Nancy A. (Chocoholic) reviewed on 10/31/2010 + 291 more book reviews

This review pertains to both Volumes 1 & 2 of "Maus", or if you like, "The Complete Maus". This was the first graphic novel that I think I've ever read. It is at once both autobiographical, about the author's life as a young man, and biographical in detailing the lives of his parents in Europe just prior to WWII and throughout the holocaust. I found this to be immensely addictive; once I started reading, I found myself unable to stop and very disappointed when I reached the last panel. I wanted more! In Spiegelman's depiction of the holocaust, Jews are mice, Nazis are cats, and civilian folks (Germans / Poles) are pigs. There is an enormous amount of symbolism in the animals that the author selected. I've read a fair amount of holocaust literature and I still found this to be unnerving and disturbing. I initially thought the author would not be able to adequately convey the emotions and tensions from a print novel into a graphic novel, but I stand here humbly corrected. This is a greatly moving work of art.

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