Review: The Complete Maus

The Complete Maus

by Art SpiegelmanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars

This graphic novel depicts the life of Art Spiegelman's father's experiences during the Holocaust of World War II, it shows his story image by image of his life as a young man before the war, his marriage and subsequent experiences as a Jew in pre-war Poland.

Then fact that his story is portrayed using animals to depict specific characters for example, Cats as Germans, Pigs as Polish, Mice as Jews and Dogs as Americans, does nothing to detract from the hard hitting events of this survivors tale.

This story depicts the personal account of a man's experience during a dark and repugnant time in our history which I feel nobody should be able to forget. Not only does the content set out the events that occurred during this devastating time but it also includes the emotional aspect of the events both as individuals, survivor's and as a family.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough which is why I have awarded it 5 stars. This is not a cartoon for younger children, there are graphic images portrayed of events that took place throughout the novel however, I feel the ability of the author and artist to portray this in such a way that it does not distract from the horror is why I can understand that this received a Pulitzer Prize.

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