Holocaust Comic

The holocaust is and always has been a very difficult subject and even more so a difficult subject to teach.  Michael Kimmelman’s piece, No Laughs, No Thrills, And Villians All Too Real, discusses a new comic, text book being used in German high schools.  Kimmelman uses the book to discuss how difficult it has been for children and how times have changed.

            A subject such as the holocaust ignites many emotions for a lot of people.  He mention a recollection of a woman’s class in the 1970s.  She said, “students had to fight to talk freely about the war.” 

            Kimmelman started his piece with the comments of some children discussing the holocaust in the present.  The issue is a child getting a chance to leave or go to the concentration camp with their parents.  One child said, “her parents would have wanted her to hide;” another said, “it’s a question of whether you want to die alone.”

            The issue is still as real and emotional but children are able to discuss it more freely and get feelings across.  The comic book is a great way to do this and is really helping.  This open discussion of such a travesty Kimmelman feels is a step in the right direction and implementing the book is a good strategy.