Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shoah in Metaphor, September 22, 2003
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)
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So good, I've read both books on three separate occasions!, April 27, 1999
By A Customer
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.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A set of books that will never leave your mind, February 17, 2002
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.
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by Art Spiegelman
