Unexpected Passages is a graphic novel about Rachel Scheer’s grandfather, Irving Gwertzman's, escape from Poland during the Holocaust via Lithuania, Japan, and China. Adapted from family stories and translated Yiddish wartime correspondences, the graphic novel is the culmination of a decade of work as an autobiographical cartoonist and a lifetime of collecting family’s stories and primary documents from the Holocaust.
Estimated publication date — January 2024.
This project was made possible by a Trailer Blaze artist residency and 4Culture grant.
Selected pages from the forthcoming book below.
About Rachel Scheer
Rachel Scheer is a comics artist and elementary school teacher. Rachel’s comics have been published by Edutopia, The Stranger, the Seattle Weekly, Fantagraphics and more. She is a recent recipient of a Trailer Blaze artist residency and 4Culture grant for her graphic novel The Irving Project.
