A story of a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe and his son, a cartoonist who tries to come to terms with his father's story and history itself.
literatesocialstudies
Posted April 15, 2011
This classic graphic novel is, in my opinion, one of the best pieces of literature I have ever read. As an educator writing this review for other educators, it is important that we all realize that more and more students are reading graphic novels today than ever before. Spiegelman's account of his father's experience in Nazi controlled Poland and the effects of the Holocaust are portrayed in such a way that students of all ages can access both the content of the novel as well as the themes related to the oppression that he illustrates. I have read many books about the Holocaust and different peoples' accounts of their experiences during this time period and while no two people share the same experience, this novel seemed to stay with me more so than others. I think that when interacting with "normal" texts we use our own visualization skills to grasp what characters and setting look like. This graphic novel however takes that away, and instead gives you very clear representation of characters and setting. Spiegelman's use of animals as characters is more powerful than one would think, and each scene reveals more information than a traditional text could to our students. Instead of having to tell students that Jewish people would have to hide behind makeshift walls, they can see how these mice must do anything they can to survive. Maus can be a powerful classroom tool if used correctly while teaching the Holocaust. Spiegelman's representation of his father's life in Poland and the portrayal of his survival are wonderful ways to get students talking about and critically thinking about the Holocaust and how all people, not just Jewish people, were treated. Again, as a Social Studies teacher, I would use this book in my own classroom while teaching the Holocaust because it is highly engaging for students, and the author's use of imagery and metaphor provide a great way to have students critically analyze events and actions that went on during this time in history.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 23, 2005
THIS BOOK WILL MAKE YOU READ IT, THE MOMENT YOU GET IT. When i first read it, i was in 7th grade and we where learing about world war 2 and lots of kids got to read exapet me. i had to ask my teacher but of course she said yes. Then i couldn't put it down. i incourged any kids who aren't big readers to read this because i know for a fact they won't put it down.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 1, 2005
I am 12 years old. At first I didn't want to read anything about the Haulacost, because I thought it would be boring. I turned out to be very wrong! There was NEVER a boring part, and I understood the writing very well. Art Speigleman did a TERRIFIC job! READ THIS BOOK!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 9, 2003
I read this book for an American Lit class and I highly recommend it. Even if you don't especially enjoy reading, please try this book - you will enjoy it. It's like a comic book, but deeper and full of meaning. It's really unforgettable, and it's a fast read. This is the most unique book I have ever read.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 22, 2013
Since I lived in Nazi Germany until I was seven, this book interested me intensely. And it is an intense book, not for the fainthearted. The Holocaust is real. Those who survived it had fearsome experiences.
Art Spiegelman tells the story with careful detail, sparing nothing and no one. He does not dwell on detail, however. And he tells it with great respect, with compassion for his father, and with a measure of patience for his father's current sometimes challenging behavior.
I would read other books by this author, and I would definitely recommend it for book club discussions. I would also recommend acquiring Book II, for "the rest of the story." Its title is "And Then My Troubles Began." The graphic novel format is perfect for such an emotional and private story.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.beautiful telling of one persons survival during the worst prosecution of people. nicely written
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.KmAlbert
Posted May 15, 2011
Maus 1 is an amazing book and I highly recommend it. In this book I got to see the beginning of the reign of the Holocaust and how Jews reacted to it. I was stunned by the measures Jews went through to avoid cruelty or death by the Nazis. I even got to observe other historical content besides the Holocaust like Polish soldiers fighting back against the incoming Germans and the main character, Vladek Speigelman, is one of the Polish soldiers fighting. This graphic novel is great for all readers. If you want to start a book club, this would be an excellent choice. I give this book five stars because I like the suspense and adventure displayed throughout the novel.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 13, 2005
don't read these books, they are really scary. I had to read them for 9th grade honors english. horrible pictures, gave me nightmares!!!!!
