nazis, or tales of suffering Jews. These books can be non-fiction or fiction but only these two types of narratives are allowed. And now, finally, something else. Something new. And this something else is not just new, but it is real and honest and sad and hopeful.

Highly, highly recommend.… (más)