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Maus I & II by Art Spiegelman

The good thing about doing a reading challenge is I was able to read books I never would in 1000 years. I'm not very receptive of graphic novels or manga. Mostly because I'm a huge fan of imagery and I have an overactive imagination, so I don't need pictures. When I had to read a graphic novel, I'll be honest I dreaded it. While searching Google for the best graphic novel for non-graphic novel readers I came across Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman and its sequel Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began.

Maus written by the son of a Holocaust survivor, focuses on his parents harrowing journey through the Warsaw ghetto and out of Auschwitz. I'm a huge history buff. I really do devour books about American military history and ww2 in general, so this was up my alley. I'm very glad I read these and I highly recommend both Maus I & II. For some reason reading books about the holocaust never cease to amaze me. The horrors all vicitims and survivors went through are quite honestly unimaginable. 

"Combined for the first time here are Maus I: A Survivor's Tale and Maus II - the complete story of Vladek Spiegelman and his wife, living and surviving in Hitler's Europe. By addressing the horror of the Holocaust through cartoons, the author captures the everyday reality of fear and is able to explore the guilt, relief and extraordinary sensation of survival - and how the children of survivors are in their own way affected by the trials of their parents. A contemporary classic of immeasurable significance."

If you've never read a graphic novel like I had I think you may enjoy these. They're a history lesson with some really stunning artwork. Jews are portrayed as mice, Nazis as cats, and Germans as dogs. These are in no way "light" reading. As with any book on this subject true story or not they are quite heavy. I enjoyed that they were written by the son of survivors, and the extra background of why his father behaved the way he did is all explainable. 

There really isn't much to give away, because to be honest it is typical of all other survivor accounts you've come across. I know that in some high schools this is required reading for students, which is a good thing. These are important books, and don't think they are dumbed down because of the pictures. It's also super quick to blow through in a day. I read both on my two 20 minute train commutes within the city, so you could do these in a weekend. 

My final thoughts and recommendations are that these are a must read! While I don't think I'll be enjoying any other graphic novels any time soon, I'm glad I got to read these. Thanks Popsugar!
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