1 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.1DFan101
Posted July 3, 2012
Best book in the WORLD!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The book I'm reading is called "Maus" by Art Spieglman. This book talks about the holocaust and what people had to go through to survive. In the book this family has gone through a lot of miserable things to not get caught by the Nazis'. For example, they ran out of food and they had to go search for some without getting noticed. What I mean by getting noticed is not for people to find out that their Jews, not to get noticed/caught they had to wear pig masks. They had to wear "pig" masks because of where they were located, they were in a town of Poland people and the Poland people were pigs. Another thing they had to do was find a hiding spot so the German's wouldn't find out that they didn't get taken by the Nazis' to the concentration camp.
I think the authors purpose for writing this book, was to show us kids that back when that was happening that it was horrible. Also, to show what the Jews had to go through not to get caught & what they did to hide their valuables (even though they still found them) they went through many hard obstacles. Another reason why I think he wrote this book was to show that things can change at any time in your life time.
I would recommend this book because it teaches you so many new things that I bet you never even knew. After I read this I was surprised how many things I ended up not knowing about the Holocaust. Another reason why is because this book is really detailed & it explains so much, it's a story with in a story. This book is very interesting & a very good. I recommend this book to many people who want an excitement out of their reading.
xxbabbybooxx
Posted December 2, 2010
I have just read this book for a 9th grade Honors Lit. class, and it was my favorite of the two that I read. This book has a way of taking you back to the Holocaust in a new way. It may not seem like a book that would effect someone majorly, but it effected me. I could feel myself sitting down with them at the dinner table while they discussed their hardship. I could hear their voices when they would cry out for help. This book gives you the feeling that your there with them. I would recomend this book or anyone seeking a thrilling chill.
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Posted November 28, 2010
The book Maus is a great story. It brings together graphics and history together to tell a story. I recommend this to anyone who is 10 years +. The suspenseful story makes you not want to put the book down. Also the history of what it was like in WWII is horrifying yet interesting at the same time.
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Posted May 16, 2010
Both Maus I and II are novels overflowing with history and intriguing characters. They are told from the perspective of Vladek Spielgelman, a Jewish Holocaust survivor, as he recounts his experiences during WWI to his son, Art. In 1937 Vladek had been a textile salesman in Poland, where he met and married Anja Zylberberg, the daughter of a well-off Sosnowiec hosiery family. They had one son, Richieu, who died during the war. Because of their Jewish beliefs the Spielgelman family was forced into ghettos, then later into hiding. The family was caught during an attempt to escape to Hungary, and in 1944 brought to the death camp, Auschwitz.
I would definitely recommend Maus I and II. Each book is full of a sense of determination and suspense. You also learn an amazing amount of history and what these people went through during WWII. Both novels are perfect for high school history students because of its historical content and also all of the beautiful pictures that keep the story vibrant. I would definitely recommend Maus I and II.
With my interest for WW@ suvival stories I did enjoy this novel. It is different form anything I ever read being in comic form. Animals play the role of peoples as the stoy of tragedy is told
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This book is really great!! One of the greatest books I ever read!! If you want a graphic novel that is just a good book to own, read this book.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The book is a comic book but not the kind with Archie and Friends or Josie and the Pussycats. It is a story about a son who is a reporter and interviews his father who is a Holocaust survivor and has an amazing story to tell about how him and his wife evade the Nazis and their story on how they stayed alive. It is perfect illustrations that show Jews as rats (but not in a antisemitism manner), Nazis are Cats, and for some reason Polish people are pigs. But the story is very exciting and will keep you wanting to read more. This book is great for kids in 6th grade and up.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.EthanB7d
Posted April 8, 2009
The Maus, graphic novels written by Art Spiegalman, are about how his father survived the Holocaust by making deals to keep him and his family safe. Some of the characters in this story represent, Vladek Spiegalman (Arties father), Mala Spiegalman (Vladek's second wife), and Anja Spiegalman (Vladek's First wife). Throughout the story, they go from the past to the present.
