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L'Arabe du futur #4
L'Arabe du futur 4 : Une jeunesse au Moyen-Orient, 1987-1992
Âgé de neuf ans au début de ce volume, le petit Riad devient adolescent. Une adolescence d’autant plus compliquée qu’il est tiraillé entre ses deux cultures – française et syrienne – et que ses parents ne s’entendent plus. Son père est parti seul travailler en Arabie saoudite et se tourne de plus en plus vers la religion… Sa mère est rentrée en Bretagne avec les enfants, elle ne supporte plus le virage religieux de son mari. C’est alors que la famille au complet doit retourner en Syrie…
Dans le premier tome (1978-1984), le petit Riad était ballotté, de sa naissance à ses six ans, entre la Libye de Kadhafi, la Bretagne de ses grands-parents et la Syrie de Hafez Al-Assad.
Le deuxième tome (1984-1985) racontait sa première année d’école en Syrie.
Le troisième tome (1985-1987) était celui de sa circoncision.
Ce quatrième tome, exceptionnel par son format (280 pages) et par ce qu’il révèle (le coup d’État de son père), est le point d’orgue de la série.
Dans le premier tome (1978-1984), le petit Riad était ballotté, de sa naissance à ses six ans, entre la Libye de Kadhafi, la Bretagne de ses grands-parents et la Syrie de Hafez Al-Assad.
Le deuxième tome (1984-1985) racontait sa première année d’école en Syrie.
Le troisième tome (1985-1987) était celui de sa circoncision.
Ce quatrième tome, exceptionnel par son format (280 pages) et par ce qu’il révèle (le coup d’État de son père), est le point d’orgue de la série.
280 pages, Paperback
First published September 27, 2018
About the author
Riad Sattouf
53 books830 followersRiad Sattouf est l’auteur de nombreuses bandes dessinées, parmi lesquelles Retour au collège, Pascal Brutal (Fauve d’or 2010) ou La vie secrète des jeunes. Les beaux gosses, César du meilleur premier film ; Jacky au royaume des filles)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 356 reviews
September 18, 2020
Probablement le meilleur tome, la fin m’a laissé sans voix et je n’ai qu’une hâte : lire le 5 !
December 23, 2019
Former Charlie Hebdo cartoonist Riad Sattouf’s comics memoir of growing up in Syria/Lebanon and France, The Arab of the Future, is already established as a modern comics historical event. The fourth volume, 1987-1992, does nothing to change that fact, but neither does it surprise in any way. This book has Riad as a teen, largely living in France, getting interested in girls and pop culture (Tom Cruise!), developing as an artist, and watching the steady decline of his parents’ marriage.
In much of the early part of this volume, Riad lives with his (French) mother and siblings near her parents in France, with occasional disruptive visits from his (Syrian) father, who has been teaching in Saudi Arabia and getting increasingly religious (some would say doubt, others would say fanatic) and certainly eccentric. Riad experiences discrimination/bullying when he is in Syria from kids who think he is Jewish or pretentiously European; in France they torture him because he is Arab. It’s clear he and his mother choose France (where Sattouf now lives) over the Middle East, and tolerance over discrimination, while Sattouf remains relatively light in dealing with all the relevant issues (racism, sexism, domestic dispute, and so on).
The volume is completely absorbing, one of the best things going in comics/memoir, terrific cartoony artwork (more Tintin and Maus than superhero style) by a master, ending with the biggest cliffhanger so far in this series, setting up what I think must be the fifth and final volume. My four stars for this volume by no means undermines my sense of the series as five-starred. I highly recommend your checking it out.
In much of the early part of this volume, Riad lives with his (French) mother and siblings near her parents in France, with occasional disruptive visits from his (Syrian) father, who has been teaching in Saudi Arabia and getting increasingly religious (some would say doubt, others would say fanatic) and certainly eccentric. Riad experiences discrimination/bullying when he is in Syria from kids who think he is Jewish or pretentiously European; in France they torture him because he is Arab. It’s clear he and his mother choose France (where Sattouf now lives) over the Middle East, and tolerance over discrimination, while Sattouf remains relatively light in dealing with all the relevant issues (racism, sexism, domestic dispute, and so on).
