This is such an important book. What starts out as a simple desire to know more about her family leads the author to learn so much more about the events that took place in Sweden and the surrounding areas during the Holocaust. What hit home for me was how people's memories were unreliable, even about their own families, and untangling her family history led her in so many directions.
There is so much history in this graphic novel, so much detail about the past. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

I got through 65% of the book before DNF-ing. When I requested it the state of the world was not was it is now, and it's become too much for me to handle at this time. If I'm able to revisit it before the archive date I'll do so and update this review.

Of the 65% I read, it was a good book. At times the names got confusing, and a periodic family tree would have helped, but it was informative and heart wrenching and really told the story of the author's family. I'm adding a rating based on what I felt about at the time that I finished it.

This graphic novel, largely presented in a simple black-and-white style, is a deeply moving and multifaceted work. It begins as a personal exploration of the author’s family history, her identity within her Jewish community, and soon expands into a broader, intricate tapestry of her family’s past—particularly their fates during the Holocaust.

Joanna Rubin Dranger, who grew up in Sweden, traces her family's scattered roots across multiple countries. Through extensive research, she uncovers countless details about her relatives—some who survived, many who didn’t. Just as important as the stories she pieces together are the ones that remain lost, fragmented, or impossible to reconstruct. This absence, too, becomes a powerful part of the narrative.

The book goes beyond individual family histories. Dranger masterfully weaves a wider context, focusing on the Holocaust’s impact in Sweden, Norway, and Poland. She highlights the experiences of those who attempted to flee, the gradual and systematic discrimination leading to persecution, and ultimately, the mechanisms of genocide. Interwoven with these historical elements are her personal reflections on the emotional toll of her research, which invites the reader to engage deeply with the material.

Remember Us to Life is not only a tribute to those lost but also a stark reminder of history’s lessons—ones we must not allow to be forgotten or repeated. This book left a profound impression on me, both intellectually and emotionally. I am deeply grateful to have read it.

Remember Us To Life was unlike most graphic memoirs I've read - in the best ways possible.

It was much more text-heavy than others in this genre, but I appreciated that because the writing was very well done. The illustrations were beautiful and enhanced the story. The author also included some drawings inspired by real photos and images of photographs or artifacts that truly brought the narrative to life for me.

Remember Us To Life is a poignant tale of Dranger's quest to construct her family tree and uncover the stories of her family's past. From World War I and World War II to the present day, she guides us through tales shared by her family members and discoveries found in old journals and historical artifacts. It is genuinely a heartbreaking story, not only due to the horrific events that her ancestors endured but also because of the underlying sadness of so many lives remaining undocumented. I valued her vulnerability in sharing how the research for this book influenced her daily life, like being present with her husband and children.

Although Joanna Rubin Dranger's story is personal to her and her family, it inspired me to delve deeper into my family history and not postpone conversations to hear the stories from our loved ones while they are still here. I would recommend it to any history enthusiast, anyone on a quest to learn more about their family history, and really to anyone who enjoys a well-crafted memoir.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press for an advanced copy of this book. To the author, thank you for sharing your story with the world; it will make a difference.

Publishing date: April 8, 2025.

I loved this book. It was a true treasure to walk with the author as she discovered her family’s history and the various stories of the Jews of Europe in the early part of the 1900s.

I am planning on ordering this book in print as well, because I can only imagine how great in will look in full detail and how much of a greater impact it will have to see it in person. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Jewish history and family ties.

A heart-rending graphic novel, about the author’s quest to find out information about relatives that perished during the Holocaust of WW2. Regrettably, even with many sources at her hands for years, some of the people are virtually “untraceable”, “erased” by the Nazi regime simply for being Jewish…
It was not a coincidence that I chose to read this book on January 27, 2025. On that day, 80 years ago, Auschwitz was liberated; therefore, today was Holocaust Remembrance Day.
**May it never be forgotten.**

*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

Words cannot express how incredible this book is. It took me forever to read it because I kept stopping to do my own research about various events referred to in the story. Dranger blends overall history with personal history seamlessly. I have watched and read a lot about the Holocaust and Nazi Germany over the years and most of this was new information. How it affected Norway and Sweden isn't covered as much as mainland Europe, so I really appreciated learning about the history of the time from that perspective. Everyone should read this book.

