(W) Richter Ari (A/CA) Richter Ari
In this debut graphic memoir, New York-based artist
Ari Richter weaves together two haunting stories - his
grand- and great-grandfathers' imprisonment in
Dachau and Auschwitz, and his own awakening to
the contemporary rise of authoritarianism and the
continuing crisis of anti-Semitism - with delicacy,
immediacy, and an attention to surreal detail.
Never Again Will I Visit Auschwitz is an act of self-discovery and the
resuscitation of historical memory. At its heart is the intersection
of a genocidal political moment in 20th century history and the
author's own family history. Told from the perspectives of four
generations of the author's family, spanning pre-war Germany to
post-Trump America, it is both a celebration of Jewish cultural resilience
and a warning of democracy's fragility in the face of the seductive
forces of authoritarianism. Part travelogue, part memoir, part historic
retelling, author Ari Richter recreates his family's journey leading up
to and extending beyond the Holocaust.
Relying on extensive genealogical research and his family's archiving,
Richter illustrates the lives of his grandparents while reflecting on the
burden of a storyteller to carry on these legacies. It is a rare glimpse into
the firsthand stories of both Holocaust survivors and their descendants,
told as an intertwined tapestry of faith, grief, and ultimately, survival.
Never Again Will I Visit Auschwitz is an intimate reflection on coming
to grips with the past. Harrowing and humorous in equal measure, this
evocatively drawn graphic novel will be discussed for generations to come.