Baru

Said is an Algerian teen with a talent for boxing. Although his country is starting to break away from its French colonizers, Said travels to Paris to pursue his boxing career. His brother is involved in fighting for Algerian independence from France but Said just wants to box. The full-color drawings bring Said’s story to life. Set in the 1950’s and 1960’s in a violently anti-Arab Paris, Road to America shows that the old saying is true: you can’t remain neutral on a moving train.

A friend introduced me to this graphic novel back in 2003 - unfortunately, it was the French edition so my comprehension of the written words was limited. However, the starkly beautiful illustrations and coloration staying in my mind all these years, so when I happened upon a used English language edition at a local book-seller, I was more than happy to scoop it up.

Yes, the narrative is sparse, and unless you're somewhat familiar with the colonial history between the French and the show more Algerians, you might experience some confusion (easily rectified by watching The Battle of Algiers - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058946 or reading Albert Camus' Algerian Chronicles). But the illustrations truly tell the story, and the paper quality will make your fingers sing with joy. Two thumbs up to Drawn $ Quarterly for their excellent attention to detail!

Road to America isn't a true story; Saïd Boudiaf is indeed a fictional character. However, the political history it attempts to show is real, and continues to hold true for the citizens of any country trapped between warring factions and longing for neutrality and peace. show less

J'ai longtemps cru que "nul ne faisait le mal volontairement" et il semble que Baru tienne à me prouver le contraire. Que penser en effet après la lecture de la cavale d'un "arabe" et d'un adolescent poursuivi tout le long de l'autoroute (du soleil) par une bande de tueurs ayant toutes les apparences d'adhérents du FN ? Terrifiant et passionnant !

L’impostazione francese in questa storia che si snoda dall’autostrada del sole c’è tutta e si vede. Inconfondibile. Una storia che ha un inizio ed una fine e che, a tratti, appassiona. I protagonisti sono due ragazzi francesi, di cui uno di origini arabe; i due sfuggono, per l’appunto, lungo l’autostrada del sole ad una serie di attentati ad opera di un politico corrotto: corrotto e cornuto. Molto disegno e poco testo in una storia libera che ha come sfondo la Francia, fino al suo show more Sud più profondo, Marsiglia, crocevia di cultura e sintesi dell’Europa nel mediterraneo. show less