Took a break from all the blood, gore and undead of ‘The Walking Dead’ comics and shifted focus on R.J. Palacio’s beautiful graphic novel “White Bird”.
While the book begins with a facetime call between a boy and his grandmere, we are soon transported to 1940s, when the Germans are slowly taking over France during the war. Grandmere recalls her life as a Jewish teen Sara & how a kind classmate saves her life from Nazi guns.
The panels are illustrated simply, but bring to life the extraordinary story of Sara and her transformation from a selfish brat to a young girl who finally sees the world beyond pretty shoes, school crushes & popularity. Sara’s benefactor is a poor boy who she sat next to in school for three years, but never spoke a word to.
At the heart of it, “White Bird” is about friendship. The last few pages gave me goosebumps – in a good way. The white bird is symbolic of not just peace, but freedom too; a bird that can fly anywhere, free from hate, prejudices and racial barriers.