Terrorist: Gavrilo Princip, the Assassin Who Ignited World War I

"I am not a criminal, because I destroyed that which was evil. I think that I'm good."—Gavrilo Princip, October 23, 1914.

This much we know: On June 28, 1914, a young man stood on a street corner in Sarajevo, aimed a pistol into a stalled car carrying Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, and pulled the trigger. Within a few minutes, the archduke was dead, and Europe would not know peace again for five years. More than 16 million people would die in the fighting that came to be known as World War I.

Little else is known about the young man named Gavrilo Princip. How could a poor student from a tiny Serbian village turn the wheel of history and alter the face of a continent for generations? Henrik Rehr's dark and riveting graphic novel fills the gaps in the historical record and imagines in insightful detail the events that led a boy from Obljaj to become one of history's most significant terrorist.

"This extremely well-researched, compellingly written, and finely drawn work tells the story of the man responsible for assassinating Archduke Franz Ferdinand, precipitating the world war that would go on to claim more than sixteen million lives. The parallels between Princip's actions and those of the 9-11 bombers are not directly addressed, leaving readers to reflect on how history repeats itself. Readers will also have to weigh how much of Rehr's story is fictionalized and determine for themselves whether this is a nonfiction work or merely a fictionalized portrayal of real events.

While educators seem to agree that the new Common Core standards, which challenge students to become more critical thinkers, are a step in the right direction, there still seems to be a lot of confusion as to exactly what this means for teachers and those who design curriculum. One of the tent poles of the new standards is an increased emphasis on nonfiction reading that requires students to not just merely comprehend their reading, but also to contextualize and analyze their source materials. This is a tall order for students of any age, but this graphic novel may be the right type of book to fit the bill. This is a powerful work that, due to brief strong language, is probably only suitable for older readers."--VOYA

"Witnessing the 9/11 attacks in New York City made author-illustrator Rehr wish 'to better understand what drives people to become terrorists, ' he explains in an afterword. In this he succeeds brilliantly, following Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip's long journey toward the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand with penetrating sensitivity, without glorifying his deed. The tale begins in Bosnia, then a poverty-stricken region filled with despair. When Princip, at his brother's dinner table, calls the fear of God a power wielded by the ruling class, his sister-in-law remonstrates. 'Talking like that, you'll end up in hell, ' she says. 'I'm a Bosnian Serb, ' Princip retorts. 'I already am.' In panels overhung with shadows, Rehr lays out the development of Princip's ideological convictions and contrasts his life with sunny pictures of the Archduke's. Not even a love affair―imagined with credible warmth and passion―turns Princip from his goal. Just as ably, Rehr follows the train of events that led to the Archduke's vulnerability in Sarajevo. All of these threads combine to form a work of power and force, one that will stay with readers long after they finish it."―starred, Publishers Weekly

"In the words of Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck, turn of the century Eastern Europe was a powder keg simply waiting for the right spark to explode into what we now know as World War I. The nationalist, revolutionary, and terrorist, Gavrilo Princip, was just the man to set the fire that would ignite the keg. The assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the inciting factor that instigated what was one of the 20th century's bloodiest wars. But little is known about the motives behind the assassination. Princip and his coconspirators were real people living in a desperate time. They yearned for a free Serbia, Bosnia, and Yugoslavia and were willing to do anything in order to achieve their dream. This narrative is not only informative but intriguing and ultimately harrowing. The depiction of events leading up to the Archduke's assassination humanizes a historic event. The author is able to breathe life into this confusing and conflict-filled portion of European history. The stark black-and-white artwork and theatrical art-filled splash pages transport readers to 19th century Eastern Europe. VERDICT: This nonfiction graphic novel is an excellent contribution to World War I history collections."--School Library Journal

"This imagined biography of the Serbian teen whose assassination of Archduke Ferdinand ignited the start of WWI brings a wealth of detail to bolster contemporary understanding of the Great War. In Rehr's stark and moody black-and-white artwork, the tubercular Gavrilo Princip becomes a fully rounded and even sympathetic character. The circumstances leading up to the start of WWI were complicated, to say the least, but Rehr makes an admirable effort to sift through them by focusing on Princip's experience of the tumultuous and divisive political atmosphere. After Princip's world-changing shot, during which the panels slide and skew, distorting the perspective into a chaotic jumble, Rehr shifts focus to the war and its aftermath, particularly the complicated state of affairs concerning the Baltic states, and ends with Princip's death in prison, as well as the fates of other Black Hand members. With an author's note providing more detail and a few resources, this would make a good choice for both casual reading for history buffs as well as curriculum support."―Booklist

"The confluence of World War I centennial commemorations and a flourishing market for graphic novels has already produced the brilliantly illustrated Trench Poets collection Above the Dreamless Dead (BCCB 11/14). Now this fictional exploration reconstructs the life of Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip, organizer of a cabal to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir apparent to the Hapsburg throne) and the man who fired the fatal bullet. Rehr portrays Princip as a serious, impressionable boy, raised on stories of victories and defeats of his ancestors, and radicalized among anarchists in Belgrade during a chaotic period in which Serbs were politically and militarily squeezed between Austro-Hungarians to the north and Turks to the South. Rehr also pays heed to the philosophical underpinnings of Princip's adherence to anarchism, a bonus for teen readers who appreciate some intellectual heft in their GNs. Even young adults who skim past the kitchen table and coffeehouse political discussions, however, will be drawn in as Princip methodically strips his life of ephemeral relationships (including his attachment to a young woman he once loved) and dedicates himself to becoming an avenging hero for the Serbian people. Black and white artwork, grainy and hatched to resemble etching, moves skillfully between Princip's life and that of Franz Ferdinand and his wife, who, despite warnings of an assassination plot, drive willingly and directly to their death. Particularly affecting is Rehr's segue into the war itself; a series of potent images highlight not only the violence of the battlefields, but the suffering that lingered in its aftermath. End matter includes a map of Europe just before World War I, and an afterword discussing Rehr's interest in Princip. Source notes are not included."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books