The golden age of the comic book in the United States coincided with
the Holocaust in Europe. In the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Amazing Adventures of
Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon weaves the two together through the experiences of Joe Kavalier, a native of Prague who escapes the Nazis
and ends up in New York with his cousin, Sam Clay (née
Klayman). Discovering a common interest, as well as Joe's talent for
drawing and Sam's for weaving a plot, the young Jewish men create the
comic book superhero The Escapist, whose purpose is to liberate the
world's oppressed people from Hitler-resembling tyrants.
Simultaneously, Joe is attempting to get his parents, grandfather, and
cherished younger brother out of Czechoslovakia. That effort brings him
together with a young artist, Rosa Saks, who will become the love of
his life.
One doesn't have to be a comics aficionado to enjoy this book. Joe's
struggle to save his family is suspenseful and moving. The
relationships between the three central characters — Joe and
Sam, Joe and Rosa, Rosa and Sam — are well developed. But
it's Chabon's well-researched history of the comic book that's probably
the biggest draw, especially for those who love pop culture. Many of the events in
the novel are based on the lives of actual comic book creators.
Toward
the end of The Amazing
Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, a Congressional committee
is investigating the industry's supposedly negative influence on young
minds. Joe thinks that the critics are wrong in considering
the desire to escape "a pernicious effect": "As if," he
muses, "there could be any more noble or necessary service in life."
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