Told through a genre-defying blend of illustrations, photography, and found objects, Remember Us to Life chronicles Joanna Rubin Dranger’s investigation into her Jewish family’s history, spanning time, space, and three continents in search of her lost relatives.

As important and moving as Art Spiegelman’s Maus.

Any story of the loss suffered during the Holocaust is heart breaking but to listen and watch as the author Joanna Rubin Dranger searches for family she never knew brings tears to my eyes.

We all carry so much shame, or should, for what was done to the Jews. Not just the atrocities of the Nazis but the turning of a blind eye by the rest of the world.

My mother was a young girl in Germany during the war and my Father a black American soldier who helped liberate one of the camps. Neither ever spoke of those days or their memories. It was 5 years after my mother's passing that I discovered her mother had been Jewish. Something they hid in order to survive in their little village near Dusseldorf.
I thought there was shame in their silence but Ms. Dranger has shown me that it was to save their children from the fear they carried everyday then and after. Both carried memories of hate and pain that never left them.

It was painful to read this but read every single word and learn. Learn what this world has lost on the simple level of one family and what we lost as a species .
Read closely also and see the parallels and similarities that are so starkly present in America today.
Was the story of Hitler's rise to power really any different then what has transpired in our country today?
Remember; those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.

Highly recommended. Remember to Life will be published 4/08/2025

Thanks to @Netgalley and
Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press | Ten Speed Graphic for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion

As a big fan of Maus and Persepolis, I was excited about this book.
However, maybe I put my expectations too high because it didn't meet them completely.

There are so many names, dates, places, and events that I couldn't possibly grasp them all.
Some of the parts were a bit boring and dragging because of this. I couldn't connect with all this information.
Since so many stories are incorporated, the book feels chaotic and patched.
I do understand the author's quest to preserve the information about her family.
I just couldn't be thrilled by all these details.

The parts where the author discusses her thoughts and feelings are what I love the most.
I love the title of this book and, as she mentioned, it did remind me of the sentiments of Coco - who will remember these people if not us?

I feel like the book is also so well-researched. I really learned a lot reading it.
Besides the illustrations, which I really liked, I love that there are so many photographs, newspaper shots, cards, etc.
It also truly depicts Sweden's huge part in Nazism and anti-semitism, which shouldn't be denied.
I am happy the author has such a close and supportive family, which shines through the darkness in this book.

I had to notice the lack of commentary on the Palestinian question. Now, the author has the complete freedom not to comment on that.
However since some parts explained and even defended Zionism, it made the argument one-sided and called for the commentary.
While I do understand the point the author makes to explain how all these traumatized people wanted safety, I feel it is so hypocritical not to comment on the historical repeat that is happening in Gaza now.
Everything quoted could directly be applied to the current situation:
"What is happening in Germany today can happen in any other country tomorrow if it isn't questioned and rejected. We have to protest!"
or "It is a fantastic commentary on the inhumanity of our times that for thousands and thousands of people, a piece of paper with a stamp on it is the difference between life and death."
or "To not be able to protect your children."
One trauma doesn't invalidate another.

Overall, I did like this book, with all its flaws.
I feel like it did what it set out to do.
We shouldn't just be appalled by the Holocaust - we should also try to understand what mechanics led to that, and try to recognize them and stop them in everyday life. Otherwise, we have learned nothing, and history is bound to repeat itself.

Really appreciate the advance free copy. This graphic novel has a great research. It is the most detailed account I have read about the impacted on North Europeans countries during WW2. However, it didn’t fully worked for me. I found it heavy and very extensive. It was difficult to follow each member of the family, relationship, dates and places.. It would it work better in a series.