The volume is completely absorbing, one of the best things going in comics/memoir, terrific cartoony artwork (more Tintin and Maus than superhero style) by a master, ending with the biggest cliffhanger so far in this series, setting up what I think must be the fifth and final volume. My four stars for this volume by no means undermines my sense of the series as five-starred. I highly recommend your checking it out.
June 17, 2021
This is the fourth book in Riad Sattouf’s childhood memoir series The Arab of the Future and it’s my least favourite volume so far.
A lot of the first half of the book feels repetitive. Riad, his mother and little brothers are in France with his grandparents while his dad is in Saudi Arabia teaching (the money is too good to pass up but his mother doesn’t want to live in such a backwards country so this is the arrangement), then they’re back in Syria again to see his father’s ailing mother. It’s more of what we’ve seen in the previous three books without much to add to it.
Poor Riad gets bullied wherever he is, in a French or Syrian school, discovers unrequited love for his older cousin, becomes recognised for his burgeoning artistic talent, and gets his hair cut like Tom Cruise (it was the ‘80s). His mother undergoes cancer treatment and his father becomes more pious while in Saudi Arabia, which only exacerbates his obnoxiously bigoted anti-semitic/racist views.
It’s not much and I was underwhelmed for the most part. Still, Sattouf is really good at characterisation and I loved his portraits of his family. His regretful French grandmother who feels she wasted her life, her loving second husband (Riad’s “step” grandfather?), who consoles her by complimenting her cooking and buying her a puppy - they’re such a sweet couple.
And, as hard to read as some of the garbage his dad spews is, Riad’s father remains the star of the show and the book was always more entertaining and energetic whenever he was around.
The book is really about the deterioration of Riad’s parent’s marriage. The long-distance doesn’t help but his father’s crazy behaviour, brought about by his newfound religiousness, is what finally ends things. While I wasn’t that taken with quite a bit of the book, that final fifty or so pages is really gripping and ends on quite the cliffhanger for the next volume.
The Arab of the Future 4: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1987-1992 is definitely the weakest episode in this otherwise superb series but there’s still enough here for it to be worth reading, and I hope the momentum of that finale carries over into a better fifth book.
A lot of the first half of the book feels repetitive. Riad, his mother and little brothers are in France with his grandparents while his dad is in Saudi Arabia teaching (the money is too good to pass up but his mother doesn’t want to live in such a backwards country so this is the arrangement), then they’re back in Syria again to see his father’s ailing mother. It’s more of what we’ve seen in the previous three books without much to add to it.
Poor Riad gets bullied wherever he is, in a French or Syrian school, discovers unrequited love for his older cousin, becomes recognised for his burgeoning artistic talent, and gets his hair cut like Tom Cruise (it was the ‘80s). His mother undergoes cancer treatment and his father becomes more pious while in Saudi Arabia, which only exacerbates his obnoxiously bigoted anti-semitic/racist views.
It’s not much and I was underwhelmed for the most part. Still, Sattouf is really good at characterisation and I loved his portraits of his family. His regretful French grandmother who feels she wasted her life, her loving second husband (Riad’s “step” grandfather?), who consoles her by complimenting her cooking and buying her a puppy - they’re such a sweet couple.
And, as hard to read as some of the garbage his dad spews is, Riad’s father remains the star of the show and the book was always more entertaining and energetic whenever he was around.
The book is really about the deterioration of Riad’s parent’s marriage. The long-distance doesn’t help but his father’s crazy behaviour, brought about by his newfound religiousness, is what finally ends things. While I wasn’t that taken with quite a bit of the book, that final fifty or so pages is really gripping and ends on quite the cliffhanger for the next volume.
The Arab of the Future 4: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1987-1992 is definitely the weakest episode in this otherwise superb series but there’s still enough here for it to be worth reading, and I hope the momentum of that finale carries over into a better fifth book.
November 9, 2018
Et c’est parti pour une éternité avant que le 5me livre sorte.
L’Arabe du futur m’a ouvert les yeux sur la puissance des BD qui peuvent raconter des histoires toutes aussi fortes que n’importe quel roman.
Une enfance hors du commun, rien à dire.
