I really enjoyed this graphic novel that deals with some serious civil rights issues. Powell's use of imagery is a masterclass in character perspective. Highly recommend for readers who enjoyed March, Banned Bookclub, and They Called Us Enemy.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC. This graphic novel/memoir set during the civil rights movement of the 1950-60's United States is a gem. The writing is sharp. The story important and engaging. The graphics draw the reader in. Go and read this one - you will be glad you did.

This is a compelling read for those who are drawn to historical and political comics and graphic novels. I would definitely put this on my shelf next to March. It's moving and beautiful.

An important book that has not lasted on the shelves at work. I'm thrilled for it.

While this book presents a complete plot, it feels almost like a vignette. We see character development, the influence of each event on the next. It's not all clear cut, though. Not 100% good guys fighting bad guys. We see various types and degrees of prejudice. Some plots are never fully explored and some characters are flat. It's beautifully rendered, though, and leaves the reader with plenty to consider.

This is an interesting story of a not very well known event that took place in Houston, Tx in 1968. It's a look at an ugly time in an ugly place. The story rambles a little and I wasn't sure why some events were included. Still it is a powerful look at racism and the speaking out that is required to bring about change.

Le titre est tiré d'une citation de Martin Luther King Jr : In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. Le titre entier : The Silence of Our Friends : The Civil Rights Struggle Was Never Black and White. Un peu limite le sous-titre.

Encore un roman graphique. Semi-autobiographique.

1968. Houston, Texas. En plein combats pour les droits civiques. L'auteur est tout jeune à l'époque et raconte ici l'expérience de sa famille, nouvelle venue dans la ville, et surtout de son père, reporter, pendant quelques mois de cette année.

Tensions sur le campus de la Texas Southern University (université traditionnellement noire). Les étudiants souhaitent créer une antenne du SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, organisation d'étudiants qui a joué un rôle majeur dans la lutte pour les droits civiques) et le président refuse. Les étudiants décident d'organiser une grève. John Long est là pour filmer ce qui se passe et est pris à parti par les étudiants. Larry Thomson, un professeur, s'interpose. Il souhaite la présence de John sur le campus car c'est le seul reporter en qui il a confiance. C'est le seul blanc à qui il a vraiment parlé depuis l'armée et il lui avoue qu'il n'a jamais invité de blancs chez lui. Ses voisins sont dans le même cas. John lui répond que c'est la même chose avec ses voisins (dont certains distribuent des tracts des encagoulés). La femme de Larry n'est pas ravie de cette amitié entre son mari et John. La femme de ce dernier semble plus tolérante et s'inquiète pour ses enfants qui ne côtoient que des blancs. Elle est d'ailleurs fière de dire à la représentante Avon (une connaissance car elle l'appelle par son prénom) qu'une famille noire est venue leur rendre visite et que son mari, qui fait beaucoup de reportages dans le quartier noir, est ami avec un professeur de TSU. John connaît des difficultés au travail car son supérieur est raciste et le menace de licenciement s'il ne se montre pas raisonnable.

Je ne sais pas trop que penser de ce livre. Certaines situations semblent un peu opportunes et destinées à montrer le contraste entre la vie des noirs et celle des blancs. Les enfants jouent dans la rue et font du vélo; mais dans le quartier noir, des blancs passent à toute vitesse en voiture et heurtent les enfants. L'histoire insiste sur le fait que John et sa famille risquent beaucoup en étant "alliés" des noirs : une mise à l'écart de la part des blancs et la trahison des noirs. Mais elle insiste également sur le fait que tout le monde est pareil : les enfants se touchent les cheveux les uns des autres et les trouvent bizarres, ils jouent aux mêmes jeux et aiment la même musique. Ça pourrait friser le gnangnan, mais c'est finalement très réaliste.

Le livre est intéressant car il montre un point de vue différent, mais j'ai trouvé que c'était un peu expédié (évidemment, il s'agit d'évoquer un moment précis dans un lieu précis). À lire quand même.

