The Other Side of the Wall

Simon Schwartz’s The Other Side of the Wall (2015–present, Lerner Publishing Group) is a single-issue graphic novel that explores life in divided Cold War Germany, told through the eyes of a child growing up in the shadow of the Berlin Wall. Schwartz, who both wrote and illustrated the book, uses stark, expressive artwork to depict the emotional and physical barriers of a country split by ideology. With translation by Laura Watkinson, this poignant work offers a deeply personal, historically grounded perspective on a defining 20th-century era.