Wirklich faszinierend. Kann ich nur empfehlen. Es gibt einem einen sehr realitätsnahen Eindruck davon, wie das gewesen sein muss. Es ist quasi eine Verbildlichung von den Erzählungen eines Zeitzeugen. Sehr düster und mitnehmend, aber für die Darstellung des Holocaust ist das vermutlich die einzig wahre Möglichkeit. ( )

Okay, the art is good, weirdly fitting as so many have already said.

The story feels weird, as a lot of details feel like deja-vu or already heard/read this somewhere. Wouldn't know where, though, but guess it would have to be back in the school days, when for two years you'd learn about this in every subject from math to arts to everything. ( )

A fascinating but depressing book. I was happy to hear that this is a compulsory read for History majors at the University of Amsterdam. ( )

Devastating facts delivered in the seemingly innocuous guise of cartoon mice and other animal characters. Mr. Spiegelman takes his Auschwitz-survivor father's oral history and turns it into a tale that must be told over and over again, lest the Holocaust-deniers coopt the narrative. I don't often read graphic novels, but I can see the appeal based on this one. ( )

A very gripping narrative on two levels. Totally blew over all my expectations. And it's not even fiction. ( )

Why am I simultaneously horrified by/drawn to these books about the Holocaust? I tore through Maus because it's a graphic novel, then went back and made myself slow down and take in the illustrations (it's actually not really a novel, but based on the author's real life and his Holocaust survivor father's). I'm still not a very good comic book reader (probably for lack of practice) but I thought Maus was remarkable. ( )

Finally got around the second volume of Maus. Powerful both as a Holocaust narrative and as a meditation on generational trauma. ( )

I was drawn in so deeply that I forgot I was reading. I forgot they were mice. Art Spiegelman is a remarkably talented storyteller.

Certainly the format contributes to the uniqueness of this volume on an oft addressed topic; however, the trait which makes it most extraordinary is the raw honesty of the characters. Mr. Spiegelman gifts us with true portraits of himself and his family - their struggles and their flaws. Most images of Jews in this time period are painted a bit too flawlessly. Who can blame a writer for that? With all that a person suffered in the Holocaust, it could seem an added cruelty to parade their faults before the eyes of strangers. However, it is our imperfections that make us truly human. When you take those away from an individual, regardless of how good your intentions are, you make them less - less themselves, less substantial. In a book, this serves to leaves the reader unable to completely connect.

Maus honors Vladek Spiegelman. It is a beautiful tribute to him and everyone touched by this atrocity. I am grateful to have been given the privilege of reading it. ( )

I'm a middle school librarian, and I read this book because it was recommended by a coworker. I know this book is controversial, and this review will focused my thoughts about that.

Two Sentence Summary: Art Spiegelman depicts the horrors his parents went through during the Holocaust through drawings and symbolism. The story jumps from his parents' lives before, during, and after being in a concentration camp as well as his life during the time Art was asking for his story.

Vladek Spiegelman and his wife, Anja, survived the horrors of the concentration camps. Their story includes hiding in barns, being transported to various camps, and doing whatever it took to survive. The controversy around the book is about some profanity and a mild depiction of nudity, as well as the horrid conditions of the camp. To be transparent, when talking about students under 18, I believe in the parents' right to say that certain content is not appropriate for their child. We must teach students the history of the Holocaust to show how human hate causes death and destruction, but there are many well written stories about that event that could be an alternative for students whose parents find Maus inappropriate for their child. This book had parts that were hard for me to read, so I understand parents' hesitancy. I don't think the vast majority of opponents of this book being taught in schools comes from "antisemitism". I think the nature of the story and the truly terrible things Art's father went through are something not to be taught lightly. Also, children of the same age have a large range of maturity levels, and that needs to be taken into consideration when deciding which books are appropriate.

LibraryThing* Rating: 3 Stars - middle of the road rating because there is nuance around who should read it
Book Lady** Rating: 4 Stars

I liked…The unique art styleSwitching between the past & present

I disliked…
The controversy - let's try to understand each other and not bash parents who honestly want what's best for their child nor educators who know that students need to learn history in order not to repeat it

Content: 14-18 with parental consent, 18+ for mild profanity, depiction of nudity, and overall heaviness of the topic

Recommended for young adults and older who would like a different way to experience the story of a Holocaust survivor.

*LibraryThing rating takes into consideration the intended audience’s comprehension and interests.
**Book Lady Rating is what I would give it if I based it on my personal preference and likes/dislikes ( )

Significantly better than I expected. Like many I first came to know of this book a number of years ago when it was "banned" for having nudity. Like so many "banned" books I feel its often a ploy by the publishing company to sell more books, particularly when they are books like this that have been in publicization for a long time.

I expected it to need the help because it wasn't that great. However I found it a pleasant read, granted you probably aren't supposed to get a pleasant read out of a holocaust book but I digress. I really appreciated the Vladek character when is so much a character of a miserly Jewish American that even the author notes he isn't sure he should include it because of how stereotypical it is.

