ISBN: 0-394-74723-2
Author: Art Spiegelman
Author's Website: http://www.barclayagency.com/spiegelman.html
Illustrator: See Author
Media Used: Black ink on a white background.
Summary: Maus tells the story of Art Spiegelman's father, Vladek Spiegelman, a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. The story simultaneously tells of Vladek’s life before and during World War II as well as his life later in New York.
Personal Reaction: Once I picked up this book, I was unable to put it down. It illustrates what daily life was like for Jews before and after the Nazi's came into power. The hardships and fear they lived with. Vladek's story of life in Poland is interrupted by his present day life - which improves the telling of the story rather then distracts from it. The stark black and white illustrations fit the story's material well. A great recommendation for students learning about the Holocaust.
Metaphor Use: The Jews in the story are represented as skinny mice, the polish as plump pigs, and the Nazis as big buff cats. Spiegelman used different groups of animals to represent the different nationalities, religions and races involved in the war. All the animals within a group were identical to one another except for their clothing which helped to highlight how people during that time viewed other's by their race or religion first and foremost. Characters who were hiding by pretending to be of another race were represented as wearing another animal's face as a mask.
Non-Fiction in Graphic Novel Format
Curricular Connection: 10th Grade World History
California Standard 10.8: Students analyze the causes and consequences of World War II.
Awards: Pulitzer Prize Special Award Winner (1992)
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