L’Arabe du futur m’a ouvert les yeux sur la puissance des BD qui peuvent raconter des histoires toutes aussi fortes que n’importe quel roman.
Une enfance hors du commun, rien à dire.
October 8, 2022
Okay, so remember how I’ve mentioned in my reviews of previous volumes how I feel a certain amount of sympathy for Riad’s father? Yeah, I’m over that now. And I was starting to lose respect for him even before … well, you’ll know it when you get there.
Oh, and this volume ends on something of a cliffhanger. Can't wait to read volume 5!
Anyhow, in this volume we see more of Riad growing up, mainly in France, but with some trips back to Syria. He starts to notice girls and generally get a handle on life. I had a fun geeky moment when he mentioned a favorite TV show from his childhood, and, from his description, I realized that it was the anime better known in the US (and Japan) as Maison Ikkoku.
This series just gets better and better. Highly recommended!
Oh, and this volume ends on something of a cliffhanger. Can't wait to read volume 5!
Anyhow, in this volume we see more of Riad growing up, mainly in France, but with some trips back to Syria. He starts to notice girls and generally get a handle on life. I had a fun geeky moment when he mentioned a favorite TV show from his childhood, and, from his description, I realized that it was the anime better known in the US (and Japan) as Maison Ikkoku.
This series just gets better and better. Highly recommended!
January 10, 2020
This installment is a bit too slow and depressing, though still a fascinating glimpse into the life of a family with roots in both Syria and France.
The father, a Syrian Muslim, remains a complete narcissistic jackass, with his antisemitism and racism really on display this go round. He becomes more self-involved and conservative as he has a religious epiphany. The liberal French mother, meanwhile is mostly stuck in anger mode as she separates herself geographically from her husband, undergoes an illness, and finally begins to really question the point of her marriage. The author meanwhile starts to enter puberty.
As with previous volumes there is much moving back and forth between France and Syria, with much homophobic and antisemitic bullying happening in both places due to the author's appearance and voice. The whole thing really ground me down, but the cliffhanger ending will certainly bring me back for the next volume.
The father, a Syrian Muslim, remains a complete narcissistic jackass, with his antisemitism and racism really on display this go round. He becomes more self-involved and conservative as he has a religious epiphany. The liberal French mother, meanwhile is mostly stuck in anger mode as she separates herself geographically from her husband, undergoes an illness, and finally begins to really question the point of her marriage. The author meanwhile starts to enter puberty.
As with previous volumes there is much moving back and forth between France and Syria, with much homophobic and antisemitic bullying happening in both places due to the author's appearance and voice. The whole thing really ground me down, but the cliffhanger ending will certainly bring me back for the next volume.
February 5, 2019
Graphic Novels are not my thing, but I have already read the first 3 books of this series; it must be that it has sufficient ingredients to remain curious and start this 4th part. And to my relief, we finally see some resistance from the Riad's mother against the ever more reactionary behavior of the Syrian father; it looks like she has reached her limit and is formally going for the divorce. Another interesting development is that Riad is reaching puberty, whichs results in languorous dreams about girls, but also in asking questions about his identity: is it Western(French) or Arabic, and why does he have such difficulties in connecting to other boys and girls? Again, I’m looking forward to the next part. But I cannot help it: graphic novels still appeal less to me than real novels.
November 24, 2019
“Riad! Listen carefully to your papa. NEVER marry a Frenchwoman. They always want to do whatever they like. You should marry a SYRIAN woman! They’re just as beautiful and intelligent as Frenchwomen, but they will follow you EVERYWHERE and never complain. THEY WILL OBEY YOU.”
There are so many wonderful little moments in here. Memorable, random scenes told with such craft and sensitivity, like when his grandmother receives a live puppy through the post, as a surprise gift and it is covered in grease as it was given some butter to eat for the journey. Or when Sattouf is being shown the sole surviving picture of his Gran’s second husband as a child of 5 from 1920 and he accidentally drops and smashes it. But instead of being yelled at the man just tells him “It doesn’t matter! Let me sweep up the bits of glass so you don’t hurt yourself. You’ll be the last person who saw me as a child!”