The Silence of Our Friends sets us up for a very timely discussion. Although some reviews that I read about this graphic novel fault it on its one-sided perspective, I disagree. A memoir is someone's experience, and people can't change that to suit their own agendas. I thought the story was very well told in both words and drawings; it created mood and tone, empathy and sympathy, realization and disbelief. I think this would make a good book for a group discussion or book club, but it would not be a stand-alone choice for my high school graphic novels shelf due to the language as well as the need I feel it sets up to process or debrief the nature of the historic events and their implications to history and for today.

A true life story about a Caucasian reporter who made friends with an African-American activist in the 1960s in spite of the segregation apparent at the time. Great illustrations that shed some light on events during the African-American Civil Rights movement from the viewpoint of a well-intentioned reporter, to those of young children and their innocent minds, to those of ignorant supremacists.

I really enjoyed reading it and wrapped it up in one sitting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An apparent rerelease of an important and challenging discussion of race, responsibility, and our obligation to acknowledge and alleviate the injustices that impact our fellow man.

This graphic novel is a moving account of two men and their families in the civil rights movement. The white man, a journalist, fumbles on his way to find the courage to stand up for the truth and support his Black friend, whose marginalized family experiences racism on several levels.

It seems they are republishing this in January 2018 and I read a digital advance reader's copy via NetGalley. This wasn't what I expected it to be and I was a bit let-down by what I actually got. This doesn't work nearly as well as the March graphic novels do and felt very abrupt and disjointed. That being said, Powell's work is stunning as always.

Originally published in 2012, The Silence of Our Friends is getting a re-release next week.Set in 1968 Texas, The Silence of Our Friends tells the story of two families - a black family and a white family - who come together as the civil rights struggle comes to a boil. It's a memoir of Mark Long's childhood in a virulently racist Texan suburb; it's the story of his journalist father, Jack, and his friendship with African-American professor at Texas Southern University professor, Larry Thompson; and it's the story of a lesser-known event in civil rights history: a series of student protests at Texas Southern University, culminating in police brutality and shots fired at unarmed African-American students in a university dorm. Those same students were imprisoned and put on trial for the death of a police officer who was killed by a fellow officer's misfire.

The Silence of Our Friends is taken from the Martin Luther King quote, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.” It's a powerful quote given powerful illustration in Long's story. Jack Long is a journalist trying to do the right thing, but his racist boss wants a pro-white narrative in the press. Jack's silence can kill.

Artist Nate Powell, who beautifully illustrated John Lewis' March trilogy, creates strong, stark images here, using black and white artwork to create imposing shadows and menacing crowds and idyllic homes with tension thrumming throughout. The Silence of Our Friends is an ally's story and a good additional title in civil rights collections.

Publication Date: January 2, 2018

From the Publisher:
A New York Times-bestselling graphic novel based on the true story of two families—one white and one black—who find common ground as the civil rights struggle heats up in Texas.

This semi-autobiographical tale is set in 1967. A white family from a notoriously racist neighborhood in the suburbs and a black family from its poorest ward cross Houston's color line, overcoming humiliation, degradation, and violence to win the freedom of five black college students unjustly charged with the murder of a policeman.

The Silence of Our Friends follows events through the point of view of young Mark Long, whose father is a reporter covering the story. Semi-fictionalized, this story has its roots solidly in very real events. With art from the brilliant Nate Powell (Swallow Me Whole) bringing the tale to heart-wrenching life, The Silence of Our Friends is a new and important entry in the body of civil rights literature.

My thoughts:

This semi-fictionalized memoir speaks to what social studies teachers today are looking for in how we currently teach and view history, as well as how we reach our learners.

Set in the gritty graphic novel style that seems more like old news footage than the stylized gender fluid manga, this novel shows history in its most complex realism. What this graphic novel does so well is showcase how when it comes to race, how we treat each other, how the attitudes of the adults are mirrored in the innocence of children, history, even the ugliness and ignorance is still our history. What this makes me realize is that even if as a reader I am disturbed by children who don't understand why a game like "nigger knockin'' is a bad thing or I am squeamish about the blatant institutional racism present in a newsroom, if I do not accept the ugliness and horror, I cannot learn from history. I also cannot ignore what is still happening today and just accept that our history has changed. We need to be reminded by pieces like this that we have far to go as a society.