This book is for young adults, who are interested in the Holocaust, but they don't want to read a diary. The images help explain the story so much, they just show what these people have gone through and the pictures in some parts I had to stop and think about what they were describing. "We were maybe 200 people together waiting. each Wednesday went vans to Auschwitz. When we were caught it was maybe Thursday. "Look, Anja! That's my cousin Jakov Spiegalman, in the courtyard." "Hey! Jakov! Help! Jakov-help us!" "Vladek?! There's nothing I can do!" I made signs to show I could pay. Some gold I had hid in the chimney of our bunker when they took us. But a few valuables I had still with me. " Okay. Don't worry! Haskel will come help you!"(Pg114)
"From the window we saw Lolek go. " my god Vladek. you must get Matka and me out too. Give your cousin this gold watch, this diamond-anything!" "Of course I-I'll do every thing I can." The day after Anja and I carried past the guards in the empty pails. Haskel took from me father in-laws jewels. But, finally he didn't help them.
That is what it was like they took what they wanted to help themselves survive they cheated and lied. This is a great book along with the second book I would recommend this book as a free reading book or as a project it is great all around.
Anonymous
Posted November 24, 2007
Maus is an outstanding graphic novel. It is about mice that are living through the Holocaust and what they had to do to survive through it, families were separated and mice died. The Nazis (the cats) made it very difficult for them because they were cruel and everywhere you went they were there. Vladek Speigelman is interviewing his father, a survivor of the Holocaust, for his comic book. Vladek wanted to draw his father¿s story. When his farther is telling Vladek the story he gets emotional from the sad and horrid past. They bond together when his father is telling the story because they never got to spend this amount of time together. This book was amazing I highly recommend it.
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Posted November 19, 2007
Trying to simultaneously draw and tell the story about Poland in the late 1930¿s is not easy to execute, but Art Spiegelman seems to do it perfectly. In each drawing, he beautifully captures the anxiety, fear or happiness so that any reader can easily comprehend what is happening. This graphic novel is a book which tells two stories one showing the relationship of Art Spiegelman and his father, Vladek Spiegelman and the other of Vladek¿s experience in Poland after the Nazi¿s invasion. Spiegalman makes an extremely powerful relationship between the Jews and Nazis by having the Jews as mice, the Nazis as cats, and the other people, such as the Poles, pigs. The Jews and Nazis are characterized as these animals because the author is using the metaphor that cats torment mice, just as the Nazis persecuted the Jews. The book follows Vladek from the time before he met his late wife, Anja, to just before the cliff hanging ending that just makes you want to buy the sequel! From the beginning, I loved the book! Having the book switch from one story to another was refreshing, especially when the content got too heavy and distressing. Not only that, but the modern story portrayed the father- son relationship very humorously. Art drew his father to be the stereotypical Jew: to be extremely cheap and stubborn. I really enjoyed this book for two main reasons. The first one was because it was a graphic novel, so I could understand the vocabulary, but it still challenged me to soak up all of the content very carefully. The other reason was because prior to reading this book, I really didn¿t know what happened during the time period when the Nazi¿s conquered Poland. I felt that this novel very informatively explained all the facts from an insiders view point of view, without being too heavy. It relayed a complicated story in simple terms, without taking away any of the emotions and feelings. Art Speigelmen could have simply written a textbook, but by turning it to a graphic novel it became a story that all people could understand. I would recommend this story for young adults and anyone older because at times, the content can be quite frightening and disturbing. Overall, this story was marvelously drawn and written, and I definitely would recommend it to my peers and friends.
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Posted January 10, 2008
Maus By: Art Spiegelman The book Maus is a story of a son wanting to draw a book about his father and his trouble surviving the holocaust. The narrator is Valdek Spiegelman a Polish Jew who survived the holocaust. His son Artie, now a man, wants to draw a book about the life of his father. I think this is a great book. It was interesting full of thrill and adventure. The art in the book was well drawn for the time it was suppose to be. I think this book is better for teens and young adults. Not too much for younger children because they may not under stand what is going on and older people my see it as a childish book because it looks like a comic. The book is 160 pages long and quite a lot of pages for a graphic novel, the text is large so it can be easily be read and some of it is spoken as a polish person would so it might slip you up if your not careful. If you are looking for something to read I recommend this book. Reviewed by: Art VanDalay
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Overview
A story of a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe and his son, a cartoonist who tries to come to terms with his father's story and history itself.