Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman

My Popsugar Reading Challenge had me scouring my shelves for "a book with a cat on the cover" this month. At first I thought that I didn't own a book that met the requirement, but then I remembered Maus, with its Hitler-as-a-cat illustration on the front. I had been meaning to get to this graphic novel about the Holocaust for a while now, so I wasted no time diving in.

Maus is the story of a young cartoonist named Artie interviewing his father Vladek about his experiences as a Holocaust survivor. He plans to turn his father's story into a graphic novel. Artie draws the story out of his father over the course of a series of visits. The story begins with how Vladek met and married Artie's mother and had his first child, then gradually recounts how how the family lost their home and possessions to the Nazis, how they were shuffled around from ghetto to ghetto, how they were forced to give up their child and go into hiding to survive, and how they were eventually rounded up and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Interspersed with the Holocaust story are glimpses of Vladek's current living situation. It is revealed in the very beginning of the novel that Artie's mother has passed away and his father has remarried a woman named Mala that he constantly fights with. He also suffers from heart problems, and has a disturbing tendency to hoard useless items. The relationship between father and son is strained at times, and communication between them is difficult. Artie doesn't always understand Vladek's perspective on things. In spite of these issues, however, he remains intrigued by his father's history, and continues his visits so that he can further his project.

All of the characters in the novel are represented as animals in the illustrations. The Jewish characters are mice, the Nazis are cats, and all of the other characters are pigs. This technique worked to make the story even more poignant. Readers generally associate talking animals with nice stories in children's books. Watching a mouse being shot dead in an alley is a shocking juxtaposition. It helps bring a deeper sense of sadness to a topic that is already emotionally heavy.

I have read quite a few excellent books set during the Holocaust. The Book Thief and All the Light We Cannot See are two special favorites of mine. Maus is another fantastic novel that I can add to my list. The creative art style and tragic story combine to create a different, and very touching, reading experience. There is another volume in this series, which picks up after Vladek is taken to Auschwitz. I ordered it straightaway after finishing Maus I so I can see the conclusion to Vladek's story. Art Spiegelman has created something very special with this series, and everyone would benefit from checking it out. 


Challenge Tally
Popsugar Challenge: (A book with a cat on the cover) 10/40 
Mount TBR: previously owned 10/60