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A review by bookgirllife
Maus: A Survivor's Tale. I, My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman
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: Antisemitism, Death, Genocide, and Violence
Moderate: War, Child death, and Suicide