The life, loves and work of Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt was serious stuff. Born in 1906 in what was then Prussia, she was raised essentially secular but proud of her Jewish identity and loyal to her community. Of sharp and curious mind, and a keen observer of human society and politics, Arendt shaped much of 20th-century philosophy and political theory. She was friends with, and married to, other influential thinkers. And as Europe became increasingly dangerous for Jews, she made her way to the US where she continued to write and taught at several well-respected universities.

The ideas Arendt formulated were not without controversy, and her life was fascinating. She has been the subject of a number of critical biographies and academic works. Author and cartoonist Ken Krimstein takes a different approach to Arendt in THE THREE ESCAPES OF HANNAH ARENDT, a bold and lovely graphic biography, introduction to her theories, and glimpse into the worlds she inhabited.

"Krimstein’s original look at Arendt --- thoughtful, entertaining and provocative --- will answer a number of questions and inspire many others."

Visually, Krimstein’s book is arresting. The illustrations are loose and sketchy, thick black lines with some watery gray shading, highlighted with the occasional use of a rich green. The majority of the frames are portraits --- close-up drawings of Arendt and other figures. Despite Krimstein’s simple style, the expressions portrayed are powerful and emotional. Arendt is put into historical and cultural context with text, but the images provide the subtext. The ideas are complex, from Husserl’s Phenomenology to Jaspers’ humanist existentialism, from Heidegger’s connections to Nazism to, of course, Arendt’s own concepts of totalitarianism and the “banality of evil.” Krimstein handles this complexity by allowing the characters to converse with each other and respond to the socio-political changes around them, using footnotes to briefly, and often with quick wit, say something about the philosophic or cultural contributions. One very short example: “Albert Einstein (1879-1955), German Jewish physicist who changed the universe.”

The title refers to the two times Arendt was forced to leave her home to find safety and the escape from a problematic and destructive relationship. First, she left Nazi Berlin for Paris, and then fled Paris for New York. Her need to leave Martin Heidegger, both physically and emotionally, drives much of her interior story. These two elements --- her examination of the world of fascism and violent anti-Semitism, and her examination of her own self, desires and obligations --- come together for a well-balanced, tense and engrossing narrative.

Hannah Arendt’s story, and the stories of the Jews who shared her experiences, is not an easy one. THE THREE ESCAPES OF HANNAH ARENDT is not without sorrow, loss, pain and trauma as so many of the people in it did not survive the Holocaust, and those who did were uprooted, displaced and harmed in countless ways. Arendt’s work closely studied the world in which she found herself and the world she had survived, and asked tough questions about power, control, hate, responsibility and, of course, the tyranny of truth. Krimstein’s original look at Arendt --- thoughtful, entertaining and provocative --- will answer a number of questions and inspire many others.