Never Forget!: Graphic Novels about the Holocaust

For over seventy-five years, the rallying cry of Holocaust survivors, and others who survived World War II, has been “Never forget”. Yet, findings from a recent survey reveal a frightening lack of knowledge about the Holocaust by the 11,000 Americans, aged 18-39, who responded to the survey (Dorfman, 2020)Findings from this and other surveys underscore the pressing need to educate students about bigotry and the “Final Solution”, the name for Germany’s plan to annihilate the Jewish people. When it comes to sharing Holocaust literature with children and teens, graphic novels have the ability to cover tough topics like the Holocaust in more realistic and inspiring ways than text-only titles. The graphic novels shared in this session shed light on a variety of tragic human experiences. Some are biographies and memoirs, others are historical fiction, written on a variety of age levels. From suffering the atrocities of Auschwitz and other concentration camps, to hiding from the Nazis and turncoat neighbors to the experiences of the children who survived the Holocaust, these titles can help patrons and students think critically about the past and inspire them to stand up against oppression and tyranny today. Digital resources about the Holocaust will also be shared with the participants, followed by a group discussion of other effective ways to teach the Holocaust. Learning Objective: The participants will learn about Holocaust graphic novels and other resources to use in their libraries with children's and teens.