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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “A powerful story told simply and personally.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Personal tales of survival from the Nazi concentration camps have appeared everywhere in literature. Historians have been able to piece together the reality of the war, of Auschwitz, Dachau and the other camps, of the horrors that went on, of the suffering that people went through. And still, for me, they continue to be incredible.
Sofia Carvalho wrote this review 9 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Like I said when reviewing Primo Levi's If This Is a Man / The Truce, these stories interest me because I can't bring myself to understand why things happened the way they did, and how it is possible for human beings to convince themselves that they need to exterminate other human beings as if they were vermin. This is the first striking thing about this book - the powerful visual metaphor the author uses with humans being depicted as animals. The Jews are represented by mice, which works really well to show just exactly how the others viewed them - as lesser, disgusting beings that should be eradicated. As a natural consequence, Germans are portrayed as cats (though I have to say I wasn't too happy about that, since I'm a cat person). Non-Jewish Poles are portrayed as pigs, Americans as dogs. It adds a whole different dimension to the story, since we see them as they saw each other - different categories of species.
And yet, this is more than a memoir in the form of graphic novel. It also explores the dynamic between father and child, the ambivalence of the author towards his parents, whom he both loves and resents, and the way he comes to terms with the history of his family, including feeling guilty for having had everything too easily compared to them, and feeling that his own life story could never come close to that of his parents. It also explains how difficult it was for Mr. Spiegelman to grasp the true meaning of what their parents went through, and his efforts to tell the story we are reading.
The artwork is simple but poignant, and the animal metaphor quickly disappears into the story, which makes it even more piercing when we see real photographs of the people depicted throughout the book. The photograph of the author's father wearing the prisoner's garments is especially touching.
For me, this was different from other Holocaust memoirs I've read, not only because it's in graphic novel form, but also because it's told in the point of view of someone who isn't a survivor, but a descendant, and so can explore the effect that the Holocaust had on those few who survived it. Surviving it wasn't enough. These events affected profoundly whole countries and whole generations of people.
A must-read classic, and deservedly so. ”
“Maus is a Jewish survival story told from the future. A father is narrating the story to his son, who is in fact the author in real life, Art Spieglman. The story has a really great way of being told, its in comic book format with the Jews being mice, the Polish are pigs and the Germans are cats. The story starts out in the present and Art is with his father talking and asking questions about his mother. Vladek begins telling his story not from the beginning of his life but from when things started to get hectic. Everything started when he met Anja, who was the true love of his life. They met when they were both young adults. Anja was from a wealthy family, while Vladek was close to the opposite. Things started getting hard for the Jews around this time; the Poles and Germans were becoming racist towards them as the Swastika became a symbol of fear and death. The rest of the story talks about their survival in nazi germany ”
Rafie K wrote this review Monday, November 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Recounting the horrors of the camps during the Holocaust is so daunting. I never imagined that a "cartoon" could be so horrible (silly me). An incredibly interesting look into the lives of the survivors, while keeping distance as they are depicted as mice. ”
Kristen B wrote this review Tuesday, October 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“So good. It's all worth it for the last page.”
Matt Jones wrote this review Wednesday, September 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This Graphic novel is a quick read that definitely brings across the life during the holocaust and how a person was affected by it. The twist of the graphic novel is that Jews are represented by mice and Nazis by cats, also there are other animals. The graphic novel is mainly interesting because it's a biography, made into a comic book, by a young journalist/ artist who is interested in his fathers WWII past. This graphic novel book is a deep hearted, and warm book that is a definite favorite. ”
Nikolas O wrote this review Sunday, September 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is an extraordinary tale of survival, courage and horror, based on a true story, of a Jewish family from Poland in WWII. A son, the writer, is interviewing his father - and I especially enjoyed the father/son interactions, which brought an even greater depth and personal feeling to the story.”
Kate M wrote this review Wednesday, September 16 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“It is not a classic, it is the classic for anything comics-related, holocaust-related, or if-you-are-human-related.
Pitseleh wrote this review Tuesday, September 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I may sound as if I am exaggerating.
I am not.”
“So sad. So endearing. So touching. So fucking sad. I cried like four times reading this story. Spiegelman does such a fantastic job of connecting with the audience right away and interweaving the past and present storylines to break up such a painful tale. His choice of animal representations was a pretty brilliant idea, I think. People were treated like animals during that war and the Jews were treated like vermin. His portrayal was pretty spot on.
Melinda S wrote this review Tuesday, September 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I had a whole page of notes that got eaten by my children, so I'm trying to remember everything I had written down... perhaps writing my notes in washable marker and leaving it on the table during snack next to a cup of water wasn't the most brilliant idea... ah well, live and learn.
I remember a discussion presented at book club: Would "Maus" be a great gateway read for a non-comic or graphic novel reader?
My opinion: Abso-fucking-lutely NOT. Are you kidding me?? The subject matter is so intense and sad. The art, while fantastic, doesn't do much justice for the entire genre. If someone were to say, "Fuck comics, they don't cover any subject matter that's NOT Superheroes" then shove this in their hands and tell 'em to put THAT in their pipe and smoke it. If someone, like myself, says, "hey, i'll give comics a go - where the hell do i start?" plop Y in their hands... even Sandman, depending on the caliber of reader. But Maus? NO WAY. Ugh, that's a great way to depress somebody right quick.
One other thing I want to say: I've always been a big believer that life is too short to hate. Get over your differences, get over your arguments. Make your decision to love and stick with that. Maus just reaffirms that to the MAX. Life is just too fucking short, guys. If you're mad or angry with someone, how would it be if they died tonight - you know in your mind the last feeling you had towards them while they were alive was a bad one? How could you live like that? I can't. That's why I don't get mad or angry and if there's a negative anything between us, I deal with it. "Never let the sun set on your anger." Just... life is too short guys. Life is too short and too precious to hate.
And I'll step off my soap box.”
“Landmark graphic novel. Maus, alongside "The Dark Knight" and "Watchmen" redefined mere comic books for American readers and media, and is largely responsible for whatever seriousness the average person affords comics . . . heck, they might even know them as graphic novels now.
Will T wrote this review Tuesday, September 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Hard to believe this has never been animated into a film.”
