Customer Reviews

Maus

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A few years ago, when I first read MAUS, I was filled with trepidation at the thought of a comic book about the holocaust. As a holocaust educator, I worried that any trivialization of the topic might do more harm than good. After I finished reading MAUS, I walked away believing it did a better job of communicating the loss, suffering and lifelong consequences better than almost any novel or scholarly work I had ever read.
Spiegleman could have bombed on this one: too much 'comic book' or too much history would have ruined the work and caused a nightmare. Instead, he found the most remarkable juxtaposition of human understanding and tragedy communicated sensitively and sorrowfully, in a way in which those of all ages can identify.
My concerns about the Jews portrayed as 'mice' were quickly allayed: these mice had more humanity than most people. The metaphor was so powerful and 'receivable' that I do not think it would have worked any other way. I would recommend it for High School and above, because of its intensity, but at the same time it's hyper-reality is so magnificent that no one studying the holocaust or Shoah, whether at the beginning level or far into a scholarly career, should escape reading it. It is a masterful classic and has left a lasting impression on me for the entire time of my own studies.
Elizabeth Kirkley-Best, PhD, Director: Shoah Education Project (Web)

I got both Maus I & II as a Christmas gift from my Sister! I thought, "A comic?" I never read comics much, even as a kid. And about the Holocaust, no less?

After letting it sit for about a month, I picked it up and read through both books within a day! I couldn't put these books down - they are at the same time memorable, heart-rending and illuminating. Don't make the same mistake I did and wait a month. Read it as soon as you receive it. They both became two of my three favorite books.

Spiegelman delivers a very touching representation of his father's Holocaust experience. Whenever the subject of literature and the Holocaust come up, I recommend it. Most of my friends have read it at my suggestion and they all echo what I've written here.

I'm ordering my second (replacement) set today-- I've lent these books out so many times, and I didn't get them back last time. I know why... these are books you can't forget, you don't want to lose, books you want to look at again and again and share with your friends. I've read much about the Holocaust and been moved by many stories, but none seemed more real or more human than these incredible comic strip figures. Spiegelman captures his father's attitude and dialect so well that I can hear him speak in my mind. Everyone should read these books, Jew or non-Jew, young or old. We must never forget.

This set of books is so terrifically done that I cannot recommend it enough. I have owned the set for a few years now, and every time I reread the books I notice another facet to the drawings or text that adds something new to the story. The first time you read the books, you won't have time to really look at the pictures, but as you read them again, read slowly and observe at the backgrounds and the other people in the panels.

I can only imagine how gut wrenching this series must have been to write for Mr. Spiegelman, but I thank him for doing so. This story brings the Holocaust down to such a personal level, the people in the story are real human beings whose lives don't just begin and end with the Holocaust. You get to see how they lived before, coped during, and survive with the memories of the war years.

Finally, to this day I am moved to tears by the last few pages of the second book. Although Vladek Spiegelman comes off as a racist miser at times (i.e., a real human with flaws), the reunion with Anja is drawn with such genuine emotion between the characters that it is almost painful to read. Imagine yourself in that situation with your significant other and the scene becomes so intensely emotional that you have to look away.

It helps to have a background in the Holocaust but is in no way necessary when reading this book. It should be part of everyone's library!

Being a graphic novel buff and Holocaust student, Art Spiegelman swept me away with his portryal of Holocaust survivors. Seeing a testimony in print as well as represented pictorally has a way of displaying an honesty not possible in a traditional memoir. I cried and even smiled as Spiegelman took me on the journey of his fathers life before the Holocaust, his loss of "humanity" during Auschwitz, and his regaining of life after liberation. I would recommend any Holocaust student, or even those of you just begining to research this unique genocide, add Maus to your reading list. Your heart will bleed as Vladek's life is revealed through his son's artistic pen and through his own testimony stuttering off a tounge of broken English.

Maus is Incredible. You learn so much about the holocaust but it is done in a form that all readers young and old can learn so much. I'm in 8th grade and I wouldn't be as inspired if it were in book form. It is a comic, a novel, a memoir, a biography and a history book all at the same time. Believe me, one reader to another you will be inspired to learn more about the independant comic world, you will be shocked at what the jews must do and you will marvel at the amazing yet simplistic art of Maus. I garunntee! A MUST READ!

Incredibly, this story could not have been told in any other medium - it had to be in comic form.

Vladek's story is amazing and horrible, and though he did not die in Auschwitz, perhaps he did not survive.

Speigleman captures his father's horror, and lack of horror in chilling detail, often with little editorial input.

I reread both books almost monthly, and never tired of putting voices to the drawings.

No simple review can wrap-up the power of these little drawings, or of Vladek's calm recall one of the most regretable events of the last century.

Compelling, frightening, powerful and addictive.

I have rescently read both Maus1 and Maus2 for a reasearch paper. I was captivated, Maus not only bleeds history but insight and emotion. A modern and somewhat subdued aproach to one of the geatest tragedies of our time. Yet does not trivialize its importance. A must read

As an AP english Ssudent our teacher gave us the option of reading Maus. Thinking that it would be a joke i jumped at the oppertunity. Little did I know that i would be reading a great book that i could not put down, or that I would end up reading both books in one night.

I am a fan of these types of books and this one is a one in a million