A good look at the insight of a particularly family and there making, and no so making it, through the holocaust. ( )

“Yes, life always takes the side of life, and somehow the victims are blamed. But it wasn’t the best people who survived, nor did the best ones die. It was random!”

Whether you’ve read it or not, I’m sure you’ve heard of Art Spiegelman's Maus. First and foremost, in 1992, Maus became the first graphic novel to ever win a Pulitzer Prize (the Special Award in Letters). Decades later, in 2022, Maus is still in the news, because a school in Tennessee removed the book from its curriculum, deeming it “inappropriate” on account of language and nudity. When a book is controversial/banned, I tend to want to read it more. I hope there are more like me out there (including those kids who are being deprived of the opportunity to learn about it in school! It's the true story of a Jewish man who survived the Holocaust in wartime Europe. This is history. It happened!)

In his brilliantly crafted graphic novel, the author tells the story of his Polish-Jewish parents, Vladek and Anja Spiegelman, both of whom were Holocaust survivors, having been imprisoned in Auschwitz-Birkenau. The narrative moves back and forth between his parents’ experiences in wartime Europe and his present-day relationship with the aging Vladek. The narrative of The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale is divided into two books: Book 1 (originally published in 1986) ,My Father Bleeds History covers the period preceding Vladek and Anja’s imprisonment and follows their story from the time they met, married, and started a family ( Art’s older brother, Richieu, one of the dedicatees of this book, did not survive the War) to the Nazi occupation and the persecution of Jews. What starts with restrictions, curfews, rationing, and seizure of businesses and personal property, intensifies as Jews are displaced, deported, imprisoned and much worse. Book 1 also includes a short strip titled Prisoner on the Hell Planet (originally written in 1972) in which the author depicts events leading up to his mother's suicide in 1968. Book#2 (published in 1991), And Here My Troubles Began, follows Vladek’s experiences in the concentration and work camps. Though he was separated from his wife in the camps, they managed to communicate with one another. Both of them survived, were liberated separately and were eventually reunited. We also continue to follow the author and his father in the present day.

The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale is a compelling work of non-fiction. Not only does the author share his father's story, detailing the atrocities faced by his Jewish parents and their families during the Holocaust, but he also talks about the challenges he faced in the process of framing this book - having to coax his father to share his stories, his self-doubt and other obstacles he faced in his creative process and how the stories and publication of the first book affected him personally (The first segment was published in 1986, the second was printed in 1991). The author is brutally honest in how he portrays his own guilt over his inability to truly comprehend what his parents went through and voices his concern over whether his choice of medium/format would be justified. The author combines his brilliantly conceptualized artwork and masterful storytelling to share a part of his family’s story in a unique format. The graphic novel format employs anthropomorphic representation of Germans as cats, Jews as mice, ethnic Poles as pigs and Americans as dogs. Spiegelman does inject a good dose of humor in his present-day narrative. While his aging father’s miserliness , distrust and stubbornness do make for a few lighter moments in this harrowing tale, it is also not too hard to see how the trauma of the past casts a shadow on his present life. This is a heartbreaking story, told in a unique way, which does not make it any less real or any less hard-hitting. I spent hours reading and rereading parts of the book while also admiring the artwork.

Overall, this is an incredible book that is a must-read for those who are interested in reading about WWII and the Holocaust. Even if you don’t usually read graphic novels, I would still suggest picking this one up. You won’t be disappointed. ( )

This is such a tragic story. It's so fascinating with such a way in the artwork to tell such events jets so captidavid I get lost in the story every time.
It's so heartbreaking. It's important part of history.
And I recommend this book ( )

8.5/10
Hard-hitting in all the right ways, Maus is as equally focused on the victims of the Holocaust as they suffered through it, as well on what happened *after*. Plus, I liked Spiegelman's depictions of humans from different races/nationalities being portrayed as various species of animals - because, after all, isn't that why the Second World War took place? I was also sold on the distinctions more or less breaking down near the end, which is what Spiegelman was going for - how arbitrary and fragile the differences we create are.
Truly one of the great graphic novels. An immensely readable and accessible account of the horrors of the 1930s and 40s, I'd highly recommend this. ( )

“Maus” has been on my TBR for a long, long time, but when it started making headlines for being banned I thought I’d see what all the hubbub was about.

Y’all. First, I am adamantly against book banning. As a teenager, I was convinced it was a conspiracy to get kids to read more. After all, what’s more appealing than a book you’re told you ABSOLUTELY CANNOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES read? As an adult, however, I realized I was, tragically, mistaken.

I went into “Maus” the way I do all Holocaust literature: tentatively. Reading is first and foremost a pleasure for me, and while some books are important and necessary, I know they will not be books I can read in one sitting. “Maus” was one of those books. It’s not the most traumatizing Holocaust book I’ve read, but it did offer information I’d never heard before – and I’m almost forty, y’all. Spiegelman is direct, rotating between the WWII timeline and modern day, recording his father’s experience. The book is important, heartbreaking, and I kept waiting for the one scene or issue that would make me say, “Ah! I can see why there’s controversy.”

