Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Maus: Povest preživelog. I, Moj otac krvari istoriju by Art Spiegelman

63 reviews

bookgirllife's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

Maus: A Survivor’s Tale is not the type of literature I usually consume, in that I don’t typically read comic books, let alone non-fiction ones about the Holocaust. I picked it up for that very reason, and due to the recent banned books lists its been on. I was intrigued to see what all the fuss was about. Safe to say, although I did expect it to be a little heavy, due to the themes address, I was wholly unprepared for just how tense and dark the comic actually was. I was even more unprepared, it turned out, for just how impactful and moving it would be. From the narrative style to the storytelling to the character-building, Spiegelman blew me away with just how good this comic was. I suppose there is a reason why it is the only graphic novel to have ever won a Pulitzer.

The writing was incredibly accessible, which I think makes it easier for all types of readers to truly comprehend the atrocities of the Holocaust and the constant anxiety endured by the Jews who lived and died through that horrifying experience. Spiegelman did an excellent job of conveying that through his father’s story. I thought the pacing , initially fast but then as the story develops it takes on a medium pace, was very smart and deliberate. It drew out the tension so well, which gives the reader an insightful perspective.

Maus follow’s the story of Spiegelman’s father, a Holocaust survivor. We get glimpses into how survival has shaped his character and personality.

The way Vladek rations and saves his money is definitely a trauma response to the events of the Holocaust, though it is addressed that other survivors don’t share this trait. Of course, trauma manifests itself differently for everyone.

In beginning with his father’s life, pre-war, Spiegelman, as he says within the comic, makes the story even more human. This choice allows the reader to connect with, for lack of a better term, the “characters” (I recognise that these are real people). The Jews that experienced the Holocaust were just regular people leading regular, even well-off, lives before their right to their own lives was cruelly and evilly taken from them.

The themes addressed in this comic, including the Holocaust itself and the widespread anti-Semitism of that time, as well as family, grief and war trauma, are all such important topics to consider. I must say, although there are some graphic scenes probably unsuitable for really young children, this is a comic that has the potential to teach kids a lot more about the Holocaust than history books are likely to achieve. It is impossible not to feel its impact when reading this. Spiegelman has done his father a real credit with this graphic novel, telling such a story in an authentic manner while remaining true to himself in the medium must have been no easy feat. He does a powerful job of conveying the emotion and inhumanity of the Holocaust. This book really challenged me to think about what Jewish people went through during the second World War, driven from their homes into concentration camps and massacred for no other reason than being Jews.

I could not encourage people enough to read this graphic novel. It is the single most moving piece of literature that I have read this year, and I have already picked up volume 2. Maus conveys the Holocaust through a complex lens of humanity that I found lacking in the history books I read in school. I definitely came away with a different perspective on the second World War - an even deeper sense of empathy than ever before. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Death, Genocide, and Violence

Moderate: War, Child death, and Suicide

rsngphoenix's review against another edition

dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Antisemitism, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Hate crime, Cursing, Death, Self harm, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Suicide, Violence, and War

marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Violence, War, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Antisemitism, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Murder, and Racism

Moderate: Suicide, Ableism, Classism, Death of parent, and Mental illness

Minor: Cancer and Excrement

carolyn84's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, War, Antisemitism, Suicide, Child death, Death, Racism, Self harm, Grief, and Hate crime

author2223's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Antisemitism, War, and Genocide

gersandelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Heartbreaking.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Grief, Death of parent, Hate crime, Murder, War, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, Confinement, Death, Racism, Police brutality, and Religious bigotry

tanyxscreams's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Antisemitism

thyroyalreader's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Hate crime, and Death

Moderate: Mental illness, Child death, Suicide, and Cursing

Eye opening and a descriptive read. I read before getting into my classes unit on WW2, so expanded upon the more personal experience side of what happened during the Holocaust.

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

3.5

even though the book's subject has been done countless times, maus somehow feels even more harrowing than most because of its characters' depiction as mice, cats, and pigs..like a graphic novel version of orwell's 1984. It was surreal seeing the spiegelmans disappear to the nazi's atrocities one by one. also appreciate the author's realistic and humanistic portrayal of his father.

despite being about an event that has been told in various forms countless times, this book still manages to be shocking, jarring, and evocative through the personal tale that illustrates people as complex beings and very impactful drawings. drawing the characters as animals is such a simple method, but it's surprisingly effective. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Body horror, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Violence, Confinement, Death, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Child death, Death of parent, and Grief

quirkko24's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Gun violence, War, and Genocide

Minor: Child death and Suicide