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Reading Level - High School
Basic Premise
Two comics in one depicting the US Marines fighting against the Chinese forces at the Chosin Reservoir.
Factual?
Teacher Thoughts
The artwork is colorful, beautiful, haunting, and adds much to the story. I especially enjoyed the allusion to the Chinese being
almost demon-like from a distance, but human close-up. The illustrations really help the reader share the fear felt by the
Marines. The story itself is heartfelt and tells of an extremely brave part of Marine history - I agree with the comparison to the Battle of
Thermopylae. I admit to not having known much about this series of events before reading the novel, but it has now raised my awareness
and I will be conducting more research. This book is a great way to introduce the topic - it is not overwhelming to the reader in terms of
jargon, history, and violence. It really tells the personal story of the Marines and even what the Chinese soldiers suffered. This would be
best used as an introduction to the topic and/or research paper - would provide great motivation to pursue the topic further.
Connections
Korean War, Cold War, Chosin Reservoir Campaign
Potential Issues
War violence, brief homophobic reference
Lesson Ideas
Check out the video trailer for the comic - really does a nice job summarizing the book - would be interesting to show in class.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR_ET4qtU0Y