BOXERS & SAINTS (Set of 2 volumes in slipcase)

New York:: First Second / Roaring Brook Press, , (2013). SIGNED first edition -. Fine in illustrated wrappers with self-flaps, in a fine slipcase.. First printing. In two volumes, these graphic novels tell two parallel stories, showing both sides of the Boxer Rebellion. "The first is of Little Bao, a Chinese peasant boy whose village is abused and plundered by Westerners claiming the role of missionaries. Little Bao, inspired by visions of the Chinese gods, joins a violent uprising against the Western interlopers. Against all odds, their grass-roots rebellion is successful. But in the second volume, Yang lays out the opposite side of the conflict. A girl whose village has no place for her is taken in by Christian missionaries and finds, for the first time, a home with them. As the Boxer Rebellion gains momentum, Vibiana must decide whether to abandon her Christian friends or to commit herself fully to Christianity. . . It offers a penetrating insight into not only one of the most controversial episodes of modern Chinese history, but into the very core of our human nature." SIGNED by Yang on the slipcase and dated in the year of publication. Includes suggestions for further reading. 327 and 170 pp.