Undesirables

Aomar Boum is Maurice Amado Chair in Sephardic Studies in the Departments of Anthropology, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, and History at the University of California, Los Angeles.Nadjib Berber is an American-Algerian comic artist. He worked as a political cartoonist for the Algerian press (African Revolution, El Djoumhouria).

1. PART I: GERMANY - FRANCE - ALGERIA 2. PART II: THE SAHARAN CAMPS

"Comprehensive and cinematic, Boum's and Berber's incisive graphic novel illuminates a forgotten and essential story of Holocaust refugees in North Africa."-David Kushner, author of Easy to Learn, Difficult to Master and Masters of Doom "Based on extensive archival research, Undesirables powerfully depicts how the experience of Jews and Muslims in both Europe and North Africa was an inseparable part of World War II and the Holocaust."-Daniel Schroeter, co-editor of Jewish Culture and Society in North Africa "Undesirables connects the histories of Jews and North Africans, of antisemitism and racism, of the Holocaust and colonialism in the twentieth century in innovative and surprising ways. It is an eye-opening book in the literal sense of the word."-Michael Brenner, American University, Washington DC and University of Munich "Vivid in word and image, Aomar Boum's and Nadjib Berber's rewarding graphic novel introduces readers to a lesser-known chapter from the Holocaust and the relentless stench of antisemitism. Undesirables powerfully portrays the raw horror of the period in its intelligent and expressive historical account."-Samantha Baskind, Distinguished Professor of Art History, Cleveland State University "Berber's black-and-white artwork has a throwback noir feel, thick with period details.This in-depth graphic history brings a shameful period to broader awareness."-Publishers Weekly "While the willing cooperation of Vichy with Nazis is well known, their activities in North Africa in running their own system of labour, effectively concentration, camps is not.... [Undesirables] is both an accessible and an important addition to our understanding of the history of Jews in North Africa."-Mike Cushman, Jewish Voice for Labour "Undesirables offers opportunities to both reimagine Holocaust experience and appeal to different audiences through the multimodality of the comics form. The volume is an essential tool for prompting conversation on the impact of the Nazi Regime outside of Europe as much as on the role of comics and graphic novels in the historiography of World War II."-Elizabeth "Biz" Nijdam, EuropeNow "The impact of the Nazi regime on Jews of North Africa has long been under-studied. In a new book, Aomar Boum and Nadjib Berber provide a compelling and accessible approach to the topic in the form of a graphic novel.... [Undesirables] is very clear and impactful introduction to the topic through one man's personal journey."-Michelle Margolis, Association of Jewish Libraries News and Reviews "[A]bove all, Undesirables markes a milestone in the growing subfield of MENA Jewish studies, where it has the potential to build bridges not only between fields but also, one hopes in these dark times, between people as well."-Emily Gottreich, American Historical Review