Long before he was known for The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss was an illustrator for magazines and advertisements. While working for a periodical called PM during the build up to throughout World War II, he created political cartoons about the war. The author gives background commentary about Seuss's career and the evolution of the cartoons. I can't say I agree with all of his opinions and they frequently became tiresome to read. The cartoons are the high point in this book. Seeing the cartoons as they were published, with their racist depictions of the Japanese, the illustrated buffoonery of politicians, and depictions of Hitler, Mussolini, and others was very interesting. Everyone, including the American people who opposed the war, were fair game in his cartoons and should be read while always remembering this was wartime.
No comments:
Post a Comment