Maggie's Review
Maus I & II is an entertaining read for anyone ages 13 and up. The telling of the story as a graphic novel adds a new dimension to a familiar historical event. The visual imagery is stunning and makes the events more lifelike for the reader. I also really enjoyed the pairing of the modern day struggle between the author and his father against the telling of the Holocaust. It brings in a discussion of the after effects of the Holocaust and how the survivors adjusted to life after the Holocaust.
The complexity of the novel can be seen in the different relationships between characters. Art makes no attempt to glamorize his father, but instead shows a scene where his father extols his racist beliefs against the black male that Art gave a ride in his car. The realistic aspect of the characters creates an interesting dialogue about the nature of humanity and how the cycle of persecution continues, even in those who have been oppressed. The themes of the novel are relevant for anyone reading the story, making it easy to connect to the different characters and invest in their motivations.
In terms of classroom use, this novel would be great to bring it to talk about the power of imagery and storytelling. It can be paired with other novels about the Holocaust to examine how the graphic novel works to discuss the Holocaust in ways that a narrative does not. While the novel does depict the conditions of the war, none of the images are particularly graphic in nature, which is assisted by the depiction of humans as animals, and thus it is not graphic for the animals to be "naked." There is also not much vocabulary within the dialogue to incorporate in the classroom, although there can certainly be
The complexity of the novel can be seen in the different relationships between characters. Art makes no attempt to glamorize his father, but instead shows a scene where his father extols his racist beliefs against the black male that Art gave a ride in his car. The realistic aspect of the characters creates an interesting dialogue about the nature of humanity and how the cycle of persecution continues, even in those who have been oppressed. The themes of the novel are relevant for anyone reading the story, making it easy to connect to the different characters and invest in their motivations.
In terms of classroom use, this novel would be great to bring it to talk about the power of imagery and storytelling. It can be paired with other novels about the Holocaust to examine how the graphic novel works to discuss the Holocaust in ways that a narrative does not. While the novel does depict the conditions of the war, none of the images are particularly graphic in nature, which is assisted by the depiction of humans as animals, and thus it is not graphic for the animals to be "naked." There is also not much vocabulary within the dialogue to incorporate in the classroom, although there can certainly be