Different people and animals really can get along

   The most fascinating thing about this graphic novel, The Rabbi's Cat, is that Sfar presents the reader with some brilliant thoughts about how we are all capable of coexisting together.  Sfar shows us several different ways in which this is true.  In the picture above from the book, these two men are talking and although they think that because one is an Arab and the other is a Rabbi they are so very different from one another, it is actually not the case.  The cat and the ass also get into a fight before this picture I have included.  They fight about whether Sfar is a Jewish or an Arab name.  It is actually the case that it is both a Jewish and an Arab name, which is quite ironic in my eyes.  Another way in which Sfar shows the reader that although everyone is different we are really a lot closer to one another than we realize is the kitty and the dog being friends and helping each other out.  The dog is a christian and the cat is a jew, yet they still coexist peacefully.  They talk about their differences just like the Arab and the Rabbi do, and it seems that both of these couples are good friends by the time they depart with one another.

Another thing that I loved about this graphic novel was the artwork.  My favorite part about this artwork in particular was the switch from Africa to Paris.  I absolutely loved how Sfar did not depict the colonial lifestyle as superior to his own.  By the way in which he depicts Paris Sfar shows the reader that he much prefers Africa to this large, loud city.  Sfar and Dangaremba certainly share some similar views about the colonial lifestyle which I find particularly interesting.  I think it is much better to stay true to who you are than to conform to the colonial lifestyle.  From what I can understand in the little African literature that I have read, colonialism strips humans of their identity.  Once colonialism is embedded into someone's mind it appears to be nearly impossible to forget.  Because Sfar does not present the colonial life as better than his native Africa life I enjoy the story a lot more.  I think that this trait about the Rabbi/ Sfar makes him/ them more likable to the reader.

Nyasha and Tambu

Nervous Conditions is a book that has truly opened my mind in ways I never thought it would.  I really did now know what to think of this book before we started reading it, I had obviously never heard of it or Tsitsi Dangaremba before.  But, this has turned out to be one of my favorite books I have read in quite a while.  For me, the characters are what make this book as profound as it is.  Dangaremba does a fantastic job of unraveling her "autobiography" in the most interesting of fashions, by truly telling about her life through two characters rather than the traditional way of doing so with just one.  I find her technique fascinating, and for me, it simply makes reading her book a lot more interesting.  The idea that she is telling about herself through two characters is such a new way to go about teaching the reader a lot of new lessons!  In this instance it works very well for me.

Because Nichole and I did our presentation on education in Africa I found the conundrum of education in Africa to be puzzling to say the least.  I am certainly glad that I do not have to deal with some of the things that they do on a daily basis just to go to school and make a better life for themselves.  After the little research that we did for our presentation, it made me realize just how lucky we are in America that we don't really have to worry about being about to go to school in most parts of our country.  Obviously this does not go for every single American, but it is safe to say that for the vast majority of people in our country, education is a given at least up to the high school level.  In Africa though it is a struggle for children to even go to school at all, let alone graduate from high school.  This problem with education in Africa is quite heartbreaking to me.  Education is something that is very important to me, and to every person in my family.  It is seen by us as a way to make something of yourself.  Just as it is seen by Babamukuru, Nysasha and Tambu.

The brilliant duo of Nyasha and Tambu are, in my eyes, the most important characters in this story.  Although we can take a lot of other things from some of the other women in this book, these two characters are the most important of all.  Both of these girls give unique perspectives on how they see things that really help me understand what it was like to be in their shoes more than I think I would have had I read a "normal" interpretation of this.  Because Tambu gives us Nyasha's perspective in much more detail than she should seemingly be able to, we learn a lot more about the intricacies of this family. I think the interactions between both of these girls and Babamukuru are fascinating.  Tambu, for the most part, will hardly look at him, while Babamukur's daughter, Nyasha, is consistently defiant.  By showing the reader both of these sides of these girls Dangaremba attempts to let the reader understand a little bit more about colonization, and what it really means.  I can say with certainty; I had no idea what colonization really meant until I read this book.  A lot of the other stories spelled it out in a very understandable fashion, but Nervous Conditions truly makes me gain a greater understanding of the effects of colonization.