Reviews with content warning for Hate crime - Maus II. Die Geschichte eines Überlebenden. Und hier begann mein Unglück

Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

Maus II. Die Geschichte eines Überlebenden. Und hier begann mein Unglück by Art Spiegelman

21 reviews

ktdakotareads's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad fast-paced

4.0

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courtneyivaska's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Maus 1-2 should absolutely be required reading for everyone. This biographical story of how Spiegelman's parents survived the atrocities of WWII and the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau and sheds lights on the depravity of man and the horrifying choices that people are forced to make during war. Readers may need to pace themselves (I had to take breaks) but should know that it is worth reading. In addition to telling the survival story of his father, the book also grapples with the aftermath of war and what happens to people after they have experienced such trauma. He does not paint his father in a perfect light, instead gives an honest portrayal of someone whose experience is reflected in his treatment of others after the war (i.e. some domestic neglect, racist attitudes toward others, hoarding).

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rtaire's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

Support banned books! (This review is a copy-paste of my review for Vol 1)

I definitely recommend most everyone read this book (and the first volume). It's a beautifully nuanced memoir of a holocaust survivor and the complicated relationship between him and his son, the comic artist writing/drawing the book. Glad I read the book now when I am struggling with all the grey space of my own relationship between myself and my mother. Makes me feel more at ease about the lack of clear distinctions of "morally good" and "bad", the messy in-between of reality.

The art style really helped to put some distance between me and the extremely difficult subject matter of the Holocaust, which allowed me to keep reading when I might have otherwise needed to stop to preserve my mental health. Still, some of the images are truly haunting and it helps to be prepared to know that these books cover the worst of what humanity is capable of. I still think it is very worth it to remember these atrocities, especially at a time when people are trying to erase them and ban important books like this.

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onamoonbeam's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.25

that's a narrative!! that's a real story. god

an excellent continuation of the original. i really liked the chapter where you zoom out to see spiegelman sitting on top of a pile of mouse bodies and being questioned by interviewers. the rest of the chapters... seeing one man survive by his skills intelligence and luck and then cutting to how he dies is...sobering? somewhat inspiring? tragic? it definitely feels different to other holocaust narratives i've seen. stories must be told even if there is no just ending

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