Rapid Reviews - Eleven List Inspired Reviews

Thanks to Lieber's Eleven, I put some books on hold at the local library. My local library is part of the King County Library System, which is reportedly one of the largest library systems in the country, with over 40 member libraries which share all materials. It's very easy for me to get any book in the system... just put it on hold and it shows at my local library in a few days (or months, depending on the waiting list). While the system doesn't have everything on everyone's list, I did get a few from the lists, and a few that were inspired by the lists. Here's my first set of Eleven-inspired rapid reviews.

The Golem's Mighty Swing by James Sturm. Oh wow. Oh wow oh wow. I had always debated getting this, holding back out of fear that it wouldn't be as good as I hoped. Until I saw it on Lieber's list, it never once occurred to me to try and check it out from the library. I was only a little surprised that it actually was in the catalog, since I've seen the many reprints of it offered in Diamond. And now that I've read it... well, oh wow doesn't even cut it.

The story is set in the early 1920s, and features a fictional barnstorming baseball team, "The Stars of David" which is made up of mostly Jewish members. The manager, Noah Strauss, plays for the love of the game and a desire to not become like his father. But their gimmick is being Jews, and they cultivate that image in order to get local teams to play against them. When a promoter suggests that they add a Golem to the line-up, they discover some basic truths about racism in rural America.

There are some mistakes that a big baseball fan might notice, but for the most part this proves that baseball can be done in a comic book format compellingly. And while the story isn't just about baseball, there is a deep love of the game that sets the tone for most of the book. It's when the game becomes about more than just baseball that everything seems to go wrong. I would highly recommend this one to just about anyone.

Fallout by Jim Ottaviani and various artists. I wanted to get Suspended In Language, but the library doesn't have it. I already own and have read Dignifying Science and Two-Fisted Science, so this was the only other one I needed to look for. And, I hate to say it, it wasn't as good as the other two. Perhaps if I'd known nothing about the subject matter, or a lot more about it, I could have enjoyed the book more. But it seemed like I knew just enough to wonder and not enough to put the pieces together. The narrative wasn't as solid as in the other books I've read. I kept feeling like I was missing something important. The book was much better on the second read-through, but it was still not as good as the other two I've read. Seriously, though, that is not a detriment to this book, as the other two are two of the best graphic novels available. I'll recommend this one mildly, and urge you to pick up Dignifying Science first.

Safe Area Gorazde: "Go-RAJH-duh" With the kind of name I have, you'd think this one wouldn't throw me as much as it does. This book reminds me of Fax From Sarajevo, only it's a first-hand account. The only problem I had with it would be the way the artist draws himself. It was clear immediately who he was, as he was the only caricature. That was, in my opinion, the only fault in the book and while I considered it distracting it did serve a story purpose. In short, the author needed to distinguish himself from the people whose stories he was telling.

This book tells the story of a so-called "Safe Area" during the Bosnian war. I have a lot of trouble reading books on this type of subject. I avoided reading Maus for a long time because I knew that I would be depressed after reading it (and I was right). The same thing happened when I read Kubert's book. This time I took it slower, and it wasn't as hard to read. It is still a very painful book, but Sacco's way of telling the story as matter-of-factly as possible, from the point of view of a journalist, makes it slightly easier to take. If you know nothing about the war in Bosnia, this is a strong primer, as Sacco has included a lot of background information on why the war happened.

I have long maintained that every library needs a copy of Fax From Sarajevo, and it should be required reading in High School. I think this one ought to be in every library also. Strongly recommended.