Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman

26 reviews

queerloras's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Child death, Death of parent, Deportation, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Police brutality, Racism, Religious bigotry, Torture, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, War, Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Grief

jhbandcats's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Devastating. I can’t begin to imagine how truly horrific the Holocaust was. It must have been so hard for Art Spiegelman to listen to his father tell of his experiences from the mid-1930s to the end of the war. Spiegelman is masterful in turning his father’s words into a visual document of the devastation.

Maus I deals more with the lead-up to the incarceration, torture, and death of the Jews in Polish ghettos and concentration camps. Maus II is more about enduring the camps and finally being saved, and Spiegelman’s fraught relationship with his emotionally damaged father. Everyone in both his mom and his dad’s family was killed, literally dozens were murdered - well, one of his dad’s brothers survived - and his mother, overcome by it all, committed suicide when Spiegelman was twenty. This, of course, further damaged his father, already a man in deep psychological and emotional pain. 

Astoundingly good and beyond horrible at the same time. Everyone should read this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deportation, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Antisemitism, Suicide, Violence, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, and War

salemwasinyouryard's review against another edition

dark hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

I have a newfound appreciation for activists everywhere. I learned so much about the atrocities of the holocaust that I’ve never read anywhere else, and it makes me want to work harder to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.

There were many moments where I felt like I should’ve been crying, but I didn’t. Not because I didn’t feel the pain, but because I had to acknowledge that it was real and it happened to somebody. This wasn’t some made up, horrible scenario that we never have to worry about—it was real life. I think everyone should try to read to read this at some point in their life, wherever they’re at, because it will leave an impact on you, whether you want it to or not.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Genocide, Hate crime, Slavery, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Death, Cursing, Murder, Police brutality, War, and Torture

tree_hugging_ginge's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Hate crime, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Suicide, War, Genocide, Racism, Antisemitism, Body horror, Confinement, Deportation, and Fire/Fire injury

eringrace42's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death, Antisemitism, Child death, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, War, Confinement, Xenophobia, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent and Suicide

haseki_sultana's review

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death, Confinement, Antisemitism, Racial slurs, War, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Murder, and Grief

morrisimo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

Wow. A harrowing and brutal depiction of the Holocaust told through stories from father to son. I think the juxtaposition of time works very well, and the examination of Art and Vladek's relationship speaks to the impact of the Holocaust on the next generation. I liked how reflexivity was used to examine the implications of writing the book. I also liked the use of different animals to represent different ethnicities, especially the cats and mice as Germans and Jews. The way the story is told is extremely personal, despite the de-personification. We experience both the Holocaust and the father-son relationship on such an intimate level, which makes them all the more powerful. It's a difficult and upsetting read, but it's phenomenal in its execution. I strongly recommend this book, and even though I'm not huge on comics or graphic novels I want to read more of the author's work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Suicide, Death, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Kidnapping, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence

irgendwieantonia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Confinement, Genocide, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Child death, Torture, War, Deportation, Murder, Racism, Violence, and Police brutality

Minor: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, and Suicidal thoughts

sarahsbookss's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Violence, Child death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Murder, Racial slurs, Grief, Gore, Racism, Suicide, Torture, and War

lectricefeministe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Suicide attempt, Police brutality, Mental illness, Medical content, Gun violence, Genocide, Death, Antisemitism, War, Xenophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Rape, Physical abuse, Grief, Hate crime, and Forced institutionalization