Whistleblowers: Four Who Fought to Expose the Holocaust to America

by Rafael Medoff, Dean Motter (Illustrator), Mark Zaid (Foreword)

A compelling nonfiction graphic novel, set on the stage of World War II, Whistleblowers is the true story of 4 courageous individuals who risked their careers—or their lives—to confront the unfolding Holocaust.

Who were the whistleblowers?

Acclaimed author Rafael Medoff, co-founder of the David Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, and award-winning comics creator Dean Motter bring to life these tales of moral courage in the shadow of genocide.

Genres: History, Graphic Novels, Holocaust, Nonfiction

120 pages, Paperback

First published February 27, 2024

Reviews

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each of the four stories in Whistleblowers is well told and serves as an informative introduction to the ways the Roosevelt administration suppressed news about atrocities against Jewish communities during WWII—and how support for victims was delayed until much later in the war. Each chapter invites further exploration, but for me, the story of the St. Louis ship turned away from Cuba has always stood out to me as a disaster at sea saga that’s incredible that more people do not know about. I think it’s been made into a movie, but it needs to be made into a good movie.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Whistleblowers: Four Who Fought To Expose the Holocaust To America" is a graphic novel of four individuals who sought to spread information about the mass genocide the Nazi regime committed during the war committed against Jews and millions of others.

It follows the story of Lee Falk, a journalist who read the original Mein Kampf and realized it was different than the English language version, taking out the genocidal parts. The second story is that off the crew of the SS St. Louis and the Voyage of the Damned, in which Jewish refugees were repeatedly turned away from ports on board the ship. The third story follows that of Joseph Dubois Jr and his campaign to get the Roosevelt administration to do something about the ongoing Holocaust during the war. Finally, the last story is that of Polish resistance fighter Jan Karski, who fought to save Jewish prisoners from extermination while still in Poland.

It's a fascinating short read, and a reminder that genocide must be resisted. There are many ways to do it, from spreading information, to acts of small uncelebrated resistance at home, to direct intervention in the face of indifference. 

[Andrea Engle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lee Falk, creator of the comic strips, “The Phantom,” and “Mandrake the Magician,” was involved in 1934 translating an accurate English version of Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” … the official English version currently selling in America was a whitewashed snow job … Alan Cranston aided this project and was sued by Adolf Hitler for reprinting his book without his permission, and the copies created by Falk and Cranston were destroyed … in 1985, then-President George H. W. Bush, prompted by Cranston, airlifted 812 Ethiopian Jewish refugees from Sudan to Israel … the second whistleblower was Arthur Weill, who was involved in the desperate plight of the SS St. Louis, which originally was transporting Jewish refugees from Germany to Cuba … Cuba disavowed the mission, and the U. S. refused entry to the ship … the third hero was Josiah E. DuBois, Jr. … he exposed the foot-dragging of the U. S. State Department in processing Jewish refugees, enlisting the assistance of Treasury Secretary, Henry Morgenthau, Jr. … the final whistleblower, Polish hero Jan Karski, escaped from Soviet-held Poland to the territory held by the Nazis, and became an eyewitness to the Holocaust … he travelled Europe, Canada, and the United States for the Polish-government-in-exile to expose Nazi cruelty and the horror of the concentration camps … a powerful book, ably illustrated by Dean Motter …

[ᛚᚨᚱᚲᚨ × ᚠᛖᚾᚱᛁᚱ (Semi hiatus)]

Memory is the guardian of history - and the key to ensure that past mistakes are not repeated.

RTC

[Brendon · Rating 1 out of 5]

While the 4 stories in this book are completely valid and worthwhile I find it very interesting that this book, about events concerning the oppression of Jews over 80 years ago now, was published in 2024, at the height of the Gaza Genocide by the 'Jewish State' that killed tens of thousands defenseless Palestinian women and children.

The book talks of how "ordinary Germans ... responded enthusiastically to Hitler's message". On 5 August 2025, Haaretz, a Jewish newspaper in Israel reported that a vast majority of Israeli Jews – 79 percent – said that they were "not so troubled" or "not troubled at all" by reports of famine and suffering among the Palestinian population in Gaza.