Then there is the bizarre set up when his father is teaching in Saudi Arabia and not only is he not allowed to see the women he is teaching but he cannot even be in the same room as them and so has to do it remotely via a video camera.
The star of the show is surely the long suffering mother who does a wonderful job in standing up for herself ensuring that she and her children don’t have to endure years of living in Saudi Arabia or Syria, as she says of the latter, “As long as I don’t have to live in this village with your inbred family, everything will be great.”
In spite of having an upbringing very different to the author I still found myself identifying with him in many crucial and profound ways, as well as the more light hearted ones, such as being driven around in a white Citroen Visa to collecting the toys from Kinder eggs.
The father is even more pompous, penny pinching, racist, sexist, arrogant and egotistical than before. He is also more paranoid and intolerant too, seeing Jewish conspiracies almost everywhere. He repeatedly tries to bring up his children on a diet of hate, ignorance and intolerance, doing for Islam and the Arab world, what Trump does for politics and America.
One of the most impressive elements about this series is that Sattouf has managed to maintain such a consistently high standard throughout, with it never once feeling padded, diluted or thin, every instalment has been good to excellent ensuring that this series ranks up there with the best of the best in the contemporary graphic memoir genre.
April 1, 2020
Maravilloso. Largo y apasionante cuarto volumen de uno de los mejores comics de la década. No se lleven a engaño por el título, esta es la relación universal entre un padre y un hijo, profunda, intensa, dramática.
El corazón en un puño.
Muy grande el libro, muy buena la lectura. El dibujo y el color excepcionales. Que grandes tiempos para tan grandes comics.
El corazón en un puño.
Muy grande el libro, muy buena la lectura. El dibujo y el color excepcionales. Que grandes tiempos para tan grandes comics.
January 18, 2019
Masterpiece🙌🙌🙌
October 5, 2018
Est-ce qu'on peut donner 10 étoiles à ce livre ?
October 12, 2018
Une vraie claque ce tome.
March 27, 2021
I love these. I wish someone with a more pleasing life would commit to a project of this scope and devotion (it'd be great if it were a woman), but I'll take what I can get.
August 11, 2023
O Árabe do Futuro é uma série de BD autobiográfica em que Riad Sattouf fala da sua infância. Filho de mãe francesa e pai Sírio, mostra uma perspectiva muito interessante das diferenças entre estas sociedades e entre as diferenças culturais da sua família, do lado paterno e do lado materno.
No quarto volume, com 10 anos, Riad vai viver para França com a mãe e os irmãos. O seu pai arranja trabalho numa universidade na Arábia Saudita e a mãe recusa mudar-se para um país onde as mulheres não têm quaisquer direitos. Riad passa a frequentar a escola em França e torna-se um adolescente, com as dores próprias dessa fase do crescimento. No seu caso, agravadas por se sentir estrangeiro em ambos os países. Na Síria, não se sente sírio e, em França também não se sente francês.
Com muito humor e um ritmo muito bem conseguido, esta série de livros pode não ser muito apelativa à primeira vista. As capas não são propriamente bonitas mas o conteúdo é muito bom. Explora de forma bastante certeira temas como a dinâmica familiar entre pessoas com origens culturais muito diferentes, a influência da religião nos costumes e na política, a emigração e integração de culturas, particularmente em França.
O quinto volume foi editado em Portugal já este ano e espero que o sexto não demore muito a chegar. Quero ler tudo.
No quarto volume, com 10 anos, Riad vai viver para França com a mãe e os irmãos. O seu pai arranja trabalho numa universidade na Arábia Saudita e a mãe recusa mudar-se para um país onde as mulheres não têm quaisquer direitos. Riad passa a frequentar a escola em França e torna-se um adolescente, com as dores próprias dessa fase do crescimento. No seu caso, agravadas por se sentir estrangeiro em ambos os países. Na Síria, não se sente sírio e, em França também não se sente francês.
Com muito humor e um ritmo muito bem conseguido, esta série de livros pode não ser muito apelativa à primeira vista. As capas não são propriamente bonitas mas o conteúdo é muito bom. Explora de forma bastante certeira temas como a dinâmica familiar entre pessoas com origens culturais muito diferentes, a influência da religião nos costumes e na política, a emigração e integração de culturas, particularmente em França.
