A Game for Swallows: To Die, To Leave, To Return | Zeina Abirached | Lebanon
Graphic Universe | 2012 | ISBN: 157505941X
Synopsis
A Game for Swallows tells the true story, in graphic form, of the author, Zeina Abirached’s memory of an afternoon during the Civil War in Lebanon. Zenia’s apartment is in a particularly dangerous location near the demarcation line which divides East and West Beirut. On this afternoon, Zeina’s parents are out and the children are staying with neighbors who are all gathered in a central safe location, because so many areas of their apartment have become unsafe. There is a sniper outside the building and bombs are exploding all around them.
Yet amidst all of the chaos and fear, this group of neighbors forms a unique community that provides safety and protection for the children. They tell stories together, share moments from their pasts, and create a safe inside world when the outside is so dangerous. The stories and memories allow Zeina and her brothers to experience a world forbidden to them outside their apartment walls.
Rationale for Use in the English Classroom
A Game for Swallows could be easily used in an ELA classroom. The text is accessible and the true story focuses on the human impact of war, rather than the political causes and historical roots. The text would work well for teaching lessons on characterization and conflict. There is the obvious conflict of the war, but the characters also experience conflicts, internal and external.
Before/During/After Reading Activities
Before reading, have students do a silent gallery walk with images of the civil war in Beirut. The teacher would tape 5-6 images around the room and students will travel in groups silently with post-it notes. Students will look at the images and write down how each picture makes them feel on the post-it and stick the post-it on the wall next to the picture invoking the feeling. The class will then have a discussion about what Beirut was like during the civil war in Lebanon.
During reading, students will create a character journal and will list out the characters in the novel and identifying traits based on what they say and what they do that afternoon.
After reading, students will work in a cross-curricular activity with the Art teacher and use the following website to create a “graphic” comic strip about an afternoon in their lives. http://www.toondoo.com/
Connections to Other Content Areas
A Game for Swallows would work in any history class, yet since the book focuses mainly on the human impact of the war, it would have to be used in conjunction with a more historical text. I personally think it would fit very well into an art curriculum focusing on simple graphic design.
