Author: Art SpiegelmanGenre: YA NF Graphic Novel
Published: 1992
Personal Rating: 5/5
Yearly Count: 87
Not a beat was missed between Maus I and Maus II. The heart-wrenching tale continues with Art recording the details of his father's Holocaust experience.
Wow. This was an outstanding account of Vladek during the horror of Hitler. The story was told in cartoon pictures and the sentences were in choppy English, but that only enhanced my experience. Even with the animals representing people, I was able to engage and feel the story. This was without a doubt an extremely powerful and enlightening book. I was completely immersed and learned many new things about the Holocaust and the legacy it has left behind.
I just finished reading this, too...and I think my reaction was pretty much identical to yours. Powerful book.
ReplyDeleteI placed a hold on The Complete Maus after reading your review of part 1 - thank you so much. It was my first graphic novel, and truly demonstrated that the genre can make for some powerful books.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! I'm still a little resistant to graphic novels (don't know why...can't explain!), but I'm making a little list in my head--and this one goes on it!
ReplyDeleteI've got this for the summer, and am looking forward to readng it. You don't give a lot of 5/5s!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you loved these as much as I did, Joy!!
ReplyDeleteI think Maus II isn't so much a sequel as it is a completion. You might also like Marjane Satrapi's memoirs about a girlhood in Iran, Persepolis and Persepolis II
ReplyDeleteDebi ~ Maus I really set the stage for Maus II. I learned so much from Maus II. It was incredible regarding the details it depicted of this awful time. I'm thankful to Spiegelman for pursuing the difficult task of writing it and for his father in telling his story. It really helps get a deeper perspective.
ReplyDeleteCarrie ~ I'm so glad you "enjoyed" it too, especially being your first graphic novel. I have really surprised myself with the enjoyment I have received from them.
Trish ~ It's really an odd genre - graphic novels. Sort of a silly one, some may think. But they are NOT silly or childish. I have read many now and have been touched deeply (in one way or another) by almost all of them. I decided to give my first one a try because I thought it wouldn't take up that much of my precious reading time. I am so glad I did and am very grateful to Dewey for hosting the challenge.
Raidergirl3 ~ You're right! I don't give out many 5/5s. The first I rated a 4.25, but this sequel was definitely a 5. I look forward to reading your review. :)
ReplyDelete3M ~ Weren't they just "great"? I'll come by and see what you said.
Girl Detective ~ You're right - "completion" would be a more appropriate word. I already have Persepolis on my TBR list. I'm looking forward to it. Thanks for the mention, though.
I figured out why I didn't care for the animals in the Maus I, other than personification. There were too many of them for me to decipher (or remember) who was who. In Maus II, it wasn't a problem. I guess it just took me a whole book to get used to the idea. :)
I'm glad to see that there are others out there who appreciate these graphic novels, and really seek to learn from them. I actually was able to use Maus in my 5th grade classroom last year with a few students, and it ended up being an experience like no other for them. What really stuck out for me was the fact that the metaphors (the animals) were so simple, but so powerful in that they were Hitler's metaphor. When I figured that part out, it changed the books for me and I had to read them again.
ReplyDeleteThe Buss ~ In general, I don't care for personification, so it started off being uncomfortable for me. And there were too many different animals for me to sort out in Maus I. I felt like the animals were appropriate and just as powerful as if they were people in Maus II.
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