Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman

260 reviews

cataquack's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

Reading this for the first time since reading it in high school (which is the same as having never read it before). What could I possibly say about this that hasn't been said a million times. As an adult you really appreciate how much of this is dedicated to Art's difficult relationship with his father, which he really doesn't pull any punches with. Like all lauded comic works referred to as "graphic novels" to differentiate them from those low-class funny books, Maus was originally published in a serialized format before being collected, which just goes to show that the term is a load of malarkey!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, Genocide, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Racial slurs, War, and Racism

ju_harue's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Maus, indiscutivelmente é uma obra densa, que termina com aquele peso no estômago. Ler um recorte de uma vida que passou por tudo isso, é fatigante, parece que li por meses, acompanhando tudo que está retratado.
A escolha de usar quadrinhos como estilo de narração, foi incrível. O recurso de serem animais, foi genial. A tradução está ótima, mantendo características oratórias.
Não dá pra "gostar" de uma história assim, mas é sem dúvida uma obra excelente.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Medical content, Police brutality, Slavery, Death of parent, Excrement, Genocide, War, Classism, Gun violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Violence, Suicide, Child death, Hate crime, Gore, Grief, Xenophobia, Racism, Torture, and Antisemitism

phantomgecko's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

4.0

The type of book I don't think I can adequately review in a meaningful way. But here are some thoughts...

The intertwining of the survival story and the author's relationship with his father was well done and added levels to the emotion of the book. I think I would've preferred just the survival story, but I'd probably be wrong.

It's important that this book be read, especially by school age kids, I think. But it's best as a piece of the collage of education and not the entire education. i.e. I first read parts of Maus because parts were included in the back of the copy of Night by Elie Wiesel we were given as sophomores. Reading about the Holocaust from a variety of angles is the best way to absorb the tragedy and appreciate the horror.

Maus doesn't hold punches or soften edges. Terrible things happened and they were conveyed to the best of the author's ability and his father's memory. I think a crucial bit is when Spiegelman is talking with his therapist and his therapist says something along the lines of 'survival was random.' Maus shows that Vladek was incredibly lucky. Opportunities were presented that he was able to take advantage of. He had a terrible experience, and it's gutting to see how easily <i>worse</i> it was for others.

4 stars because it's well done and deserved its Pulitzer but I don't want to read it again.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Murder, Violence, War, Body horror, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Death, Antisemitism, Genocide, and Police brutality

atalea's review against another edition

dark informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, War, Violence, Slavery, Deportation, Antisemitism, Death, Xenophobia, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, and Hate crime

Moderate: Medical trauma, Grief, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Death of parent, Child abuse, Medical content, Child death, Vomit, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, and Excrement

Minor: Racism, Eating disorder, Racial slurs, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Dementia, and Stalking

notthatcosta's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

I have not read many graphic novels but this has convinced me that I ought to. It's difficult to truly comprehend how horrifying the Holocaust was, but Art Spiegelman is able to capture the visceral horror of his father's experience, albeit often delivered with the nonchalance of someone who had no choice but to cope.

The 'present day' flashes of Art and Vladek's relationship are both charming and grounding, allowing readers to view his father in totality and not just in the context of his experience in Auschwitz. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Gun violence, Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment, Murder, Racism, Suicide, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Religious bigotry, Slavery, War, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Mass/school shootings, Ableism, Blood, Violence, Antisemitism, Hate crime, and Self harm

christopher_shiprack's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Murder, Death, Torture, Genocide, Gun violence, Antisemitism, Animal death, Xenophobia, Suicide, Physical abuse, and War

samihami's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This is a piece of art (no pun intended) I will remeber for a long time, if not the rest of my life. 
Everyone should read this at least once in their life. The depth of the characters (though real people) and the dive into human relationships is authentic and endearing. I appreciate that the author strayed away from romantisising vistims of holocaust and decided to picture his father the way he is though it sometimes completes the Jewish stereotype or it puts him at bad light. 
The depiction of animals is perfect for the story and tells a great deal of history.
If you're hesitating, this is your sign to pick it up. You won't have regrets.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Antisemitism, War, Murder, and Violence

ellagant's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.0

I always think that sharing the experience of Holocaust survivors is valuable, but I have never thought of exploring the horrors of the Holocaust through a graphic novel format. I normally think of graphic novels as lighthearted, but this was anything but that. I especially loved how when Vladek was pretending to be a Pole he wore a pog mask.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism

sienna1508's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

4.25

This book was incredibly eye-opening to the horrors of the Holocaust however I understand it can be extremely heavy and dark so I would definitely recommend caution!  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Antisemitism, Confinement, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Death, and Genocide

Moderate: War and Child death

gellyreads's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

5.0

Maus II is what I love and can handle in experimental books that I don’t appreciate in film.

Him talking to his therapist, showing his dad’s racism. His struggle with what to write and including the real life images and call-outs of what to draw his converted wife as.

This all adds a depth that makes this story even more human, terrible, and powerful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Genocide, Antisemitism, Racism, Violence, and War