Maus 1. Mein Vater kotzt Geschichte aus. Die Geschichte eines… (1986)

This book should have never been banned. Now, I want to read why it was banned! I have read many books about the Holocaust but I am extremely impressed by this one. Not only did you have to worry about be caught and killed by the Nazis, but you had to be very careful about who you trusted. It was so easy to be betrayed by your friends and relatives. Trust was extremely precious and risky. This situation is evident in this graphic novel, much more than in many accounts of Holocaust survivors. The language in this book makes the experience of reading it more real. I want to read Maus, Part II and when I read accounts by survivors, I will be lookung for guilt, betrayal and secrets. The last two panes of this graphic novel speak of what has often remained secret and unforgiveable.

One school board member when objecting to this book, said "Why can't they teach a nicer Holocaust"! Is it really better to coverup what you don't like in history and teach a "nicer version"? To do that means teaching a lie, that the Holocaust was not that bad. How ridiculous! ( )

Still wondering why this book has been singled out for censorship?? ( )

https://withfreedomandbooks.blogspot.com/2022/03/maus-i-ii-by-art-spiegelman.htm... ( )

I had not heard of this book until schools started banning it - really it should be required reading - can't wait to read the sequels - the "positive" thing about people trying to ban books? I was 7th in line to read this! ( )

In case anyone doesn’t know, this is a graphic novel/memoir of the author’s Jewish father during WWII. The novel skips between the author interviewing his father in order to write the book and back to WWII. Jews are depicted as mice, Nazis as cats, Poles as pigs.

This is actually a reread (originally read 13 years ago), though it looks like the first time around, I read “The Complete Maus”. I do plan to also reread part II, but I do have them as separate parts this time, so will record them separately.

I did like this better this second time around. I’m not sure why that is. Maybe I was paying better attention. I feel like I caught more of what was going on in the “present-day” story, between Spiegelman’s father and his 2nd wife, in addition to between father and son. I thought this was done well, and didn’t have too hard a time following the time shifts (I feel like this is something I didn’t do as well with the first time around). And of course, his father’s survival story during WWII is one well worth reading. ( )