Poignant. A little long for younger readers, unless it’s strictly recommended for adults? It reminded me of a more narrative graphic novel but as poignant as Maus and Persepolis, with many more real life stories.

All I can say is "wow". I went into this thinking it would be a nice quick informative read but you can not read this quick. If you can, I don't know what your heart is made out of. I had to stop and contain myself so many times. When a graphic novel can make you cry multiple times, you know it's something special. This is a beautiful compilation for stories, pictures, artifacts, that tell a story of World War II and what life was like for the Jews before and after. I was so immersed in this book. This should be in schools. Everyone talks about Maus but I think this year, we're going to be talking about Remember Us to Life.

This is a powerful and informative graphic memoir that portrays the experiences of a Jewish family during and after the Holocaust. It’s a difficult but essential read.

There is so much information in this book and the author did such a good job gathering and compiling the information for you to take in. From what proceeded world war 2 for the Jews in Russia, how the stage was set, how it played out through the way, her country of Sweden and neighboring countries participation or lack there of mostly through the lens of descendants. Some who kept journals, and a lot the author did some serious research and digging for. It took me awhile to read because I needed to take in the information a little at a time. Partially because there's a lot to digest, and partially because the heaviness of the topics. This book was honestly brilliantly written, and you can feel how much work and effort was put into pulling all those pieces together.

There was a lot of effort the writer put into to finding answers revolving around relatives that "disappeared" during the Holocaust. Piecing together what she can from living family members that are themselves descendants or were babies at the time of the war, when that part of the family never spoke of the war. "Memory plays games with us. When we have neither pictures, nor concrete information, memory deceives is."

This graphic memoir vividly tells the stories of Dranger's ancestors, tracing their lives through Poland, Sweden, and Israel, pre- and post-WWII. I appreciate that the story includes both personal details about individual lives, as well as broader strokes concerning Jewish immigration across Europe, and the impact of the Holocaust on memory and identity. The perspective on Jewish experiences in countries like Norway and Sweden is interesting, as these are not stories I have encountered about WWII. I did have trouble keeping track of the family members and their relationships to each other, as the history spans decades and continents. An intense read, as Dranger's search for information about family members who disappeared during the Holocaust often results in more questions and troubling answers.

This book felt intimate and informative at the same time. I was struck deeply by the mix of illustration, photographs, and landscape paintings.

I found this graphic novel to be really accessible and very easy to read, despite the subject matter being so rough. The art was incredible, and this is a perspective that isn't often heard from that time.

This is an interesting way to explore a past fraught with love and tragedy. I got a glimpse into a place that does not get a great deal of airtime in the realm of World War 2 writing. This book felt intimate and informative at the same time. I was struck deeply by the mix of illustration, photographs, and landscape paintings--image, information, and art. On some pages, the effect was reminiscent of collage which is, in my mind, the art form most representative of the human experience.

Remember Us to Life is told through a blend of illustrations, photographs, and artifacts. It is the telling of Joanna Rubin Dranger's investigation into her Jewish family's background across three continents in search of her lost relatives. Joanna discovers through old photographs, the shocking story of the events her family never spoke of… the devastating violence that led to their senseless murders.

The text and visuals have been carefully researched and expertly told. Remember Us to Life follows Joanna's family's immigration from Poland to Sweden and Israel, as they find work, marriage, and community, completely unaware of the horrors their future would bring. Read the historical accounts of the persecution of Jewish people in Germany, Poland, Lithuania, and Russia, prior to and during World War II.

The graphics in this novel fittingly portray the intimate history of this great tragedy and will capture and break readers' hearts.

A heart wrenching story of the authors family history.A true story so moving so hard to read at times. .This is abook that belongs in libraries a true treasure.#netgalley #tenspeedpress.