"The Wall" by Peter Sis

APA Citation:

Sis, P. (2007). The wall. N.Y., N.Y: Frances Foster
       Books.

Summary:

     Peter Sis tells  about his childhood and young adult years growing up during the Cold War in Czechoslovakia.  It begins with the Soviets taking control of Czechoslovakia in 1948.  Communist symbols and monuments appear and the Czech government takes orders from Moscow.  People are given strict orders.  If not followed, they are punished.  Students are told what they can draw. People are not allowed to listen to Western radio.  Their mail is opened and censored.  But information from the West begin to come through the Iron Curtain.  People learn of  The Beatles.  But things begin to be banned again.  Phones are bugged and books are secretly copied.  All the author could do was dream of being free as things got worse.

Illustrations:

       The book is well-illustrated because drawings are sketched in black and white to show the sadness of the time period and the inability to be different.  Some pages contain a little color to symbolize the hope that the citizens had of being free and happy. The drawing reinforce the text by illustrating the people's hope for freedom as they imagine freedom in color.