As teachers, our job is to not gloss over the ugliness that is history, but to show multiple perspectives in order to let students create their own meaning making, debate with each other, and then give them an avenue for social justice action.

For our most reluctant readers, this type of perspective housed in a graphic novel form is an engaging way to learn through stories and art. Put this in your social studies classroom along with John Lewis' March trilogy. Use this as additional resources to your civil rights curriculum. Do not look away.

This story is an amazing look back at a time not so long past. In 1968 a friendship between a white and black family changed the course of both families lives as the both become drawn into the civil rights movement.

The black and white art adds a solemn backdrop to a time full of heroism and rk.

This book is a perfect companion to John Lewis and Nate Powell's March trilogy.

This story is taken from events that ooccured in Houston, Texas, about 50 years ago.

quote from
The TSU Riot, 50 years later What really happened that night in 1967, and what does it mean for Houston?
Alex LaRotta, for the Houston Chronicle May 16, 2017 Updated: May 17, 2017 9:02am

"Local and national newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, labeled the incident a riot. Visit the Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas History Online, and there, under "Riots," a brief description reaffirms parts of the prevailing narrative: On the night of May 17, 1967, TSU students rioted. (They were black.) Police officers responded. (They were mostly white.) All of which resulted in thousands of shots fired, the arrest of nearly 500 students, traumatic injuries on both sides and the tragic death of a rookie police officer, Louis Kuba. (He was white. And young. And an expectant father.)

What was often left out of press coverage is that the students weren't actually rioting. There were no reports of looting, destruction of property or mass resistance of arrest, all essential hallmarks of a riot.

More accurately, this was a protest, followed by the alleged throwing of debris at a police car, followed by a police invasion of campus, followed by an isolated shooting of a police officer, which then escalated into an Alamo-scale shootout — all of which, while complex, does not constitute a riot.

Nor was there much discussion on how the so-called "TSU Five" — the five students charged with conspiracy and incitement to riot — were exonerated due to insufficient evidence.

Or that Officer Kuba was shot and killed with a .30 caliber bullet, which was not only incompatible with confiscated guns from the dormitory, but, in fact, indicated HPD ricochet fire, confirmed in ballistic and coroner reports.

Nevertheless, most reports confirm that HPD fired somewhere around 3,000 rounds into Lanier Dormitory. That was followed by a police raid which caused tens of thousands of dollars in property damage."

The Silence of Our Friends was very good and it took me by surprise that it was based on true events. It's set in Texas during the worst of race and civil rights struggles in the 1960s. In the center we have two families, the other white and the other black. All I could think was how all this wasn't so long ago and how could Houston be like that? The setting is mostly the riots around the university where white police officers got killed and black students were blamed, well, just because they were black and supposedly didn't deserve human rights. These two families combine their forces to fight back and gladly it works. It's so hard to depict life at that time and Long does it very realistically showing us the uglier side of humans. How parents brainwash their kids and whatnot, even when those said kids don't even understand the situation. Just horrible. I wish we had got to know the characters better and why they do what they do, and mostly I'm talking about these two families and apart from the kids, the others felt distant. Also, backstory could've helped a lot.

The art compliments the comic awesomely! Everything is slow-paced with lots of feelings stuffed into the art and the toning is fine. I enjoyed the line art and the use of contrast a lot. It was a good choice to make the comic black-and-white, since it's more effective that way and the panel structure is interesting and refreshing too. Historical comics and political ones are something that people should read a lot more. It gives us a different kind of angle altogether and shows us something we couldn't see otherwise.

Vibrant, dramatic illustrations that lent urgency to the story. However, it felt rushed and superficial in sections, and the story ended abruptly. It's still a valuable document of the civil rights movement, however.

A must have in any #civilrights or #graphicnovel collection. #NotTheWordsOfOurEnemies #SilenceOfOurFriends