Dr. Seuss Goes to War: The World War II Editorial Cartoons of Theodor Seuss Geisel

For decades, readers throughout the world have enjoyed the marvellous stories and illustrations of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. But few know Geisel’s work as a political cartoonist during World War II. In these marvellously trenchant cartoons, Geisel captures the zeitgeist—especially the attitudes of New Deal liberals who read PM—with a wonderful Seussian flair. The cartoons savage Hitler, Japan, Mussolini, and American “isolationist” leaders such as Charles Lindbergh, and exhort readers to give full support to the war effort. They are sharply critical of anti-Semitism and anti-black racism—and, shockingly, undeniably racist in their portrayal of Japanese Americans. An introduction by Art Spiegelman, and commentary by Richard H. Minear, a historian of the era, place them in context and provide insight into the national climate they reflect. Lovers of Dr. Suess will take renewed delight in his whimsical and imaginative illustrations. Those for whom World War II is an abiding passion will find a brand-new look at the war and American involvement. And those concerned with American attitudes—particularly in the press—will find that Dr. Seuss’s cartoons of 1941 and 1942 bring back to life the mood and issues of the day.