Laika

This is a book that everyone needs to read and should enjoy. Based on the true story of the Soviet space dog, Laika is undoubtedly a heartbreaking yet powerful story of unnecessary suffering and sacrifice. With the addition of fictional characters as well as a wonderfully developed plot, it really induces an even more emotional impact and emphasizes the tragedy of the story that you would not really be able to grasp in any other form. Not only that, but the graphic illustrations give you an even more in-depth experience to the text that you would not get just reading this story as a regular novel. I know some adults might be turned away from this book based on the fact that this is a graphic novel. But this is a book that is suitable for people of all ages. It has many adult themes to it, as well as underlying details in the graphics that emphasize the importance of parts of the book. I was assigned to read this book for an English class, however, this is most definitely something I would have read on my own for my own enjoyment. One of the most interesting parts about this book was the choice of art style, and the details pertaining to it. Some of them I did not even catch the first time I read it. In certain parts of the book, especially parts of great significance, the novel's typical boxed pictures, white background, with a dark and grainy feel, changes significantly. One good example of this is on pages 51 through 55, showing the dream sequences of both the daughter and Laika. These few pages are full of bright colors, squiggly lines, no borders and full of art. These few pages and every time dreams and imagination are expressed in the book, show openness and freedom away from all the struggles and that Laika endures in real life. It really makes you realize how in sleep, it was the only place for her to feel real peace and joy. Another example of how the art emphasizes the text is in the beginning of the book on pages 4 through 7. When we see the Chief Designer escape the Gulag, the background of the pages starts at a dark grey and gradually fades to white. All the graphics on these pages have dark mellow colors. Then when it suddenly jumps to eighteen years in the future after the success of the Sputnik launch, the page's graphics are bright and red. I think this is a great example of how the art style really emphasized the major changes, the suffering endured, and the inner deep meanings of the characters' thoughts and emotions. Lastly, the most important aspect of this book is how we get to see Laika’s internal thoughts, or at least a perceived version of them. Laika is a dog, and obviously cannot speak for herself, but the author did an outstanding job of using the other characters, such as Yelena, to give Laika a voice. Towards the end of the book on pages 154 and 155, Yelena converses with Laika, and questions how much Laika really understands right before the launch. “I wonder...how much do you really understand? Anything at all...? Is it just the tone of my voice you respond to . . .? How do you seem to know? And she responds to her “what is this place?” Conversations between them like this really exemplifies just how unknowing Laika was to her fate. It shows just how much she was exploited; an innocent creature being used after already suffering so much in her life. Overall, this book and the way the author illustrated it as well as how he gave a voice to Laika who could not be heard, in the end made the tragedy of the story so much more impactful.

I was already well aware of the 'official' story of the Soviet space dog Laika (aboard Sputnik 2) but this terrific and poignant graphic novel by Nick Abadzis fills in the missing pieces of Laika's story with skillfully (and seamlessly) interwoven fact and fiction (not too unlike James Cameron's "Titanic" in that regard). Real characters like rocket designer Sergei Korolev and fictional characters such as Laika's various previous owners are well integrated. Laika and the various other dogs in the Soviet training program have their simple, primal (touching) thoughts conveyed to the reader via thought captions which really 'feel' how a dog would/should think. The details of the period (late 1950s Soviet Union) are very authentic, and the characters are all part of a lovely (and heartbreaking) tapestry of Laika's life. The story moved me very deeply.

