Book Buzz

WILL EISNER

NAME tells the story of the Arnheim family, German Jews who immigrated to America in the mid-1800s, through four generations of wealth, death, disaster, and marital strife. Eisner’s expressive characters show the reader the lives of immigrant families who suffer from “the uncertain feeling of being Jewish in a Christian world,” to quote Eisner. One thing that I found interesting was the racism of the German Jews against the Jews from Russia and Poland. It is also the story of cutthroat business deals and class. The characters are all one-dimensional, and there isn’t much nuance in the story. It is melodramatic with sudden heart attacks and a no-good, alcoholic younger son.

Not the greatest graphic novel but with Eisner being the father of the graphic novel I wanted to give it a try.