Maus I

I read Maus I: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman for my graphic novel class. It shares the experiences of the author's father, Vladek, a Jew who endured hiding and concentration camps during the Holocaust. The book begins with Vladek’s experiences before the war, including how he met his wife, and then follows his experiences as his life became in danger.

This was a great read and powerful story. This book was written in 1986--I didn't even know graphic novels were a thing back then. (I had a misconception that graphic novels were new but learned differently during my class this semester.) The illustrations are black and white but symbolic in that the Jews are portrayed as mice and Nazis as cats. This book had me engaged, though I struggled with telling characters apart at times since I'm realizing that I'm not super observant with illustrations. This book did have some bad language, so take note that it's an adult book. As a side note, this book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992, which is pretty amazing. (It's the first and only graphic novel to win that award.)

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)