Maus II by Art Spiegelman

I’m not a big fan of graphic novels, but sometimes I will read one that I can’t put down.  That was the case with the very first graphic novel I ever read, Maus by Art Spiegelman.  The same is true of its sequel Maus II.   My thoughts are still haunted by the words and images Spiegelman uses to portray the horror of the Holocaust experienced by his father Vladek.

Maus II picks up Vladek’s story when he enters Auschwitz.  By a combination of luck and wits, Vladek survives the horror of Auschwitz and is even able to help his wife Anja, but the horrors never leave him.  The horrors continue to haunt him even until the present day.

Spiegelman alternates Vladek’s survival of Auschwitz with scenes from the present.  Vladek’s second wife has left him (his first wife, Spiegelman’s mother, commited suicide).  Now Art and his wife must help Vladek through this crisis and failing health.  Art is torn with guilt.  He loves his father, but his father drives him crazy.

Maus and Maus II are powerful introductions to the Holocaust.  If you have never tried a graphic novel, these will convince you that the form is not just for comics.

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