New Graphic Novel Book Groups Fall 2020-Spring 2021

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New Graphic Novel Book Groups
Fall 2020-Spring 2021
Visual Texts on Complex East Asian Subjects
We are pleased to announce our new line up of online Book Groups covering rich topics in East Asian History. Join us to read historical and first-person accounts of important events in Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Tibetan history, and learn how to incorporate these texts into your classroom! Participation is free and Professional Development credit is available.
Black Ships: An Illustrated Japanese History - The Americans Arrive
Written by Sean Michael Wilson, Illustrated by Akiko Shimojima
September 9 - October 6, 2020
4 Sessions; 8 PD Hours
Moderator: Karen Kane
In 1853 the arrival of Commodore Perry and four American ships forced Japan to open up to trade. "Black Ships" conveys the personalities of the key figures in the drama: on one side, Commodore Perry and his captains, and on the other, Shogunate officials Abe Masahiro and Hayashi Akira. These events mark the final years of the Edo period, as the feudal Tokugawa shogunate took its last breaths and gave way to the Meiji government.
The Satsuma Rebellion: Illustrated Japanese History - The Last Stand of the Samurai
Written by Sean Michael Wilson, Illustrated by Akiko Shimojima
October 14 - November 3, 2020
4 Sessions; 8 PD Hours
Moderator: Karen Kane
Award-winning authors and illustrators tell the riveting story that changed the face of modern Japan. "The Satsuma Rebellion" portrays the bloody uprising of 1877, when Satsuma rebels, led by the infamous Saigo Takamori, fought enforced modernization by the Meiji government. Their crushing defeat by the imperial army ended their power once and for all and ushered in an era of modern technology and Western military methods.
Banned Book Club
Written by Kim Hun Sook & Ryan Estrada, Illustrated by Ko Hyung-Ju
November 18 - December 22, 2020
5 Sessions; 10 PD Hours
Moderator: Karen Kane
It's 1983 during South Korea's Fifth Republic ― a military regime has entrenched its power through censorship, torture, and the murder of protesters. In this charged political climate, a freshman named Kim Hyun Sook seeks refuge in the comfort of books and an unusual book club. Hyun Sook soon discovers, in a totalitarian regime, the delights of discovering great works of illicit literature are quickly overshadowed by fear and violence. In "Banned Book Club," Hyun Sook shares her dramatic true story of political strife, fear-mongering, the death of democratic institutions, and the relentless rebellion of reading.
Tiananmen 1989: Our Shattered Hopes
Written by Lun Zhang & Adrien Gombeaud, Illustrated by Ameziane
January 5 - February 9, 2021
5 Sessions; 10 PD Hours
Moderator: Karen Kane
Follow the story of China's infamous, June Fourth Incident - otherwise known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre ― from the first-hand account of a young sociology teacher who witnessed it all.
The 14th Dalai Lama: A Manga Biography
Written and illustrated by Tetsu Saiwai
February 17 - March 16, 2021
4 Sessions; 8 PD Hours
Moderator: Karen Kane
At the age of two, Tenzin Gyatso, child of a peasant family in northeastern Tibet, was recognized as the reincarnation of his predecessor, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama ― the manifestation of the Buddha of Compassion. Just fourteen years later, this young man assumed full political power over his nation upon the invasion of Chinese forces.
Grass
by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim
April 7 - May 11, 2021
4 Sessions; 8 PD Hours
Moderator: Karen Kane
The term "comfort women" is widely used to refer to the victims of Japanese military sexual slavery. "Grass" is a powerful antiwar graphic novel, telling the life story of a Korean girl named Okseon Lee who was forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese Imperial Army during the Second World War ― a disputed chapter in twentieth-century Asian history. Beginning in Lee’s childhood, "Grass" shows the lead-up to the war from a child’s vulnerable perspective, detailing how one person experienced the Japanese occupation and the widespread suffering it entailed for ordinary Koreans.
More AFE Resources Online!
Many more resources can be found on our website www.afe.easia.columbia.edu ― including learning modules, background information, and recommended materials on art, history, geography, and more.
Asia for Educators (AFE) is an initiative of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University. AFE receives generous funding for professional development on East Asia from the Freeman Foundation. AFE is a member of The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA), which is generously funded by the Freeman Foundation as a multi-year initiative to encourage and facilitate teaching and learning about East Asia in elementary and secondary schools nationwide. NCTA is a premier provider of professional development on East Asia. AFE also receives funding from the U.S. Department of Education.
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