Maus by Art Spiegelman

from goodreads

5 stars

I first heard about this book in my first year of university. It used to be on the reading list of one of my professors classes. Unfortunately that year it was not. As soon as I heard about it I knew it was a book I wanted to read. Now, eleven years later, I finally did.

Synopsis

This is a biographical/autobiographical story of Art learning his about his father's life as a Polish Jew during WWII. You see the strain in the relationship of father and son in the present day. It is told as a graphic novel using black and white drawings and word bubbles. Spiegelman uses animals to depict different groups of people. Jews are mice. Nazis/Germans are cats. Poles are pigs. French are frogs. It is divided into two parts. The first is before the war and up until his father is brought to Auschwitz. The second part is from Auschwitz to after the war. The second part was published nearly a decade after the first part.

My Thoughts

I loved it. I liked how it was not just another story from Auschwitz but showed the survivors guilt. How that experience continued to affect them decades later and that it paid a toll on the new generation as well. Spiegelman does not hide his frustration in talking with his father or his fathers habits and attitudes. The children of survivors live in a completely different type of world than that of what their parents lived through. It is hard for the children of survivors to understand their parents at times and why they do or why they act the way they do. Spiegelman's portrayal of himself and his father is raw and real.

The use of animals made dealing with a difficult subject easier. It does not trivialize the horrors. It is just not as in your face or harsh. You are still sad and horrified at what happened. This is a great way to introduce older children to the subject of the holocaust. There are some parts, usually the present day parts, that are not as appropriate for older children, but the story of his father in Poland is appropriate. Probably for children ten and up.

It was interesting how he was able to show the different people in the camps and how some handled the pressure and the stress of the camp differently than others. His father discusses how survival was essential pure luck. There was no rhyme nor reason to what happened. Also some prisoners were able to try and make deals and trades to get a better uniform, a spoon, some extra food, some easier labour. Others immediately fizzled and waited for death to come. What made the difference?

I'm not sure if there is one thing in particular we are to take away from this account. For me I took away that we need to be more patient and tolerant of one another. I am so glad that I read this. It gave me some real food for thought.