The Arab of the Future 4: A Graphic Memoir of a Childhood in the Middle East, 1987-1992

In The Arab of the Future 4: A Graphic Memoir of a Childhood in the Middle East, 1987-1992, Riad Sattouf continues to chronicle his upbringing in Syria, Libya and France. The fourth installment of Sattouf's story focuses on the artist's teenage years. While his father, Abdel-Razak, is employed as a professor in Saudi Arabia, Sattouf's mother keeps Riad and his sibling in her native France--a land at once entirely foreign and utterly familiar to the adolescent Sattouf. Things turn sour in a hurry once Abdel-Razak unexpectedly appears at the front door. The ideological disparity between Sattouf's parents reflects the battle of beliefs concurrently taking place within the artist's head.

Despite the whirlwind of languages and geographies at play in Arab of the Future, all readers can empathize with the confusion endured by the teenage Sattouf. In illustrated panels that favor immediacy over intricacy, Sattouf conveys complex emotions and significant moments both large and small with the tweak of an eyebrow or the placement of a wrinkle. Underscoring the story is a color palette that changes from blue (France) to pink (Syria) to help readers keep track of the young Riad's location. Struck through with moments of terrible violence and subtle revelation, The Arab of the Future will be regarded as a vital text for future generations eager to understand the vastly complex and often brutal landscape of the Middle East at the close of the 20th century. --Zack Ruskin, freelance reviewer

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