Whistleblowers: Four Who Fought to Expose the Holocaust to America | Review

Whistleblowers
By Rafael Medoff and illustrated by Dean Motter
Dark Horse Books, April 2024, $19.99
Grades 8 and up

We celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month in May. Though the Holocaust isn’t specifically an American event, it is hard to separate Jewish Identity with the atrocities of the Holocaust.

There are a plethora of books and comics on the Holocaust. In this book, Medoff and Motter don’t just examine the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis but also look at some of the people who attempted publicize the truth of what was happening to European Jewry. After reading this book and reflecting a bit, I decided that this book was mistitled. It could have been titled “When the World Stayed Silent.”

Whistleblowers is divided into 4 stories. The first story is about Alan Cranston, a journalist who, frustrated that only a whitewashed translation of Mein Kampf was published in the United States, took matters into his own hands by writing his own translation and putting it out there. He was sued by Adolph Hitler for copyright infringement.

In the second story, Henry Morgenthau, a member of FDR’s cabinet, had to use his personal connection with FDR to convince him to try to help Jewish refugees. The third story tells of Jan Karski, who met with officials to give a first-hand account of the atrocities of the Auschwitz death camp. And finally, the last story is about Josiah E. DuBois Jr., who made it known that people in the FDR administration were holding up funds intended to help Jews escape from Europe.

Each story is compelling in itself. Readers can break up each horrifying event and digest it in small bits or read it in one sitting like my son did. It’s not a long title, nor is it text-heavy. The storytelling is factual and reads like a nonfiction title in prose form. While the artwork is beautiful, the blend of art and text did not leave much to the imagination. The coloring alternated between dark sepia tones, to reflect the somber subject matter, and bold bursts of color to create a sense of urgency.

This book serves as a crucial reminder of the courage it takes to stand against injustice. Though the world did stay silent, there were many individuals who did stand up. Hopefully, young readers will be inspired to stand up to hate. Though there are many titles for young readers on the Holocaust, this is a welcome addition that will hopefully be added to classroom and library shelves.

Filed under: Graphic Novels, Reviews