Friday, January 14, 2011

Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History, by Art Spiegelman

****

Fantastic. I am not much for depressing books, so normally I would steer clear of Holocaust literature. But by depicting the characters as animals, Spiegelman provides just enough distance to allow the reader to actually appreciate aspects of a situation so enormous as to be overwhelming when studied directly. By taking a step back, the reader can engage with a story that is normally far too horrific to really be absorbed. Obviously, it's not a substitute for historical study of the Holocaust, but it is extremely valuable as a supplement thereto.

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