Citation:
Cali, Davide, and Serge Bloch. The Enemy: a book about peace. New York, NY: Schwartz and Wade Books, 2009. Print.
Summary:
Two soldiers from opposing sides are stuck in foxholes during a battle. They have no outside contact. From the text of the story, you can tell that they have hidden in their holes for quite some time. They each think the other is less than human. They have much in common though they believe the other is evil.
Personal Impression:
I honestly think that this is a most powerful message about war. It coincides with my own beliefs. We demonize our opponents in order to justify our cause. We purposefully portray them as monsters so that we can ignore the fact that they are like us in a lot of respects. This is a timely book in that many in our society are currently doing exactly that to those who don't believe as they do. Yet the authors set the time period through the illustrations to reflect WWI and WWII, perhaps to show just how bad things can get.
Reviews:
Gr 4–8—In an understated picture book for older readers, Cali ponders the essence and logic of war from the viewpoint of a lone soldier, isolated from his fellow troops, sitting in his foxhole within sight of his enemy. "Except for hunger, the enemy and I have nothing in common. He is a wild beast. He does not know mercy. I know this because I read it in my manual. It says that we must kill him before he kills us." The man ponders the pointlessness of war, his hesitancy to let down his guard, his fear of being alone. He is tired of sitting in a hole. He waits until the moon is at its smallest, puts on a disguise, and creeps toward the enemy's foxhole. What he finds in there (family photos and a manual like his own) surprises him. What's more, he realizes that he and the enemy, sharing similar thoughts, have traded spaces. He wishes the enemy would do something to end the war, and knows that he must end it himself. Set against stark white backgrounds, black-line cartoon characters, reminiscent of Jules Feiffer's work, are dressed in khaki green. Other items are drawn in the manner of a child's doodles. Tiny touches of red color the soldiers' manuals and people and animals that have been killed. Several photos, pages from an old war manual, and bits of torn paper folded at the edges to represent foxholes, have been added in a few places. Poignant, thought-provoking, and powerful in its frankness and simplicity, this short piece will prompt discussion on war and other means of resolving conflict.—Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
-- Retrieved from School Library Journal; http://www.libraryjournal.com/slj/printissue/currentissue/857197-427/grades_5_amp_up.html.csp
“Every morning I shoot at him. Then he shoots at me.” The words and pictures are minimal in this picture book, with just a short sentence and a small khaki-colored ink drawing on almost every white page. A uniformed soldier in a hole shoots an enemy in a hole on the opposite page. The soldier knows from the manual that “the enemy is not a human being,” that the enemy will kill families and pets, burn down forests, and poison water. The spare trench-warfare scenarios evoke World War I as the soldier crawls to the enemy’s hole and discovers their connections, including loving family photos and battle manuals filled with untruths. In eloquent contrast to the close-ups of the two small holes and barbed wire are the big double-page views of what the soldiers share: the starry night and the stormy sky. The elemental peace message will spark discussion. Add this to the core collection column, “Peace Not War” in the November 1 issue of Booklist. — Hazel Rochman
Retrieved from Booklist Online; http://www.booklistonline.com/ProductInfo.aspx?pid=3135855
Suggestions in a Library Setting:
This book could be used in conjunction with studies about the two World Wars or about any war in order to show an alternative to pro-war attitudes. During times like these, where multiple wars or incipient wars are occurring, we should keep in mind that the people fighting have lives outside of fighting. It could be part of a display promoting peace.
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