Algeria Is Beautiful Like America
Ratings2
Average rating4.5
15
Ratings2
Average rating4.5
Olivia had always heard stories about Algeria from her maternal grandmother, a Black Foot (a "Pied-Noir," the French term for Christian and Jewish settlers of French Algeria who emigrated to France after the Algerian War of Independence). After her grandmother's death, Olivia found some of her grandmother's journals and letters describing her homeland. Now, ten years later, she resolves to travel to Algeria and experience the country for herself. Olivia's quest to understand her origins will bring her to face questions about heritage, history, shame, friendship, memory, nostalgia, fantasy, the nature of exile, and our unending quest to understand who we are and where we come from.
Reviews with the most likes.
The title definitely needed to be Algeria is Beautiful. The “...like America” part is a red herring, as America is mentioned in exactly one sentence and has absolutely nothing to do with this story. I wonder if this was a weird publishing choice for an English speaking audience. That's really the only flaw with this book, though. Olivia Burton writes so contemplatively and vibrantly about her search for her family ancestral homes and history in her visit to Algeria. The art by Mahi Grand is vibrant and warm and the panels change and flow to match the feel and sweep of the story, with pops of color shown through photographs, such a great visual device. Burton doesn't shy away from mining her family's complex and problematic history, and the first few chapters showing her growing into questioning her family's beliefs and worldviews, with looming wars and deaths referenced through haunting skeletons, are exquisitely done and will resonate with teens grappling with the journey of their identity as they form their own personal beliefs. Would be absolutely great in an ELA or SS classroom, so much to discuss from a personal and historical/politcal standpoint. Her story exposed a massive gap in my own learning and I had to stop frequently to look up information about Algerian history and the war, making it a great pairing in SS classes learning about world conflicts and colonialism.