It would have been easily possible to write this book in a way that encompassed a universal concern for human rights through to events of today but that does not seem to be the intended message. The stories also focus overwhelmingly on the Jewish victims of the Holocaust with almost no mention made of the millions of non-Jewish victims;
Ukrainians 5.5 - 7 million
Russian POWs 3.3 million +
Russian Civilians 2 million +
Poles 3 million +
Yugoslavians 1.5 million +
Roma 200,000 - 500,000
Mentally/Physically Disabled 70,000- 250,000
Homosexuals Tens of thousands
Spanish Republicans Tens of thousands
Jehovah's Witnesses 2,500 - 5,000
Boy and Girl Scouts, Clergy, Communists, Conscientious objectors, Czechs, Deportees, Greeks, political prisoners, other POWs, resistance fighters, Socialists, Trade Unionists, dwarves and more.

For a more relevant and contemporary look into the ongoing struggle to obtain human rights for all of humanity, I would suggest reading 'War on Gaza' by the brilliant graphic artist and writer, Joe Sacco, also published in 2024.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although “Whistleblowers: Four Who Fought to Expose the Holocaust to America” by Rafael Medoff (writer) and Dean Motter (artist) (Dark House Books) calls itself a graphic novel, it presents four real-life people whose actions will amaze and challenge readers. The graphic version of each story is followed by a short factual essay about the person featured. The drawings add drama and bring their actions to life.
See the rest of my review at https://www.thereportergroup.org/book...

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whistleblowers pretty successfully conveys what the subtitle suggests: four relatively untold stories about individuals who worked hard to alert the American public (and perhaps more importantly, the American president) to the ongoing horrors of the Holocaust. The book's art is old-school, as is the block text storytelling, but it never gets in the way of the narrative.

I learned a lot, even if the happy endings were pretty limited. Definite recommend for those who appreciate a good dose of untold history.

[Robert Weiss, · Rating 5 out of 5]

a powerful and irresistible true story

These four men risked their lives to get the message to the world: Hitler’s regime was murdering Jews on an unprecedented scale. What’s more, even when confronted with eyewitness evidence they showed remarkable unwillingness to act. It was more than a refugee matter, as FDR implied. The world had no use for the Jews. This is the horror we all must confront every day of our lives, and to live with the hypocrisy of our governments as they avoided dealing with this madness. Moreover we’re still dealing with it today.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four powerful stories of people helping Jews during World War II. Each issue is a different story, all are true and important to keep in the zeitgeist to make sure they never occur again. There are a lot of atrocities in this. I, for one, think it's important to be aware of them even though they are awful so we can be vigilant to keep them from ever happening again.

[Franz Schrepf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting short read about four people who stood up to expose the holocaust to America.

I’ve read and studied a lot about WWII and the holocaust, but most of it has focused on the main theaters of war.

The stories mentioned in the book were entirely new to me and gave an interesting insight into the fight on the home front to shine a light on Nazi atrocities and spark action.

[Bill Cass · Rating 1 out of 5]

This would have been really good if they didn't force a story in there from the 1980s about the Reagan administration and the Israelis. Sure the Ethiopian Jews were being terrorized and mistreated but saying that they were being saved and taken to the "promise land" is bull. Isntreal is built on stolen land. This addition to the story was disgusting and pointless.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book I will recommend to everyone. I wish it was required reading in schools. It was educational, incredibly sobering, and inspiring. A beautiful testament to some unsung heroes, and further proof that one person can make a significant impact.

[Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, but moving read. Highlights four individuals (and those who supported them) who fought against silence. Also provides short biographies of the main characters for extra color not captured in the 'whistleblowing' tale. Simple and effective art.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and well done, I liked the art style and the story was delightful

[Katra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories worth recounting.

p-s, s-n, v-s

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grim topic, but well told as 4 separate stories.

[Javier Campos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aunque el arte no es muy fino. La ultim historia se siente tan actual... nunca vamos a tener el poder de detener la injusticia y eso da mucha tristeza

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good biographical info.

[Esther Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://goodcomicsforkids.slj.com/202...

[Lenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whistleblowers pays tribute to four heroic individuals who fought to expose the horrors of the Holocaust in America. The stories of these men and how they risked their careers and lives are tremendously inspiring, but it is countered by the apathy and antisemitism of Roosevelt’s government and larger public who were not empathetic to the genocide of Jews. If more men like these whistleblowers had existed, many more Jews (including members of my own family) may have been saved. This compelling, sobering and important history is necessary reading.