Carol Isaacs is the author and illustrator of the new middle grade graphic novel The Cloak from Baghdad. She is also a cartoonist, musician, and filmmaker, and she's based in the UK.
Q: What inspired you to create The Cloak from Baghdad, and how did you create your characters Louise and Flora?
A: Over the years, it seemed to me that the history of Iraqi Jews is not so well known. On hearing I am Jewish people automatically assume I must come from Russia or Eastern Europe. So I wanted to tell my family’s story in order to highlight the wonderful diversity of the Jewish people.
The characters of Louise and Flora are based on me (Louise) and my mother (Flora). In the book I travel back in time to Baghdad as a 10-year-old girl to witness my mother who happens to be the same age. I mean, who wouldn’t want to find out what their mother was like as a child!
Q: Did you work on the text first or the illustrations first--or both simultaneously?
A: The text came first. I had to remember what life was like when I was 10 and put myself into that mindset. Also, because parts of the story dealt with trauma and displacement, I had to be mindful of what could and couldn’t be put in front of young readers. But it was fun to draw the old Jewish quarter of Baghdad and imagine how my family must have lived.
Q: How did you research the book, and did you learn anything that especially surprised you?
A: I wanted the book to be based on my family’s experiences so I interviewed them about their lives in Baghdad. I was surprised and sometimes shocked by what I heard.
Like Louise, I grew up knowing very little of what they went through. Every now and again they would talk about the good times but they never mentioned the bad. I suppose they just wanted to look forward and make a better future for their families, which is understandable.
Q: The Publishers Weekly review of the novel called it “an illuminating exploration of Iraqi Jewish history and the far-reaching impact of fascism and displacement.” What do you think of that description?
A: It’s always good to have your stories heard and your history acknowledged, whoever you happen to be. Rightly, the world’s focus has been on the Jews of Europe and the Holocaust.
The Cloak from Baghdad, however, introduces the reader to less-heard Holocaust perspectives. There is an educator’s guide, which is available as a free download on the Lerner Publishing website, to help teachers use the book in the classroom.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I recently completed an (adult) graphic memoir about my father’s family in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) which is called Burma By Accordion. Many Iraqi Jews were merchants and traders, travelling east to discover new opportunities.
My book tells the story of two accordions taken on the same journey but by two different people: my father’s cousin, escaping the Japanese invasion of Burma in 1942, and myself, retracing his footsteps almost 80 years later.
Currently, I’m working on another graphic novel. Called Torn, it’s a very personal story about the torn hostage posters in my neighbourhood.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I’m very grateful for this opportunity to talk about my work so thank you for having me! Thanks also to my publisher Kar-Ben and PJ OurWay for all their support, and of course to my family for their generous supply of tea and anecdotes!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
No comments:
Post a Comment