Cleveland Rocks

Comic book writer Harvey Pekar is perhaps best known for American Splendor, non sequitur tales from his workaday Cleveland life that were adapted in 2003 into an Oscar-nominated film starring Paul Giamatti. Though never mundane, Pekar’s work is a slice of life. His delivery is blunt and honest — a reflection of the city of hard working immigrants where dreams are born, fought for, and smothered. He has become so synonymous with Cleveland that last year Pekar lent his comic book style to an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations that honored the Forest City.

In 2005, Pekar penned one of his greatest efforts yet, The Quitter. Just like American Splendor, The Quitter is a nonfiction account of the author’s life; only this time, his focus was on his rough and tumble youth. As a habitual “quitter” of things he feared too challenging, be it school or the Navy, Pekar found himself good at nothing except getting in fights. Today, Andrea Greenbaum, Associate Professor of English at Barry University, will discuss the book during the fourth installment of her five-part series, Modern Marvels: Jewish Adventures in the Graphic Novel. The free lecture takes place at 1 p.m. at the Broward County Main Library (6th floor, 100 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale). For more information call 954-357-7443.
Sun., Oct. 12, 2008