A Bag of Marbles: The Graphic Novel

This engaging graphic novel is an adaptation of Joseph Joffo’s true life story, as recounted in his memoir. There is an easygoing confidence to siblings Joseph and Maurice, and their trust in each other provides a counterpoint to the suspicion and danger engendered by the Nazi occupation. Lambent watercolor illustrations suggest a lovely world long since lost, but the art also portrays menace and danger. Moral complexities abound in this difficult tale. For example, the brothers survive by learning to lie, steal, and manipulate the system; and Jo ultimately protects a Nazi collaborator. Despite the manifold dangers and perilous escapes, the story has a satisfying and hopeful ending.

The opening scene in this graphic novel (adapted from Joffo's 1973 adult memoir of the same name) features the author at ten years old, crying over a lost marble. But for Jews in Nazi-occupied Paris, innocence is fleeting: two years later, the now-world-weary boy has much more to cry about as he observes, "The Nazis haven't taken my life away yet, but they've stolen my childhood." During those two years young Jo and his brother Maurice manage to stay one step ahead of the Germans, scurrying from one place to the next as they travel through southern France, hoping to reunite with their two grown brothers near the Italian border. Despite the tragedy and danger inherent in the wartime setting, it's not all gloom and doom. Jo and Maurice are likable, impressively resourceful boys--no matter the city or town, the brothers forge fast friendships, flashing impish grins as they plan their next scheme. The book's relatively busy layout is balanced by Bailly's gorgeously detailed illustrations--one can almost smell the sea air as the brothers bum around the coastal town of Menton. A map of France during the war, a glossary, and an author's note are included in this welcome addition to the rich Holocaust literary canon. sam bloom