Beautiful and tragic. I don't know if I have the heart to read this book again. Nick Abadzis’ LAIKA is a fictionalized account of the short life and sad death of Laika, the Soviet space dog. Be forewarned: it’s a three-handkerchief, bucket-of-tears kind of novel. Laika’s story is one of loyalty and trust repaid with callous abandonment and deception, and the injustice of this tale resonates deeply. “Do not worry,” Laika is told, again and again. “Trust me.” Meanwhile, death waits for her, implacable. Reading Abadzis’ graphic novel, I found myself saying “It’s not fair! It’s just not fair!” A very childlike reaction, one that I’m usually too jaded, or too adult, to voice so vehemently. But the pointless suffering of an innocent animal tends to trigger that kind of vehemence. We want to the world to be less cruel, and when we see a devoted animal suffering and dying precisely because she’s so devoted, then the rationalizations we’re usually able to make as adults don’t work so well anymore. Abadzis isn’t the first artist to engage with Laika’s tragic history. One of my favorite films is Lasse Hallstrom’s My Life as a Dog, available from the Criterion Collection. It’s the story of Ingemar, a young Swedish boy growing up in the fifties and struggling with feelings of abandonment and betrayal. Ingemar’s father is gone, his mother is desperately ill, and no one wants to tell him that his dog isn’t coming back. Sent away to live with relatives, Ingemar sits and looks at the stars and thinks of Laika, who got sent into space without any food, left there to die. “You have to compare,” he tells himself. “You always have to compare.” His grief at being sent away is sustainable, if only because he identifies with Laika, who had it so much worse.

Old Yellow, Where the Red Fern Grows, Shiloh, Because of Winn-Dixie... each generation needs a good tearjerker featuring a dog. Based on the true story of an abandoned puppy who becomes the first space traveler, Laika by Nick Abadzis is a graphic novel for people of all ages. Blending fact and fiction, the attractive visuals and readable text are well balanced. It was fun to go back and read about the early days of the space program. There are lots of great historical photos featuring Laika and other space animals. The book is a wonderful tribute to all of the animals who gave their lives for the space program.

This story is bound to be a bummer, if you understand the historic, tragic fate of Laika. Abadzis embraces that tragedy and humanizes it, and gives us what feel like real insights into the people involved. It is hard to imagine reading this book without gaining a true sense of sadness about the countless animals humans have chosen to experiment on as if they were only unfeeling objects. By focusing on just one dog, Abadzis makes animal experimentation more immediate and personal. There's also a subtle criticism of "the system" here, because the humans involved are rarely individual monsters. They have feelings and make decisions within a web of social demands that inevitably lead to Laika's tragic end, and we cannot help but feel that her caretakers are also victims of this web, like her. The visual art style is generally clear and focuses on telling the story. The one downside is that the human characters have many lines on their faces, and it can be difficult to discern what the artist is trying to tell us with these lines. Are they emotion? Age? Sometimes the faces feels a bit scratchy without a clear reason why, as if everyone in this tale is haggard. Regardless, this is a story worth telling, and Abadzis has not shyed away from its sadness, weaving together both the human and the canine points of view in a narrative that is compelling and enlightening.

Don't let the art style of this graphic novel fool you, it is defiantly an adult novel, with the politics of the Cold War Space Race at the front. Nick Abadzis has mixed what is unknown about Laika and what is known about her into a story that is very believable. This graphic novel conveys the truth accurately, and holds no punches back. Has a History lover I love this book. I applaud Nick for keeping the record straight. He could have very easily morphed the truth about Laika into a happy ending story. Nick opted to stick the historical truth and for that I applaud him. He got more details right than wrong based on what I know about Laika and the Sputnik II program. Dog lovers beware, this book will leave you in tears, Reading about Laika in historical documents made me cry. If you are looking to memorialize Laika and share her story, then this book is for you. Putting emotion into history is the best way to share it, and this book is a great stepping stone to learning about Laika. If you are a dog lover looking for a tear jerker, this book I guarantee you will leave you in tears.

This book is incredibly well written and illustrated. It's fantastic. But as a dog lover, it destroyed me. I had planned to take my time looking at the different illustrations closely and processing the story, but the illustrations of Laika's facial expressions were heartbreaking. It was a great book, but it was so hard to read.

I read this book with my daughters (6 and 8). They were captivated throughout, and asked a lot of great questions. The story is heartbreaking at times, and triumphant at others. I highly recommend this beautiful story!