I had a student read a physical copy of this book and needed an AR Test made so that they could get credit for their reading. I read this book quickly, and I found it a bit dense for a graphic novel. Still, the information was solid and the book built a good narrative out of it. My high school students could easily understand what was happening and why, despite the level of detail and dialogue presented in the text.

As a graphic memoir, I feel too much was squeezed into the story. Might have worked better for me if written in prose, rather than as a graphic memoir.

The bulk of this book focuses on the actions around the student protesters in China in 1989. The author explains his firsthand experience as well as describing his fellow activists' work and experiences.

Part political memoir and part remembrance for those whose hopes were shattered as indicated by the title, this historical graphic is incredibly dense and rich with information. The back matter really added to his account, but I would have liked to see more of the timeline set up at the beginning rather than the end.

The 1989 snapshot is a well explained, but there is little fleshed out before during the cultural revolution or after with the rise and fall of Li Peng and subsequent rise of the current leader Xi Jinping. I get that it is about the rising expectation and the activism done by the students who were eventually let down, murdered, or imprisoned; but the follow-through connecting to contemporary China would have been nice to include. I'm mentioning it, but that's not a direct criticism of the author. His experiences did not continue in the country since he was forced to flee, so he didn't have first hand experience and might have been reluctant to include things outside his experience.

The recent trend of historical graphic novels has resulted in a new way to bring history to life. It's particularly potent in situations like Tiananmen 1989, where the human hope, despair, agony, and cost are so often hidden away from the eye of the public.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. But I did not get through it. I felt that it was too much to put into a graphic novel.

Most people are familiar with the image of a single man facing off against a line of tanks in Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989, one of the most iconic images of all time. I remember seeing the footage on the news at the time, but I never knew the events that led up to it. Reading this book gave me the story of the events leading up to the protests, the gatherings, the hunger strike, and the occupation of Tiananmen Square that happened from April 15, 1989, through June 4, 1989, when the Chinese government declared martial law and massacred untold numbers of its citizens. Told by Lun Zhang, a young sociology teacher at the time of the events, we get an inside view of what was going on in China at the time, what had happened leading up to these events, and how the movement gained momentum to become as large as it was. Now, I will say at this point that there is probably more reading in this book than a graphic novel reader is used to; to me, this is necessary and not a problem, but I've seen reviews that complained about a graphic novel being text-heavy, so if this bugs you, maybe pass on this one. The narration of the text can be a bit dry at times; I'm assuming this is due to Zhang's own personality, and to his being a professor, used to giving lectures. While there is a certain wistfulness to the story, I didn't feel strong emotion through the text. Having said that, it is a powerful story, and well worth the read.

#Tiananmen1989OurShatteredHopes #NetGalley

My Booklist review is here:
https://www.booklistonline.com/Tiananmen-1989-Our-Shattered-Hopes/pid=9735409

The review is also cross-posted to my Smithsonian BookDragon blog:
http://smithsonianapa.org/bookdragon/tiananmen-1989-our-shattered-hopes-by-lun-zhang-and-adrien-gombeaud-illustrated-by-ameziane-translated-by-edward-gauvin-in-booklist/

I appreciate a non-fiction history graphic novel. I was not the biggest history buff in school (or even now) and graphic novels allow me to understand the weight of events in a way text doesn't provide for me. This took a while for me to get into - the format and style is not my personal preference for graphic novels, but it was easy to follow the flow of the story and images. It is a heavy and weighty topic that also demands some slow absorption of the history.

"A regime that shoots its own youth has no future."

A powerful first-hand account of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, told from the memories of a survivor.

Being born two years after this event, I knew little about it. This harrowing graphic memoir is an eye-opening look at what really happened on the 4th of June in Beijing.

This real-life story has touched me, upset me, and enraged me. That the Chinese government did such a thing to its youth is unspeakable. A hundred-thousand students with a dream of democracy gunned down in their thousands. It's despicable.

Throughout reading this, I felt a building sense of dread. The students began the protests with such hope for the future only to have it snatched away from them entirely.

This graphic memoir is informative, enlightening, and oddly encouraging. The world saw what happened in China that day, and the world didn't like it. China may be erasing history, covering up the events like they never happened, but the world will remember.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about what happened on the 4th of June and the months leading up to it.

I'm so pleased I got the chance to read this for review.
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for providing an arc for review.