O quinto volume foi editado em Portugal já este ano e espero que o sexto não demore muito a chegar. Quero ler tudo.
January 27, 2020
In the 4th installment of this graphic memoir series, the author is now a teenager living in France with his Mom and brothers, while his Dad works in Saudi Arabia.
The story continues to explore the challenges of being a bi-racial kid whose parents see the world from completely different perspectives - one Western and the other not. If that didn't make life complicated enough, Riad is also bullied at school, and his hormones start to surge. Feeling like an outsider everywhere makes for a lonely existence, and this portion of the memoir (covering 1987-1992) captures that feeling well.
I continue to really like the color palette, while not loving the illustrations style, and I found this the weakest book in the series so far. There are sections that made me shake my head, and others that made me smile, and that cliff hanger of an ending, while a shock, was not entirely unexpected.
The story continues to explore the challenges of being a bi-racial kid whose parents see the world from completely different perspectives - one Western and the other not. If that didn't make life complicated enough, Riad is also bullied at school, and his hormones start to surge. Feeling like an outsider everywhere makes for a lonely existence, and this portion of the memoir (covering 1987-1992) captures that feeling well.
I continue to really like the color palette, while not loving the illustrations style, and I found this the weakest book in the series so far. There are sections that made me shake my head, and others that made me smile, and that cliff hanger of an ending, while a shock, was not entirely unexpected.
June 18, 2019
Les volumes de L'Arabe du Futur ne cessent d'aller crescendo aussi bien en qualité qu'en intensité, et ce volume 4 ne fait pas exception à la règle.
Je suis passée par tout un tas d'émotions durant la lecture de ce gros volume, épuisement dus aux multiple aller et retour entre la Syrie, l'Arabie Saoudite et la Bretagne, colère face aux dérives de plus en plus prononcée du père, frustration à crier devant ma bd "mais divorcez, madame, quittez-le", et beaucoup de tendresse pour le jeune Riad.
Et puis BIM la fin a débarqué comme un coup de tonnerre dans un ciel déjà chargé. Je ne divulguerai pas de quoi il s'agit mais ça change tout et me fait attendre le tome 5 avec plus d'impatience que jamais.
Je suis passée par tout un tas d'émotions durant la lecture de ce gros volume, épuisement dus aux multiple aller et retour entre la Syrie, l'Arabie Saoudite et la Bretagne, colère face aux dérives de plus en plus prononcée du père, frustration à crier devant ma bd "mais divorcez, madame, quittez-le", et beaucoup de tendresse pour le jeune Riad.
Et puis BIM la fin a débarqué comme un coup de tonnerre dans un ciel déjà chargé. Je ne divulguerai pas de quoi il s'agit mais ça change tout et me fait attendre le tome 5 avec plus d'impatience que jamais.
September 19, 2021
Gah! These books are so good. Such rich kid-perspective and such terrible adulting. I’m absolutely obsessed. I’m trying to decide if it’s faster to learn French so I can read the 5th one that’s out only in French so far, or wait for it to be translated. Vite, vite!
November 11, 2018
So good!
April 21, 2023
I read this series back to back and I really enjoyed both the art style, Sattouf's childhood, and the historical perspectives you get in the book (i.e. France's relationship to the Middle East and perceptions of individuals like Gaddafi and Bashar al-Assad). I felt so bad for Sattouf's mom and found myself being most interested in her life progression.
October 11, 2019
Keski-kirjastojen lukuhaaste 2019, kohta 44: Tositapahtumiin perustuva kirja. Huh. Nämä on vaan niin mahtavia! Kuten edellistenkin osien kanssa kävi, tätäkään ei malta laskea käsistään.
February 12, 2019
I've enjoyed all of the books in this series, but less as it has progressed. The first two were fascinating views of different cultures through a child's eyes--sometimes beautiful, sometimes terrifying, always interesting. Over time the books have become less of a cultural exploration and more of a family drama, still interesting but less so than earlier in the series.
February 16, 2020
La fin me laisse sans voix, je n'ai qu'une hâte, lire le tome 5.
