A Family Secret

A Family Secret is by Eric Hewvel. It is a graphic comic. I have never been a big fan of graphic novels; but this one just might have begun to change my mind. It is the story of two families intertwined during the Holocaust in the Netherlands. Jeroen goes through his Grandmother’s attic to find items for a yard sale on Queen’s Day. He has already gone through his parents’ attic. Surely, Grandmother will have something up there.With her permission, Jeroen begins to go through her attic. He finds a box of fishing magazines which he turns down, a Dutch policeman’s uniform, and a box of things along with some journals. He takes these to his Grandmother and asks her about them. She deems him old enough and tells him what the occupation was like and how people disappeared, even her friend Esther. However, her disappearance was much worse than the others because her own Father turned her in. Jeroen decides some things are better left alone.

A great story about history. Esp coming from jewish decent. Reading it to my daughter so she understands the past.

This is a well-told tale of what it was like to live in Holland during the Occupation. It focuses primarily on a Christian family and their trying to come to terms with oppresion.

Great for any age. Very good text, good pictures. All in all I would dare to suggest the book not just as present to kids.

A favorite of mine of WW2 related graphic novel of a true story.

By now, the historical events of the Nazi occupation and subsequent Holocaust, as well as related subjects, have been visited in graphic novel form more times than I can count, probably most notably with Art Spiegelman's epic and effective Maus. It's a subject that deserves repetition; so many artists and authors have laid their craft to telling and retelling aspects and subtleties of the stories that came from there.A Family Secret begins with a teenager's search through an attic for stuff to sell in a tag sale and evolves into his grandmother telling him about her experiences as a "safe" Dutch citizen, and then moves into the tale of her Jewish friend Esther, who suffered through the terror of the Holocaust. The framing device of "teenager finding stuff in an attic" only takes up a few panels in the collective story, and his reactions to his grandmother's tale seem to be almost indifferent and don't add anything to the overall graphic novel. I remain confused as to why they were included at all, but perhaps they provide a relatable point of entry for the intended audience of children.Most comics that deal with the effects of Nazi Germany incorporate historical first- or second-person accounts of actual events and people, but Eric Heuvel's A Family Secret chooses to approach the topic from a fictional, or hypothetical, angle. While it is firmly rooted in history and delivers accurate facts along an accurate timeline, some of the impact of the actual story is mitigated by the fact that it will inevitably be compared to "actual events," which are generally more gripping. Regardless, it was an easy read in one sitting, and it presented history in a way that even I could understand, as someone who is notoriously bewildered when it comes to that type of thing. This artist's work has actually come under fire from the Central Council of Jews in Germany as oversimplifying history, though I doubt it intends to act as an encyclopedia of events. Instead, it's a gateway into further study.The line art is crisp and beautiful, and probably the best part of the book itself, though the style might not complement the subject matter as much as it could. Again, it's another aspect that provides accessibility to the audience.And for a story about the Holocaust, there is very limited violence and no profanity. It should be appropriate for any age reader who is prepared to learn about this portion of history. If you enjoy this, the story and characters are expanded upon in The Search, also by Heuvel. Even if they never move past the world of being just characters on a page, it's a solid read and a good introduction to a far deeper story.-- Collin David

This graphic novel was originally published in conjunction with the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam. A Family Secret, written in cooperation with the Resistance Museum of Friesland, gives an overview of the Netherlands during the war, through the story of Helena, a Dutch girl, and her good friend Esther. A Family Secret gives a very detailed overview of the war, from the Dutch point of view. The information could be overwhelming to a young reader without much background knowledge. For example, many children might not understand the discussion of the Japanese occupation of the Dutch colony in Indonesia. Characters in the book represent the spectrum of morality - from innocent victims and heroic resistance fighters, to passive bystanders, collaborators, or evil Nazis. Because of the graphic novel format, there isn't much elaboration as to the nuances of each character's choices. The violence is kept low key in the illustrations; guns are aimed, but there is no blood or dead bodies. This too, however, might mislead young readers, as the worst violence depicted is a Japanese guard whipping a Dutch woman.The illustrations are in a realistic style, very similar to the drawings in the Tintin comics. This gives the book an old-fashioned look, appropriate to the subject matter. The graphic novel medium will lure reluctant readers or students who enjoy this format. Unfortunately, the cartoon format may attract readers who are too young for the subject matter. A Family Secret would be best for someone with some background knowledge of World War II. The book should also appeal to readers interested in Anne Frank's life. For ages 11-14. Hilary Zana

interesting and graphic description of how a despised nation suffered during WW2

excellent - format a nd story

Es interesante a nivel didáctico porque el protagonista es el hilo conductor de la historia familiar y de la abuela, que vivió el holocausto.

Nice story with good artwork by the famous Tin Tin author. I liked the story but didn't care for the 3 week wait.

Ich habe den Artikel leider nicht erhalten! Woran liegt das? Ich ärgere mich sehr darüber, da meine Tochter das Buch für den Unterricht brauchte. Jetzt ist das Schuljahr vorbei und sie konnte nicht mitarbeiten da es nicht in der versprochenen Zeit, bzw. überhaupt nicht bei uns ankam!! ,