I received an ARC through NetGalley from IDW Publishing. This graphic novel memoir is a first person account of the Tiananmen Square Massacre as told by a 26 year old Sociology Professor. In chronological order the story dramatically shows the student initiatives toward democracy that were tragically struck down on June 4, 1989 by firing on peaceful protestors that were demo starting proactively. The deaths were massive. The art in this historical piece was blocky and dark. Also, so many names were discussed it made it hard to emotionally connect with key players. However, this made me want to dig in and do more research on the event, especially now in our political climate with the number of protests we’re seeing. A good introduction to a lesser discussed historical event.

This book was a very fast way to learn about the unrest in China during the late 1980s. This was a time period I remember growing up but not learning anything as a US resident. I would require the subject in World History and also make this book available as a engaging way for students to learn about it. The material is a little hard to follow because at some points it becomes very dry and so many different individuals are introduced.

A good personal perspective of an important event in history. You do need to have some understanding of the time period and Chinese culture to appreciate it fully. It does breakdown a tough topic into an understandable way for students.

I’ve seen the famous video of the man and the tank and the students in the square but never really knew the full story. I love that this tells the full story & makes it very accessible. Loved the artwork.

This was a pretty good graphic novel. It began with the events that led to this moment, and showed things that pushed the youth to do something about it. Towards the end of this tale, things took an unexpected turn. As this graphic novel comes to a close, we find out all the change this movement caused around the world in the years to come.

A moving and intense Memoir. Full of interesting and important information and told with deep emotion.
I loved the art style.
I enjoyed this book hugely and highly recommend it.

I thought the topic of this was really important, and there was definitely a lot more content than most graphic novels on the market, I just found it a bit tiresome to get through. It felt like a history lesson - which I don't mind, I am a History major - and I thought it was a good alternative to the traditional non-fiction way of learning books you mostly only read at a library. I'm not sure that I would purchase this for myself, but I know thats a personal reflection, not a reflection of the quality of the novel.

In Tiananmen 1989: Our Shattered Hopes, Lun Zhang gives a first hand account of the events that led up to what the western world thinks of when we hear "Tiananmen Square". As a 12 year old in 1989, I recall the famous image of a lone man standing in front of the tank. I vaguely grasped the idea of the oppressed standing up to their oppressors. As a 43 year old, living in the current climate of 2o20 the book's relevance stings.

The illustrations added to Lun's narration. There were a lot of names to keep track of, and I think reading this in graphic novel format made things more palatable and less dry than it could have been.

Because of it's length and timeliness, I can see it being used as a resource in the classroom for those learning about oppression, political uprisings or political movements led by young people.

Part memoir, part historical retelling of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, this graphic novel delves into the protests of university students against the regime. The narrator’s account gives the reader an in-depth view of what happened on the student side of the uprising. I really enjoyed the BBC input into the story to show what outsiders were reporting. While we don’t get the perspective of the Chinese government, we ultimately see their violent actions against these university students. A compelling read that tugs at the heart and makes me appreciate the freedoms I have.

Thank you NetGalley and IDW Publishing for sharing an eARC of this graphic informational work with me in exchange for an honest review. I remember the first time I had heard about the Tiananmen Square massacre and Tank Man. It was in college and I still reflect on that event, which is why I was drawn to this book. The author did a great job at keeping things to the point while also adding in character traits and development to make you feel for the students. It was a very informative novel and it makes me want to keep reading about this movement that led to the massacre.

About This Item: Follow the story of China's infamous June 4th Incident -- otherwise known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre -- from the first-hand account of a young sociology teacher who witnessed it all. Over 30 years ago, on April 15th, 1989, the occupation of Tiananmen Square began. As tens of thousands of students and concerned Chinese citizens took to the streets demanding political reforms, the fate of China's communist system was unknown. When reports of soldiers marching into Beijing to suppress the protests reverberated across Western airwaves, the world didn't know what to expect. Lun Zhang was just a young sociology teacher then, in charge of management and safety service for the protests. Now, in this powerful graphic novel, Zhang pairs with French journalist and Asia specialist Adrien Gombeaud, and artist Ameziane, to share his unvarnished memory of this crucial moment in world history for the first time. Providing comprehensive coverage of the 1989 protests that ended in bloodshed and drew global scrutiny, Zhang includes context for these explosive events, sympathetically depicting a world of discontented, idealistic, activist Chinese youth rarely portrayed in Western media. Many voices and viewpoints are on display, from Western journalists to Chinese administrators. Describing how the hope of a generation was shattered when authorities opened fire on protestors and bystanders, Tiananmen 1989 shows the way in which contemporary China shaped itself.

I like these kinds of books because it gives you some insight into history but puts it into a more understanable way. I never would have picked up a novel about Tiananmen, it would have just seemed too long and daunting, It was clear and easy to follow, but lacks tension and comes up short in depicting the truly awful scene of the massacre