Customer Reviews
Are you trying to avoid it? - By: Craig Mcmanus, 25 May 2008 
I had known of this book for about a year when i finally decided to buy it. I was put off by the slightly dodgy artwork & the very serious nature of the plot which to me is not what comics are about. Anyway,I wanted to read it so i could come on hear & rant about how it is an over-rated waste of time but I cant. The art isnt perfect i agree but it has its charms & as you read the story you really do get into the simplistic nature of it,it works for this,it doesnt distract from the story which over stylised art would. The story is VERY well written & everything i read totally shocked & moved me.
The jist of my review is - if you are put off by the art but you liked schindlers list or have a fascination with hearing about the holocaust from a personal perspective then you have to read this book. It would get 5 stars from me if I genuinely felt that everyone would like the artwork but I know thats not gonna happen but everyone who isnt an anti-semite must read this story!
Masterpiece - By: J. M. Salinas, 11 Apr 2008 
Only graphic novel to date to win the Pulitzer Price.
That should be compelling enough to endear anyone to this masterwork.
The drawing isn't perhaps as expressive as that of Sacco, but the noveltyin Maus not only comes from the controversial bestialization of the characters (Poles are pigs, Jews are mice, Germans are cats, etc) but also from the timeline jumps that mix the chilling tale of Vladek's survival of Auschwitz & the author's process of discovery & acceptance of his father's personality as he is retold the survivor's tale.
So while we are presented with the horror's faced by Vladek, the book also deals with the strained relationship between the author & his father, his father's second wife & the author's converted wife.
One can only praise Spiegelman's honesty at the less than perfect portray of the old age Vladek & his own insecurities.
Searing honesty - By: Rusty, 31 Mar 2008 "Maus" is an amazing accomplishment & a rightly revered classic. What I admire most about its narrative is its honesty. If Spielberg ever adapted this book as a film, it would become a simplistic, black-and-white affair: one-dimensional Nazi aggressors stamping on one-dimensional Jewish victims. Instead, Spiegelman has opted to respect our intelligence & throw the doors wide open on this repellent slice of human history. He pulls no punches & tells his father's story with abject truth - even when sometimes portraying the Jewish communityin a less than flattering light.
In the unflinching pages of "Maus", Jews betray Jews. Jews steal from Jews. Jews discriminate against non-Jews. I sat up with a shock when Vladek, the tale's central holocaust survivor, displays unbelievable racism towards a black man. Having lived through unspeakable persecution, he speaks of African-Americansin the same way that a Nazi would speak of a Jew. Also,in his old age, Vladek has come to resemble the Nazi stereotype of the "miserly old Jew". This adds incredible power & depth to this already complex story, throwing up countless questions on morality, racial identity & the grey area between good & evil.
It is a staggeringly brave book & its courage has sealed its success. I only wish more artists out would get some guts & show the world some work that really matters.
Rupert in Nazi germany - By: ossian, 10 Mar 2008 
I have respect for the authorin that it was brave to explore the subject of the holocaustin comic book form- quite an original thing to do. His story is an important one to tell. However, this does not take away the fact that Spiegelman can't draw. The art isin black & white with no rendering & Spiegelman's style is flat & bland.
In this comic book, the jews are mice & the Nazis are cats. The people have animal heads & human bodies-like Rupert bear! That is the last thing you want to think about when reading a book about the holocaust.
And as a person who has experienced having micein my house (mouse droppingsin the cutlery drawer is not pleasant) I find it hard to sympathise with any cartoon mouse.
More Important Than Mickey - By: The Kinniburgh Kid, 14 May 2007 I cannot be the only person who had become jaded by Hollywood's over use of the "Holocaust" button as a short circuit to character depth & motivation. Then I read this & was moved much more than all those movies & TV dramas could ever manage.
As has been said elsewhere, overcome your reluctance to read & comic book/graphic novel & this book rewards with lifelong meaning & resonance. Clever, funny & desperately sad all at once.
