‘By Water: The Felix Manz Story’ by Jason Landsel and Richard Mommsen with art by Sankha Banerjee is a graphic novel about a man who is willing to be martyred for his faith and his community.

This is a story that took place during the Reformation. A community was born that were pacifists and shared everything. Their beliefs were contrary to the ruling church and politics. This is the true story of the Anabaptist movement and how it started.

The story is good and told in an interesting way. The art was ok but not great. I did like the articles after the main story that gave more history.

Going in, I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but I really enjoyed BY WATER. It’s an interesting true story about a lesser known part of Swiss history, and a super quick read.

While this book centers around young adults, it definitely appeals to all ages. Yes, it’s about religion, but it’s not preachy. It’s about religious freedom and standing up for your most treasured beliefs against corrupt politicians, which I think would really resonate with teens and all adults today.

I would recommend this book to graphic novel readers looking for something new, history lovers who want to expand their knowledge, and parents/grandparents who want a gift that the teen in their life will actually want to read!

This is incredibly dense and fascinating. I loved all the detail in the storytelling. Since I knew almost nothing about the topic, it was hard for me to know how accurate it was, so I just suspended my disbelief and fact-checking brain and immersed myself in the story. I would def save this book for the older kids I work with. The information is just so dense and the pictures are so detailed, I suspect it would overwhelm my younger readers. But for those who love historic fiction and immersing themselves in other time periods, this is going to be a perfect slam dunk.

Interesting read on a piece of history that I was unfamiliar with. I would recommend it for someone looking for something different.

A heartbreaking yet hopeful friendship and betrayal during the reformation. The story is compelling, and the illustrations are amazing. I couldn't put this book down. Another gripping story of faith from Plough Publishing

This was an interesting way to read the story of the anabaptists. It was hard to follow at some points and I think some more exposition would help as the story seemed rushed and like pieces were missing. The art was great and overall a good read. I received this as an advanced reader copy and am giving my review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a graphic novel style story about Felix Manz, an Anabaptist reformer. I'm not particularly religious, but I love history and did study the Reformation in college. We covered Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli, of course, but I don't remember reading about Felix Manz specifically, so I was pretty happy with the idea of this story.

I like graphic novels, and I love history, so I this is right up my alley. I really liked the artwork and it looks like a lot of effort went into it. I also thought the story was done well. A few parts were a little confusing/hard to follow, but nothing major.

At the end of the novel, there is a section that gives some information about the major players, a timeline and a bibliography. I thought the timeline and historical figures was a really nice touch. I'm interested for more from the team that worked on this. Whether it's a follow-up to this, an Anabaptist (or Reformation) series, or history in general, I look forward to it.

My Thoughts:

This graphic novel is a biography of Felix Manz, a martyr living in Zurich between 1498 and 1527. Water is used as a weapon of death and a tool for baptism. The watercolor art seems add serenity to a difficult period in Zurich, but I keep thinking who will want to read this? With its focus on religious persecution, plague and war in Zurich in the 1500s, how is this story compelling to contemporary teens and tweens?

Kirkus Reviews calls this biography "ambitious," and perhaps it is ambitious because its topic is not exactly appealing to young readers. The cover itself looks old fashioned. I can see this in my classroom, but I donʻt know who would pick it up.

From the Publisher:
In a time of social upheaval, in a city astir with dangerous new ideas, the son of a Catholic priest becomes a leader of a nonviolent revolution.

Five hundred years ago, in an age marked by war, plague, inequality, and religious coercion, there were people across Europe who dared to imagine a society of sharing, peace, and freedom of conscience. These radicals were ready to die for their vision. They were executed by the thousands—by water, by fire, and by sword—in both Catholic and Protestant states. Their stories come to life in this graphic novel series that dramatically recreates a little-known chapter in the history of the Reformation.

By Water, is a true story of friendship and betrayal set in the Swiss city of Zurich. It chronicles the conflict between establishment reformer Ulrich Zwingli (1484–1531) and his student Felix Manz (1498–1527), who at first reveres Zwingli as a father figure but ends up drowned on Zwingli’s orders for insisting that only adult believers should be baptized. In this dramatic visualization of the birth of the Radical Reformation, water is both wonder and weapon, a symbol of new life and a death sentence.

