Description

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In this debut graphic memoir, New York-based artist Ari Richter weaves together two haunting stories – his grand- and great-grandparents’ imprisonment in Dachau, Buchenwald, 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.

About the Author

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Ari Richter is a visual artist and Professor at the City University of New York. His drawings, sculptures, videos, performances and lectures have been presented in museums, galleries and academic spaces throughout the U.S. Richter is the recipient of fellowships from the Mellon Foundation and the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, as well as a fully public education from grade school to graduate school. The grandson of Holocaust survivors and son of therapists, he lives in New York with his wife and two daughters.

Praise For…

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Never Again... is an impressive feat of family excavation and a heartrending story about inheritance. Richter narrates his grandparents' harrowing tales of survival with graphic ingenuity while honoring the enduring sources of Jewish trauma. And he never forgets humor, the balm for our grief. I'm so glad this book exists

— Amy Kurzweil, author of Flying Couch: A Graphic Memoir and Artificial: A Love Story