Written and illustrated by Pablo Leon
*Publisher: HarperAlley
*Language: English
*Print length: 240 pages
*ISBN-10: 0063223554
*ISBN-13: 978-0063223554
*Reading age: 14 years and up
*Grade level: 9 - 12
In this moving intergenerational tale perfect for fans of Messy Roots and Illegal, Eisner-nominated creator Pablo Leon combines historical research of the Guatemalan Civil War with his own experiences as a Guatemalan immigrant to depict a powerful story of family, sacrifice, survival, and hope.
Langley Park, Maryland, 2013
Brothers Jose and Charlie know very little about their mother’s life in Guatemala, until Jose grows curious about the ongoing genocide trial of Efrain Rios Montt. At first his mother, Clara, shuts his questions down. But as the trial progresses, she begins to open up to her sons about a time in her life that she’s left buried for years.
Peten, Guatemala, 1982
Sisters Clara and Elena hear about the armed conflict every day, but the violence somehow seems far away from their small village. But the day the fight comes to their doorstep, the sisters are separated and are forced to flee through the mountains, leaving them to wonder…Have their paths diverged forever?
Review
“A stirring story about the power of familial bonds and historical recollection in the face of grief, fear, and hopelessness.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A beautiful, timely reminder that hope is never out of reach." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A riveting graphic novel about a family coming to terms with the far-reaching ways their lives have been traumatized by genocide. Despite its brutal subject, Silenced Voices manages to be hopeful." - BookPage (starred review)
"In every way, this title is hard to put down, difficult to forget, and unequivocally needed in all collections as buried stories of marginalized groups are brought to the forefront through the refreshingly accessible graphic novel format." - School Library Journal (starred review)
Pablo Leon is an author and artist from Guatemala, currently living in Los Angeles, California, and jumping between the TV animation and comics industries. His original comic, The Journey, an account of an unaccompanied child coming from Central America to the US, was a 2019 Eisner Award nominee, and he was the illustrator for the exciting middle grade graphic novel Miles Morales: Shock Waves and its follow-up, Stranger Tides. He's worked with Disney, Warner Bros, and Nickelodeon, and when not working he enjoys cooking alongside his two helper cats, Agave and Moth.
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