This action-packed, historically accurate account of young people standing up for their convictions against the corrupt political and religious leaders of their day will awaken courage and commitment in young readers today.

Publication Information:
Author - Jason Landsel

Illustrator - Sankha Banerjee

Publisher - Plough Publishing House (Mar 21, 2023)

on March 27, 2023 No comments:
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Labels: biography, European history, graphic biography, religion
SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2023
Shining a Light: Celebrating 40 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Changed the World




My Thoughts:

This book of 40 one-page biographies of Asian American and Pacific Islanders are perfect for upper elementary and middle level readers who can get a short teaser of these leaders and then go and do research to complete their own inquiry project by finding other sources. The illustrations of each leader by Victo Ngai adds to the biography because of its use of background art and color palette.

Many of the names were very familiar to me as someone from Hawaiʻi, like Duke Kahanamoku, Daniel Inouye, Patsy Mink, Tammy Duckworth and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. What I appreciated, though were the lesser known standouts.

One example is number 23, Wataru "Wat" Misaka (12/21/23-11/20/19). During World War II, the Misaka family was spared imprisonment under the incarceration order so that he could attend college at the University of Utah where he was a basketball standout on their 1944 national championship. While traveling with the team, he would sometimes say he was from Hawaiʻi (he was a nisei from Utah) so that his team did not suffer from anti-Japanese pushback. Sometimes he even had to sit somewhere else other than the bench because of the racist crowds.

For the Japanese Americans in internment camps, Wat Misaka was a beacon of hope. After he won the championship, he was drafted in the US Army, but was able in return to Utah after the war and help his team win another championship.

When he got drafted in 1947 to play with the New York Knicks, he became the first player of color to play basketball professionally. Although he only played three games before the Knicks released him, he decided to return to Utah to study engineering rather than accept the invitation to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. Because of the huge anti Japanese sentiment, this historical event was not celebrated until 1999 when he was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame. In 2009 President Barack Obama honored him at the White House as the first person of color in the NBA.

Pair this story with #40, Sunisa "Suni" Lee, the Hmong American gymnast from St. Paul Minnesota whose father built equipment for her as the Hmong community helped contribute to fundraisers for her training, and there is a pattern of strong community and perseverance in all of these stories.

From the Publisher:
Meet forty people who helped change the world in countless ways in this beautifully illustrated collective biography.

From scientists to sports stars, aerospace engineers to artists, every person shines in this collection. Dynamic portraits portray each person with bold colors and clever, precise details. Each biography celebrates the determination and courage of people who were on the forefront of changing society.

Using their specific talents, each individual fought for the space for people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent to be seen and treated with dignity and respect. Their important legacy lives on today.



Publication Details:

Author: Veeda Bybee

Illustrator: Victor Ngai

Publisher: Versify (March 28, 2023)

A very interesting read about Felix Manz and his part in the Protestant Reformation. Loved the art and storyline even when a bit more clarification could have made the book better. The time jumps didn't always have a solid segue and felt like the reader missed something.

I really enjoyed the political information at the end of the graphic novel for clarification purposes. Looking forward to the sequel, Fire, to learn more about what happened during the Reformation. Overall it was an interesting way to deliver history and I would read more historical accounts like this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending an ARC for an honest review.

Thank you, Plough and Netgalley, for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion! I'm leaving this opinion voluntarily!

The graphics were fantastic and the story definitely piqued my interest and made me want to dig deeper into this movement. Martin Luther was taught in school (in Germany), but I had never heard of the characters in this story. So, as someone interested in history, I will look into the anabaptism movement. As a fan of graphic novels, I appreciated a graphic version of historic events. However, the author jumps between events, making it hard to keep up. The timeline in the back of the book was helpful and I also loved the extra nuggets at the end of the book. With that being said, I think this would make a great narrative format nonfiction book. As a graphic novel, this book worked for me only to some extent.

Felix Manz was the son of a Catholic priest who became an unlikely leader of the Radical Reformation. His childhood was spent in the church-ruled city of Zurich which was known for its mercenary fighters. Felix’s mother I joins a crowd celebrating Zurich’s patron saints, learns of his schooling and the beginning of his belief. Zwingli is revered by Fritz as a father figure for him. There are other historical figures will come into play as Fritz goes from eager university student to zealous reformer to leading a Christian pacifist community. Zwingli’ orders Fritz for death as he is insisting that only believers should be baptized.