Ce tome nous permet de suivre Riad et sa famille qui sont de retour en France. Riad grandit et la vision qu'il a de son père également.
Ce tome nous permet de suivre Riad et sa famille qui sont de retour en France. Riad grandit et la vision qu'il a de son père également.
January 1, 2024
"J'essayais d'imaginer mes parents vieux et retraités ensemble. J'étais sûr et certain que ça n'arriverait jamais."
May 19, 2023
Ojciec się radykalizuje, jest coraz mniej stabilny i coraz mniej godny zaufania. Dorastający Riad cierpi najbardziej. Zdecydowanie brak młodemu poczucia tożsamości, bo przebywając na zmianę w krajach Bliskiego wschodu i Europy, tak naprawdę nie przynależy w 100% do żadnej z kultur i nie czuje się w pełni komfortowo w żadnym z tych miejsc. Chyba najlepsza z dotychczasowych części cyklu i mocny twist w końcówce
July 6, 2020
This ends in a cliffhanger! Which gives me the dilemma of whether I should research the author to see what happens next. This one captures another few years of the author’s life in Syria and France. The father is worse in this one than the others. There are worse fathers out there but he is still terrible.
May 28, 2022
Apesar de ter gostado mais do primeiro volume, esta série continua muito boa e este volume termina de forma tão angustiante, que vou mesmo ter de ler o seguinte. Um excelente retrato do que é crescer entre dois mundos, e ser olhado com desconfiança em ambos. Se a adolescência nem sempre é um período fácil, para Riad foi certamente mais difícil!
February 25, 2020
Hai uns anos lin o primeiro volume. Logo deixeinos agardando a que rematase a serie para lela completa. Fíxeno agora pero... resulta que aínda non rematou! Faltan dous tomos máis. Que inxenuo.
Lembro que cando o lin por primeira vez non me acababa de gustar o punto de vista. Creo que me incomodaba o mal que falaba dos sirios e o papel tremendamente pasivo que lle daba á nai. Agora vexo que é unha perspectiva estúpida pola miña parte porque está moi ben conseguido o efecto de trasladar ao cómic a visión do protagonista, a súa narración en primeira persoa. A maneira de ver o mundo e a relación con e de súa nai e seu pai é a propia dun neno que, volume a volume, se transforma nun adolescente. Consegue trasladar moi ben a súa personalidade en formación e a decadencia do seu pai. E, ademais, é moi divertido e cada volume é mellor que o anterior.
Agora a agardar a que saian os tomos 5 e 6.
Lembro que cando o lin por primeira vez non me acababa de gustar o punto de vista. Creo que me incomodaba o mal que falaba dos sirios e o papel tremendamente pasivo que lle daba á nai. Agora vexo que é unha perspectiva estúpida pola miña parte porque está moi ben conseguido o efecto de trasladar ao cómic a visión do protagonista, a súa narración en primeira persoa. A maneira de ver o mundo e a relación con e de súa nai e seu pai é a propia dun neno que, volume a volume, se transforma nun adolescente. Consegue trasladar moi ben a súa personalidade en formación e a decadencia do seu pai. E, ademais, é moi divertido e cada volume é mellor que o anterior.
Agora a agardar a que saian os tomos 5 e 6.
June 17, 2019
I have been waiting TWO YEARS for this. Finally, after returning to France, I was able to purchase the fourth of this series. It's weird to say that this book is just so amazing and incredible--because it's a memoir and it's weird to say that someone's life is amazing and incredible--but the way that Riad Sattouf tells his story, both through the narrative and visuals, is just...something else. It's incredible. The five-tone palette, the use of visual cues and signals, effortlessly weaving in politics that we clearly understand but little Riad doesn't (the rise of Saddam Hussein, George Bush, kidnapping laws). It's just...so good.
Every bit of this tome is just amazing. It's so far the densest of all four tomes, and by far, in my opinion, unsettling. What used to be plain ignorance for little Riad slowly turns into awareness, and it creates an uncomfortable divide between him and his parents. And while his parents are arguing, all he wants is acne-free face, perhaps a television character to be real, and a computer. But how can any of those things be possible when money is so tight and his family is divided between two countries?
