Yazidi!

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for letting me read this ARC for an unbiased review!

Can I just start by saying the obvious: the illustration is beautiful. The dialogue flowed well and was realistic. The storyline was easy to follow yet emotionally complex. There were plot twists and great characterization. Relationships were built and lost in so few pages. This was brilliant all around.

Yazidi! is a beautifully written and illustrated graphic novel dealing with the Yazidi genocide. Peshmergas, defenses for Yazidis against ISIL, flee and leave them defenseless. Zéré, a young girl must survive despite the kidnappings, rape, and murder that is occurring to her community.

I had no idea about ANY OF THIS! It seriously brought to my attention that I know very little about religion, politics, and oppression that isn't occurring in my own country. This was a very informative exploration of the topic that, because of its illustration and pretty easy-breezy reading experience, was a great introduction into a topic that is undoubtably much bigger and complex (meaning there is probably SO much more to know about this that cannot all be touched on in a <200 page graphic novel). It definitely sent me down a rabbit hole so I could understand more. It is a truly disheartening piece of history that more people should know about. I'm only 19 and have never heard of the Yazidi genoicde, so I cannot imagine how this history will fade from younger peoples understanding of global history if stories like this are not told. This graphic novels is both an engaging story and an educational illustration of difficult topics. In other words, it makes difficult subject matter easier to grasp and accessible. And it does so with much sensitivity, especially as it deals with young girls.

I did have a bit of difficulty understanding who was who in the past and present. But with a second pass through the book, it made much more sense. I do not read graphic novels often so didn't notice small details in illustration that can help with this. Honestly, reading it a second time was even more enjoyable because I found things I missed. It's such a quick read anyway that it wasn't a burden at all to read again. I also found it helpful to look up some vocabulary like caliphates, peshmergas, etc. Not imperative, as you can make inferences. But it can provide some important context.

This is BEAUTIFUL and I couldn't put it down. I would recommend it to literally everyone.