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annarella's review
5.0
A poignant, well written, and informative story about Jews persecution in USSR.
It's well researched, moveing, and interesting.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It's well researched, moveing, and interesting.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
oldandnewbooksmell's review
fast-paced
4.0
Inspired by the true events of Rabbi Rafael Grossman. In 1965, the American rabbit traveled to the Soviet Union to investigate reports on persecution of the Jewish community. One afternoon, he slipped away from his group and embarked on a secret journey to the address on an envelope he carried. Upon getting to the address, his life changed forever.
The artwork is different than what I usually see in graphic novels - more sharp edges and mixed colors - but I absolutely loved it. The way the art of each panel flowed together, I could almost see the characters moving like a small film.
This novel only really scraps the surface of the persecution of the Jewish Community in the Soviet Union. It’s only about one young boy who hasn’t left the small one bedroom apartment since he was born - an act his parents did to protect and teach him their culture.
Just because it only scraps the surface though, it is a good opener to go out and explore more of this history and to learn more.
There’s a note at the end of the novel from Anna Olswanger about how she and Rabbi Rafael Grossman had planned on writing a novel about this trip, but that the Rabbi passed before they finished it. While going through her notes on it, Olswanger couldn’t remember what was real and what was part of the story they created, so she made A Visit to Moscow. Regardless, I still appreciate the telling of this story.
This is a great story to add to your list of Jewish books.
*Thank you West Margin Press and the Library Thing for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
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