THE BOY FROM CLEARWATER

This true story translated from Taiwanese Hoklo, Mandarin Chinese, and Japanese follows an ordinary boy whose experiences capture a slice of 20th-century Taiwan’s tumultuous history.

Tshua Khun-lim (or Tsai Kun-lin in Mandarin) was born in 1930 in Japan-occupied Taiwan and enjoyed a relatively peaceful childhood with his large extended family. He developed a love of reading and became a talented writer. Tshua joined a book club that, sometime later, landed him in serious trouble: At 19, he received a 10-year prison term on the infamous Green Island. The poignant personal perspective, along with aptly framed historical, political, and social contexts, is enlightening, educational, and easy to grasp. Rendered in comic-style drawings, this graphic biography uses a simple yet atmospheric color scheme. Part 1 features delicate black-and-white illustrations reminiscent of pencil sketches, with pink shading set against clean, mostly white backgrounds. Part 2, with its thick black lines, evokes linocut art and depicts Tshua’s torture, forced confession, sentencing, and incarceration. People literally lose the color in their skin as heavy gray replaces the pink flesh tones of the first half. This stark, stunning work provides resources for readers, including a note from the translator, a color key for the languages spoken, further reading, and a timeline. Unfortunately, there are no source notes or author’s note to explain how Tshua’s story came to be told.

A uniquely Taiwanese account with universal appeal that embraces freedom and celebrates the human spirit.