Footnotes in Gaza, by Joe Sacco

Joe Sacco may be the graphic novelist I most admire, no less for there being nothing novelistic about his work.  Sacco's intricately-researched books are more accurately described as graphic journalism.  They centre on first-hand interviews with residents of war zones and survivors of horrific events, transforming news headlines into human stories.  The best known are Palestine and Safe Area Gorazde, both powerful texts with lasting value. 

With Footnotes in Gaza, Sacco aims his pen to the past, delving into two massacres that occurred in Gaza in 1956.  These events in Khan Younis and Rafah were lost as historical footnotes, barely noted in  contemporary UN reports.  The book intersperses Sacco's interviews with elderly residents about 1956 with details of daily life in these Palestinian neighbourhoods.  In 2002 and 2003 when Sacco was conducting research, the second intifada was active, home demolitions were a regular occurrence, and Israel had not yet withdrawn from Gaza.

There is a gentleness to Sacco's writing.  He is a compassionate journalist who tries to get as close to the truth as possible without endangering or exploiting his assistants or interviewees.  I found this book more painful to read than his previous work, whether due to the graphic depictions of violence and abuse, or merely because I have forgotten the details of his previous books.  I may need to reread Palestine and Safe Area Gorazde. 

I'd recommend these books widely to adults and older teens.