After seeing Maus on the syllabus I wondered why it was there. I had read the story twice beforehand and appreciated it, but could not understand why we had been assigned a book mostly focused on European history. The Holocaust is very important, but what does it mean for a class on American history? Then […]
Read more "Art Spiegelman’s Holocaust"My mother ended 1986 laboring to bring my baby sister into the world, but in some ways events that occurred earlier that year would have an equally significant effect on my life. This was the year that brought about some great changes in the world of sequential art, or comics, and one of the men […]
Read more "Graphic Art"As a young child, my father told me that my grandfather served in the U.S. Army at the end of World War II on Okinawa. He also told me that my grandfather was quiet about it, granted he did not see any action during his stay as an occupying force on the island. So, I […]
Read more "As Firsthand Memories Fade, the Guilt Remains"I didn’t live through the Holocaust. I haven’t experienced human rights atrocities. Therefore, I’ll never fully comprehend the inhumanity suffered under Hitler’s regime. But I must try. As long as we value the sanctity of human life, each of us has a responsibility to ensure that the Holocaust and its victims are not forgotten. This […]
Read more "Replaying Horrors with Cartoons and Toys"I get emotional every time I read a Holocaust survivor’s memoir, watch the movie Life is Beautiful, or view Holocaust themed works of art. Beyond the inevitable tears, my immediate reaction to stories about the Holocaust includes anger, disillusionment, and the realization that I can never truly understand the horror that millions of people experienced. […]
Read more "Up Close and Personal"