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34th out of 96 books
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Trotsky: A Graphic Biography
Trotsky was a hero to some, a ruthless demon to others. To Stalin, he was such a threat that he warranted murder by pickax. This polarizing figure set up a world conflict that lasted through the twentieth century, and in Trotsky: A Graphic Biography, the renowned comic artist Rick Geary uses his distinct style to depict the stark reality of the man and his times. Trot...more
Hardcover, 112 pages
Published
September 29th 2009
by Hill and Wang
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I'm not sure why Trotsky maintained a following in the west after the other early Soviets fell into the moral trash bin. Knowing only what is in Geary's graphic novel I would guess it is because his ideas read well. "Trotsky" is a great primer on the facts of the man's life. It's also an interesting, experimental and silly way to present these facts. But its short and so is missing the context I now want. I guess that means "Trotsky" is a good because it has piqued my interes...more
I had mixed feelings about this one. I think the best label to slap on it is "great for the history classroom." Soviet history, while incredibly rich in violence, intrigue, revolution, and other exciting aspects, is often told in the most incredibly boring ways, as if the whole shebang is just one long tale of stodgy bearded men arguing.
I felt that the author had a difficult time juggling the historical/political facts with Trotsky's personal life. I often found myself thin...more
I felt that the author had a difficult time juggling the historical/political facts with Trotsky's personal life. I often found myself thin...more
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Trotsky is another great comics biography from Rick Geary, following his recent treatment of J. Edgar Hoover in the same vein. At just over 100 pages, it's quite amazing how well Geary is able to communicate the essential points of Trotsky's complicated life, and the repeated images of Trotsky and his wife Natalia being exiled from one home and driven to another fully capture the sadness of a life of permanent exile. There's surely quite a bit more to Trotsky's story that can fit in these page...more
This non-fiction graphic novel presents the life of a crucial figure during a pivotal moment in world history. Presented neither as a saint nor a sinner, Geary fills in all of the gaps of this larger-than-life revolutionary. Because it is non-fiction, the traditional story elements are minimized by the historical facts. However, history and biography are integrated seamlessly and the reader becomes driven by the need to know the fate of Trotsky--even if they already know. Because of the dense su...more
This graphic novel is a great way to learn about Trotsky. I learnt more about Trotsky's life, Lenin and Stalin, the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks than I ever did in school when I studied it indepth! And I learnt that naughty old Trotsky had an affair with Frida Kahlo while he and his wife were living with Kahlo and Diego Rivera in Mexico after being expelled by Stalin from Russia in 1936. The impression I came away with of Trotsky after finishing this book was that of a thoughtful, principled an...more
Terrible. This is a story that could have been as easily told without a visual format - every single goddamn panel is just a rehashing of the words given above. Using the pictures to do the exact same thing as the words is just duplicitous and demonstrates a poor understanding of what graphic novels are supposed to _do_ and how they're supposed to do it. I think I counted two pieces of dialogue in the entire thing. If you want a read on the same topic try Petrograd, instead. Much improved.
Illustrated with elegant line drawings, the story of Leon Trotsky builds with the dramatic tension of the best novels. Despite its format as a graphic novel, Geary’s work does not dumb down this complex story. Rather, the text and illustrations combine to unravel a few of the labyrinthine threads of Russia’s history in an engaging narrative of the life of one of the most important and divisive political figures of the twentieth century. For readers 12 and up.
Ronny
rated it
terlalu simplisistik menurutku. banyak yang tidak terjelaskan dalam biografi bergambar ini, misalnya soal kaitan esai2 dahsyat Trotsky ttg kesenian dg kondisi riil yang dia alami dalam pelarian. singkat kata: apa kaitan situasi eksil yang dialaminya dg perkembangan gagasannya? ini sama sekali tak terjelaskan, beda sekali dg biografi bergambar soal Kafka ini.
I love historically driven graphic novels! It is an amazing way to orient the reader to history as many of them involve maps and geographic context. As I read this I could tell the author spent a great deal of time and dedication to the graphics and historical account which was truly appreciated. I was absolutely captivated as it had me reading it twice. I wanted to commit everything in this book to memory!
An interesting, if brief, biography of Trotsky. I was a little familiar with Trotsky, but it was interesting to learn a little more about his involvement in the Russian revolution and influence in history. I think this would be a great book for anyone who wants to know more about history, but can't ready anything overly academic.
Another graphic biography by Rick Geary ... almost as good as the one about J Edgar Hoover. I knew a little about Trotsky's life and his assassination in Mexico City. This short biography filled in a lot of gaps, from his youth in the Ukraine to his imprisonment under the czar to his trudging around Europe during his exile.
I'm not a huge fan of Geary, although I admire what he tries to do. His art style is good, line work fantastic. This story just didn't interest me . It is an illustrated history lesson. His life was interesting, but this book will certainly not make me want to learn any more about Trotsky than I do here.
An interesting book to read. It is good for getting a brief background on this fascinating man. The problem is that I do not think the full extent of a human being can be shown through a relatively thing comic book. I would recommend looking to more lengthy books if you wish to learn more about Trotsky
Following on the heals of Intro to Nietzsche, I was not expecting much from this. But Rick Geary's writing and art on this book were totally appropriate, the storyline was easy to follow, and the tete-a-tete with Frida Kahlo was very interesting!
Engaging brief biography of the Russian revolutionary in the non-fiction equivalent of a graphic novel. The writing is clear and the artwork is superior. I’m familiar with this author through a series of graphic books he has done on Victorian murders.
I still don't understand how I have never heard of Trotsky until this year. Such an influential and complex person in history, and his life story was the kind of drama you just can't make up. This was a nice overview of his life and views, and since it was in graphic novel form it was presented in a painless and entertaining way. Recommended for those who want to know more about him but don't want to commit to the denser biographies.
Scott Lewis
rated it
Recommends it for:
young adults
Recommended to Scott by:
Tony
Shelves:
graphic-novel
I really appreciate works in the graphic novel format... This is a particularly good one. I knew relatively little about Trotsky and this book really gave me a fine overview and the reading time was approximately an hour.
Interesting overview and the easiest Trotsky bio to digest; as always, Geary's art is clean, crisp, and does a great job with near accurate facial and historical details.
A good read, presenting Trotsky in a fair light, pointing out his ideals and accomplishments as well as highlighting some of his flaws.
This is really nothing more than a wikipedia entry illustrated. Quite unfortunate as I am a fan of Geary's other factual comic works.
I've yet to read a Rick Geary book, and I've read a lot of them, that didn't totally captivate me from page on to the final word.
Geary does a good job condensing a very thick period of Russian history around the life of Trotsky.
You can read my thoughts here.
I wonder if these biographies would appeal to students.
There may be too much story to fit in this short comics biography.
esp. liked the cheekbone technique used by the artist. the history is good too
A graphic novel biography of Trotsky. Hey, just like the title says!
Very informative.
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