Barbara Yelin

Irmina

In the mid-1930s, Irmina, an ambitious young German, travels to London. There she meets Howard Green, one of the first black students at Oxford. Like Irmina, Howard is looking for an independent existence and a love affair blossoms between the two outsiders. But the relationship comes to an abrupt end when Irmina, constrained by the political situation in Hitler s Germany, has to return to Berlin. Political events accelerate, and her letters to Howard are returned unopened. It will be 30 years until she receives another. Based on a true story, this moving and perceptive graphic novel conjures the oppressive atmosphere of wartime Germany and reflects on the passive complicity of its people with sympathy and intelligence. "

Maggie Gordon

The art in Irmina is gorgeous, and the book is well worth the read just to indulge in the beautiful watercolours. The story is also exceptionally well-done, and I think a very important one to consider given the current political climate. Why do people ignore terrible things doing on around them? Irmina follows the protagonist through her life during the rise of Hitler and WWII. While she obviously has a lot of privilege because of her pure German heritage, she is also struggles with discrimination because of her gender and social class. While people tell her she should care about what is happening to the Jews, she is mired in so many personal issues that it is hard for her to conceptualise how she can help, particularly when there seems to be so little help available for her. Irmina is a humanising story, reminding people that trying to reach those with privilege often means thinking about their encounters with oppression as well. In a world where Trump has a significant amount of support, this graphic novel illuminates why some people end up propping up politics that cause incredibly devastating, if not deadly, effects.

Dani C

4.5 stars. This is a truly haunting read, especially with how American politics are going. Watching Irmina descend from an active voice against injustice to a silenced being just trying to survive is scary given how close this reality to coming again, just in a different setting with different players.

Irmina

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