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A review by phantomgecko
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
challenging
dark
medium-paced
4.0
The type of book I don't think I can adequately review in a meaningful way. But here are some thoughts...
The intertwining of the survival story and the author's relationship with his father was well done and added levels to the emotion of the book. I think I would've preferred just the survival story, but I'd probably be wrong.
It's important that this book be read, especially by school age kids, I think. But it's best as a piece of the collage of education and not the entire education. i.e. I first read parts of Maus because parts were included in the back of the copy of Night by Elie Wiesel we were given as sophomores. Reading about the Holocaust from a variety of angles is the best way to absorb the tragedy and appreciate the horror.
Maus doesn't hold punches or soften edges. Terrible things happened and they were conveyed to the best of the author's ability and his father's memory. I think a crucial bit is when Spiegelman is talking with his therapist and his therapist says something along the lines of 'survival was random.' Maus shows that Vladek was incredibly lucky. Opportunities were presented that he was able to take advantage of. He had a terrible experience, and it's gutting to see how easily <i>worse</i> it was for others.
4 stars because it's well done and deserved its Pulitzer but I don't want to read it again.
The intertwining of the survival story and the author's relationship with his father was well done and added levels to the emotion of the book. I think I would've preferred just the survival story, but I'd probably be wrong.
It's important that this book be read, especially by school age kids, I think. But it's best as a piece of the collage of education and not the entire education. i.e. I first read parts of Maus because parts were included in the back of the copy of Night by Elie Wiesel we were given as sophomores. Reading about the Holocaust from a variety of angles is the best way to absorb the tragedy and appreciate the horror.
Maus doesn't hold punches or soften edges. Terrible things happened and they were conveyed to the best of the author's ability and his father's memory. I think a crucial bit is when Spiegelman is talking with his therapist and his therapist says something along the lines of 'survival was random.' Maus shows that Vladek was incredibly lucky. Opportunities were presented that he was able to take advantage of. He had a terrible experience, and it's gutting to see how easily <i>worse</i> it was for others.
4 stars because it's well done and deserved its Pulitzer but I don't want to read it again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Murder, Violence, War, Body horror, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Death, Antisemitism, Genocide, and Police brutality