Book+Reviews

Book Review by: Dan L

Maus I

Maus I is a graphic novel by Art Spiegalman [sic]. the story is about the Holocaust, several of Art's books were released in the 1980s; this being one of them. The book takes place in the house of Art's father, Vladek, who is telling Art about his life around the time of WWII, along with other events that happened before and after the war. It sounds simple and cliché, but has a twist to it.

The book itself is a decent read. It's one of those short books that can be read on one day. Some complain about books in general. They say that there is so much text and no pictures. In this case, the book is a comic strip, and everything (including the comic boxes) were drawn by Art. Does it sound interesting enough to give it a read?

When reading the story, one may notice how the book is set up. The book itself is not necessarily in third-person or in Vladek's first-person view. In fact, it really doesn't have a view. The story is told as it is happening. Not only does the author of the book have a part in this story, but every little detail is in there; things that just do not really need a part in the story. So in other words, while Art was recording what Vladek was saying about his life in the war, he also records everything else in between, like him entering Vladek's house, Art sitting down and listening to Vladek's story, and arguments that occur. Every single detail that happened in the book really happened at Vladek's house. In fact, there are a few chapters where Art is trying to compose the book Maus I. To be honest, it is pretty interesting and entertaining to see how situations took place in the household, despite the book being about the Vladek's experiences, but it can also be confusing trying to figure out if it is a part of history or actually happening while Art is listening to his father.

Drawing wise, the book is almost perfect. The drawings seem realistic enough to be distinguished. The interesting thing about the book is how everyone is displayed as a different animal. The Jews are displayed as Mice, the Nazis are displayed as Cats, the Polish are displayed as Pigs. It's interesting to see, and is a neat idea. I don't know why no one has thought of that before. It gives a the veiwer the perception of the author of each nationality.

The book is a good read because of the adventures Vladek went on. His adventures managed to make way for a sequel, Maus II. The points mentioned are in a lot of detail, and with the pictures, it seems as if you're really there. It keeps you interested and eager to see what happens next. Overall, it's a good book that is worth the time. I give the book 4 stars out of 5