Line of Fire: Diary of an Unknown Soldier

Gr 5 Up—An unusual perspective on the Great War. French author/illustrator Barroux Found A Soldier's Diary Among Some Belongings Being Discarded On The Street And Decided To Depict This Young Man's Words In The Graphic Novel Format. The Diary Covers The First Two Months Of World WarI, as seen from the perspective of a French infantryman. The story is both fascinating and frustrating, as we read about the boredom and confusion experienced by soldiers who spend most of their time walking, digging trenches, waiting for letters, looking for shelter, and wondering where the war is, exactly. Once in a while they will see a plane overhead, or hear artillery fire off in the distance, or have to hide from the enemy. Instead of the usual "big picture" focus garnered from textbooks, readers see the war as a microcosm, as told by one of its thousand moving parts. Barroux's illustrations were created with thick butcher's pencil on watercolor paper, which were then covered with a tinted varnish. The overall effect is of black-and-white drawings seen through a sepia-toned filter, which make the pictures look as old as the story itself. This volume would be most appreciated by readers looking for primary sources about World War I, as well as anyone who wants to know what it was like to be a soldier a century ago.—Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library