Maus

Author: Art Spiegelman

Summary:
Maus, a graphic novel takes the holocaust hell in to a different dimension. The Jews are Mice, the Nazis are Cats and the Polish are pigs. Even with the changes that are made this doesn't make Maus any less horrifying. Reading the Account of the Artie's father's experience during World War II is still shocking and terrifyingly sad. Valdek( Artie's father) tells of the labor camps, being a war prisoner, and the Ghettos. Using the wealth that he had before the war Valdek takes all his jewelry and uses it to sustain his family as they are chased, beaten, and ran out of anything that they could have called home. Moving from one bad situation to something worse, Artie collects the stories for a future book and is shocked along with the rest of the readers at the almost unbelievable tales.
Personal Opinion:
I was horrified with the stories, but i will admit that seeing the characters as mice did help to stomach them better. I have always had a terrible time reading holocaust stories, they make me physically ill. This was still hard to take but I loved the Valdek character, he is just how a Jewish person is portrayed. I love that even with all the terrible things that happen to him he still keeps his personality and doesn't just break down. I totally enjoyed this book and think it would be great for young adults to read, it would help to put things into perspective.