Synopses & Reviews
A Holocaust survivor struggles to let go of the pastMiriam Katin has the light hand of a master storyteller in this flowing, expressive, full-color masterpiece. A Holocaust survivor and mother, Katins world is turned upside down by the news that her adult son is moving to Berlin, a city shes villainized for the past forty years. As she struggles to accept her sons decision, she visits the city twice, first to see her son and then to attend a museum gala featuring her own artwork. What she witnesses firsthand is a city coming to terms with its traumatic past, much as Katin is herself. Letting It Go is a deft and careful balance: wry, self-deprecating anecdotes counterpoint a serious account of the myriad ways trauma inflects daily existence, both for survivors and for their families.
Katins first book, We Are On Our Own, was a memoir of her childhood, detailing how she and her mother hid in the Hungarian countryside, disguising themselves as a peasant woman and her illegitimate child in order to escape the Nazis. The stunning story, along with Katins gorgeous pencil work, immediately garnered acclaim in the comics world and beyond. With Letting It Go, Katins storytelling and artistic skills allow her to explore a voice and perspective like no other found in the medium.
Review
Praise for
We Are on Our Own“Richly illustrated in pencil, this book should not be missed by anyone with an interest in history, love or faith—so anyone, really.” —Time magazine
“A skillfully rendered memoir about Katin and her mothers harrowing escape from Budapest in 1944. Its world is gray, its characters complex.” —The Boston Globe
Review
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Letting It Go is] thoughtful and unflinching but also frequently funny, and drawn with considerable grace.” —
National Post“Miriam Katins Letting It Go is my kind of graphic memoir: loose, impressionistic, a portrait of the artists inner life.” —Los Angeles Times
“Letting It Go is a moving, funny look inside the artists thought processes as she reckons with her past and decides whether shes going to live out her golden years in a spirit of resentment or forgiveness.” —AV Club
Synopsis
A Holocaust survivor struggles to let the past goMiriam Katins debut graphic novel, the 2006 memoir We Are On Our Own, was a unique portrait of how one family survived World War II. A companion to We Are On Our Own, Letting It Go shows Katin, now an adult, dealing with her son Ilans recent move to Berlin. As she struggles to accept his decision, she realizes that her hesitations have more to do with long-held grudges than any sort of legitimate concern.
Whereas We Are On Our Own probed Katins loss of faith and talked about her experiences during the war, Letting It Go examines the lasting trauma of surviving World War II from a very different vantage point, focusing on her life as a middle-aged New Yorker. The flowing, expressive style employed in We Are On Our Own has been refined in this full-color masterpiece. A panel-less style lets the story find a natural rhythm, with wise and funny anecdotes along the way. Katin has the light hand of a master storyteller in this, an insightful and serious but also wry account of the myriad ways trauma infects daily existence, both for survivors and for their families.
About the Author
Miriam Katin was born in Hungary during World War II. She later immigrated to Israel and then the United States, where she worked in background design for animation studios such as MTV and Disney. Her debut graphic novel was the award-winning memoir We Are On Our Own. She currently lives in Washington Heights with her husband and a giant Ficus benjamina tree.