UGH. This is just so good. I wish it was as popular here as it is in France (and don't be fooled by the French title and copy that I have, it's been translated to so many other languages!). You won't want to miss out. The discussion between Arab folks and Jewish folks is intriguing, the observation of politics is interesting, and all of it is through the eyes of an adult writing from the perspective of his younger self. I know I say a lot of things are must-reads, but THIS is a must-read. The whole series has a place on my "favorites" shelf.
Review cross-listed here!
Every bit of this tome is just amazing. It's so far the densest of all four tomes, and by far, in my opinion, unsettling. What used to be plain ignorance for little Riad slowly turns into awareness, and it creates an uncomfortable divide between him and his parents. And while his parents are arguing, all he wants is acne-free face, perhaps a television character to be real, and a computer. But how can any of those things be possible when money is so tight and his family is divided between two countries?
UGH. This is just so good. I wish it was as popular here as it is in France (and don't be fooled by the French title and copy that I have, it's been translated to so many other languages!). You won't want to miss out. The discussion between Arab folks and Jewish folks is intriguing, the observation of politics is interesting, and all of it is through the eyes of an adult writing from the perspective of his younger self. I know I say a lot of things are must-reads, but THIS is a must-read. The whole series has a place on my "favorites" shelf.
Review cross-listed here!
September 27, 2021
Disturbing, like the first three installments, but in its own distinct way, as were its predecessors. Sattouf is an inspired storyeller and illustrator. Little Riad, now in middle school, watches as his parents' marriage - the union of a French woman and a Syrian Arab (with a PhD from the Sorbonne) - crumbles. We must presume, as we have throughout the first books, that grown up Sattouf has been an honest and accurate witness to the events he describes, pictorially and in words. He very obviously does not intend the bottomless levels of superstition and cruelty he exposes within his own extended Arab family to reflect well on Arab society This naturally raises the question, "How do these recalled anecdotes (of long trains of abuses) here and throughout this tetralogy, its episodes and vignettes, generalize to Syrian, Iraqi, Libyan, and Saudi societies, and to Arab Islamic society in general?" Sattouf's graphic memoirs allow those of us with little access to Middle Eastern cultures and societies a peek into a narrowly circumscribed set of mostly familial relationships, yet also offers a measured bit of wherewithal to begin to form questions, if not conclusions, as the beginning of understanding.
Overall, an excellent, provocative series, both human and humane.
Overall, an excellent, provocative series, both human and humane.
March 4, 2020
The Arab of the Future books are always so dispiriting (and this fourth volume might be a bit overlong), but they're also tremendously compelling. Each page is a riveting read, even as Riad Sattouf experiences all the traditional (and traditionally dull) aspects of teenage life. Zits, girls, friends, desiring sweet computers. It's not strictly page-turning, but it's nonetheless fascinating.
What probably kept my attention was the idea that Sattouf's father could show up on any page. He wasn't in perhaps half the book, off teaching in Saudi Arabia or Syria. With his arrival, the book's entire dynamic changed. No longer a calm, quaint dissection of a half-Arab in France, when Sattouf's father shows up on the page, things start popping off. Crazy cousins, racist rants, fiery fights. It's bleak and must have been terrible for Sattouf, but it certainly makes for compelling reading.
In this fourth volume, it seems like Sattouf has stepped up his art too. There are more background details and improved coloring. New characters also add unique dimensions, like a beautiful, hyper-religious cousin. These Arab of the Future books never quite make me feel good, yet I'm always excited when a fresh one arrives at the library.
What probably kept my attention was the idea that Sattouf's father could show up on any page. He wasn't in perhaps half the book, off teaching in Saudi Arabia or Syria. With his arrival, the book's entire dynamic changed. No longer a calm, quaint dissection of a half-Arab in France, when Sattouf's father shows up on the page, things start popping off. Crazy cousins, racist rants, fiery fights. It's bleak and must have been terrible for Sattouf, but it certainly makes for compelling reading.
In this fourth volume, it seems like Sattouf has stepped up his art too. There are more background details and improved coloring. New characters also add unique dimensions, like a beautiful, hyper-religious cousin. These Arab of the Future books never quite make me feel good, yet I'm always excited when a fresh one arrives at the library.
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