That scene never came. The topic never came. In fact, the book is quite tame considering the subject matter. Depicting the characters as animals almost made the book easier to process, despite the tragedy and horror described. Utilizing his father’s narrative, which was very matter-of-fact, was heartbreaking and sobering. I was horrified by the events that took place, shocked by the revelations made, but I wasn’t as emotionally drained as I typically am with Holocaust material.

I will be letting my children read this book when they’re older (It’s obviously not age appropriate for littles), and I’m still confused WHY this book was banned. It’s not a book I intend to own or reread, but I’m glad I was able to hear Spiegelman’s story. I highly recommend watching “Denial” and “The Woman in Gold” if you haven’t already seen them. They’re both staggering, sobering movies based on real life events directly connected to the Holocaust; one involving Holocaust deniers, another with reclaiming heirlooms stolen by the Nazis.

I would love to know your thoughts on this book or the movies, if you’ve seen them. Thanks for reading. ( )

I am not generally a fan of graphic novels but the format worked perfectly in this book. So glad I read it in print too...

I suspect that if it has been written in 'regular' prose, it would be considered non-fiction. ( )

Used to be my favourite book. One of the only books I have ever read twice, which is cool. I will say that the story is horrifying and very emotional, but I do not remember the details of the book exactly. For many years, this was the only book I really liked (I didn't read very much in my teenage years). May be the most unfair score I give on this site, but this book has significant value to me (a 7/10 is high on my scale) ( )

I own a physical copy. It's a book I will treasure always it's very dark. In tragic But beautiful at the same time it's artwork stays with you all the time in your mind unforgettable part of history. That must never be forgotten I recommend this book ( )

This book is about a son who is writing about his fathers experience in WW2. This book is good because WW2 did happen but you are also able to see the father son dynamic. Along with that because it is in a comic fashion you are able to see pictures. I think this needs to be for 7th graders because it is more of a sensitive topic to some people.

Maus is a deeply impressive graphic novel that captures the memories of Art Spiegelman's father, an Auschwitz survivor. The book is note perfect, right down to Spiegelman's use of animals to represent the various nations involved with Jews represented as mice, the smallest and most vulnerable of them, yet somehow always resilient. Spiegelman avoids sentimentalising his father's story, and his impatience with his father at times is evident. He also makes the occasional wry point that the survivors and their descendants did not necessarily learn the lessons that they should have. ( )

This book is my very first graphic novel! I would definitely try another one based on this experience.

Going into reading this, I expected it to be about World War II and the plight of the Jews - storylines that are very familiar to me as a Jewish-born woman. Spiegelman relates the story of his father in Nazi Germany well, but honestly, I was much more intrigued and amused by his relationship with his father. It is a little hard to understand if you aren't Jewish, but the way Art relates to his father, Vladek, is very familiar to many American Jews. His story is not just his alone, but the story of many Jewish families. The love, the guilt, and the annoyance . . .

Here's a very typical anecdote . . .I've had riffs of this conversation with my mother (not to mention grandmother) MANY times, and she is young and not a survivor . . .but these are cultural things that get passed down.

Vladek: Please just taste and you'll see how good it is.
Art: No thanks. I don't like Special K
Vladek: But it has SALT and also sugar. For me it's poison. I'll give for you a little, yes . . .?
It's a shame to waste. I'll pack and you can take it home with you.
Art: The box is almost empty. Just leave it here.
Vladek: Okay, if not, is not. Only just try then a piece from this fruit cake.
Art: I'm NOT hungry.
Vladek: So fine. I can pack the fruitcake in with the cereal for you to take home.
Art: Look, we don't want any, ok? Just forget it.

These vignettes are sprinkled throughout the book, and for me, they made the whole read extra special. The father/son relationship is revealed, but completely colored by the father's experience during the war.

For me, I don't see reading the first part without the second . . .the two together were considerably more than the first part alone. The second part really reveals a lot more in my mind about Vladek's character than the first. It also illuminates the difficulty children have relating and caring for their elderly relatives. I could really relate to it.

I didn't give it the fifth star because honestly, I think I could have enjoyed this book just as much, if not more, had the story been related in more standard prose. The graphics didn't really add to my reading experience nearly as much as I thought they would. I appreciated the book greatly, but I wasn't really moved by it emotionally.

( )

Graphic novel that tells the story of a polish Jew who survived the holocaust. ( )

So wonderful! ( )

A masterpiece. The contrast between the ordinary life in New York and the gruesome experiences his parents experienced is staggering. ( )

Wow. Just wow. The author’s tortured relationship with his father seems so petty in the face of all his father suffered. But his father’s persecution during WWII informs many of his “quirks” and the reasons for strife between them. It’s very sad but very important that people understand how horrific this time period was.

The characterization of the different races/ethnicities/religions as different animals helps the reader see at once which “side” a person is on—down to some nice wearing masks to pretend they’re not Jewish.

Much of what we know about concentration camps comes from Auschwitz—it’s one of the few camps where some people came out alive. Vladek’s account of his time there confirms what we know and provides more depth and understanding.

A must-read for anyone and everyone. ( )