I knew about Martin Luther’s participation in the first split of Christianity. I did not know about Felix Manz. “By water” was written by the author drawing from historical records. This is a graphic biography of a leading figure in the Radical Reformation period. In this dramatic visualization of the birth of the Radical Reformation, water is both wonder and weapon, a symbol of new life and a death sentence. It is an exciting narrative style that delivers information as a seamless part of the action with beautiful watercolors.

This is a graphic interpretation of the Anabaptist movement in Zurich. Zurich had a peaceful turnover from Catholic to Protestant, but there were many different ideas of how far the Reformation should go. Felix Manz and the Anabaptists wanted to go further than Martin Luther and Zwingli. They started a movement, but didn't have the political clout to sustain it and were persecuted because of the social upheaval that came with their beliefs. The story was decently easy to follow. Historical details were accurate. I especially appreciated the costumes in the parade through town (see Wilder Mann by Charles Freger) and the depiction of the Zurich martyrs. Also, it seems this may be a series, since they mention "By Fire" and historically that's what happens with Georg. It's not a spoiler if it's history, right?

This graphic novel was very hard to follow. I found myself dozing off multiple times during the read and while it was quick, it really did not have any sort of plot. I get it is a historical recount of events, but the storyline is dull. There were moments I loved the illustrations and moments I could not bare to look at the art. I believe history has a great potential being taught and told within graphic novels, but this novels is not a satisfactory example.

I'm a big fan of graphic novels, and I was drawn to this one in part because of the artwork and in part because of the subject. I had never heard of Felix Manz before, and unfortunately, I didn't learn as much as I had hope to. I feel there was just too much cut for this story to work in this format, unless it was told over multiple volumes. There was a lot going on, and I did learn about Manz, but it left me wanting to know more, and not in a good way. I feel like a lot of things were glossed over for the sake of brevity, and the story lacked because of it.

A fascinating story that is very well written. I was intrigued by the cover, and the artistic style of the story. Once drawn in by the images, I became immersed in the life of a historical figure I was unaware of.
However, the nature of the topic and graphic illustrations make the topic more mature than the patrons I provide for.

By Water: The Felix Manz Story by Jason Landsel, 126 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Plough Publishing, 2023. $20.
Language: PG (5 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Felix Manz believed that some of the widely-accepted church practices were wrong and set about to introduce reforms for the people that would be closer to the teachings of the Bible. He found allies and made enemies, but Manz did not let opposition or betrayal stop him from preaching what he believed to be right.
Martin Luther’s actions are widely known because his actions sparked changes that changed the western world. Manz’s story has been overshadowed, though he, too, set about to change the corruption of the church and improve the lives of the people. Landsel introduces a lot of interesting information in this book (and in the end notes), but the story itself is not very engaging, and I found the organization confusing.
All of the characters are European and depicted as White, though there is a brief mention of America and a depiction of Native Americans. The mature content rating is for partial nudity. The violence rating is for disturbing images, mentions of murder, and martyrdom.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

The story wasn’t to my liking but I did enjoy the art and skimmed through it. I enjoyed some of the art had emotion one could see. That was nice.

I did not finish this book because I struggled to engage with it. I thought it was extremely fast paced with not much content.

Felix knew from a young age that he'd been chosen by the saints. He became an adult during the protestant revolution and became an important member of the Anabaptist movement. He was arrested and eventually killed, becoming the first Anabaptist martyr.

On the one hand, this book was helpful and informative, bringing to light events and situations that I'd never heard of or had only heard of in passing. On the other hand, there was a lot of gratuitous gore and nudity. I'm not really sure what rating to give it. If I were to make recommendations for improvement, I'd suggest making a few of the characters more visually differentiated and making it clear when a new character was being introduced. This is a grim story, and I have no doubt that gore and suffering were (and are) significant elements of war and plague, but i was constantly distracted from the story by my revulsion, which I don't think was the goal.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

The story focuses more on the religious than the historical, and wasn't interesting enough for me to overlook the lackluster art.