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Reviews tagging 'Suicide'
Maus: Povest preživelog. I, Moj otac krvari istoriju by Art Spiegelman
102 reviews
elihegy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Antisemitism
marissasa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
This graphic novel is hard-hitting, emotional, and complex in every way. The Holocaust is always a hard topic to read about, and yet the comic format with Jewish people represented as mice, Polish people as pigs, and German people as cats presents a true narrative of a Jewish family's survival in a way that makes the atrocities they faced seem just as horrific as they were, but somehow also more digestible and readable. I very much admire Art Spiegelman's artistic choice to include imagery of himself at the present time of interviewing his father and the discussions they had about the experiences he would eventually turn into a comic, making the comic meta while also giving a chance to see what his father was like in the present in comparison to how he was in the past while living through life in Poland. The art itself is haunting but brilliantly done, filled with details and expressions of fear, surprise, grief, and more that you wouldn't expect to come across as emotional as they do when depicted on mice. I was interested in reading this book ever since I heard it made its way onto banned books list in America, and I am glad I read it because I now know how important a piece of work like this is in preserving history and personal accounts of the Holocaust, and how its uniqueness in presentation allowed discussions around the crimes of Nazi Germany to be more easily accessible and held especially among children just learning the history today.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Mental illness, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and War
emmakchapman's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and War
ehmannky's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Antisemitism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness
writtenwithoutanending's review against another edition
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, and Antisemitism
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent
srm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Suicide, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and War
nikexistiertnik's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, and War
ktdakotareads's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, and Suicide
rtaire's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Support banned books!
I definitely recommend most everyone read this book (and the second volume). It's a beautifully nuanced memoir of a holocaust survivor and the complicated relationship between him and his son, the comic artist writing/drawing the book. Glad I read the book now when I am struggling with all the grey space of my own relationship between myself and my mother. Makes me feel more at ease about the lack of clear distinctions of "morally good" and "bad", the messy in-between of reality.
The art style really helped to put some distance between me and the extremely difficult subject matter of the Holocaust, which allowed me to keep reading when I might have otherwise needed to stop to preserve my mental health. Still, some of the images are truly haunting and it helps to be prepared to know that these books cover the worst of what humanity is capable of. I still think it is very worth it to remember these atrocities, especially at a time when people are trying to erase them and ban important books like this.
I definitely recommend most everyone read this book (and the second volume). It's a beautifully nuanced memoir of a holocaust survivor and the complicated relationship between him and his son, the comic artist writing/drawing the book. Glad I read the book now when I am struggling with all the grey space of my own relationship between myself and my mother. Makes me feel more at ease about the lack of clear distinctions of "morally good" and "bad", the messy in-between of reality.
The art style really helped to put some distance between me and the extremely difficult subject matter of the Holocaust, which allowed me to keep reading when I might have otherwise needed to stop to preserve my mental health. Still, some of the images are truly haunting and it helps to be prepared to know that these books cover the worst of what humanity is capable of. I still think it is very worth it to remember these atrocities, especially at a time when people are trying to erase them and ban important books like this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
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.
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 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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, and War