Maus I: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman (1985)

The graphic story of a family of Polish Jews during the Holocaust, as seen through a son's relationship with his survivor father thirty years later.

Book Review: Maus may be a graphic novel, it may be memoir, probably both. Regardless, it's a powerful and hurtful story amplified by poignant drawing. Just as without music, song lyrics can seem mundane or prosaic, so here the art enhances and strengthens the straightforward dialog. The drawing adds to the words to make a story that it is better than either alone. Synergy. I.B Singer covered some of the same ground in many of his books, and while his sentences are light years past Spiegelman's simple writing, I suggest the emotional effect may be comparable. That said, I truly appreciate Spiegelman's direct, believable words, as stripped-down and honest as he could make it. While the initial focus is on the Holocaust narrative, gradually the reader is also drawn into the narrator's relationship with his father and other characters, enriching and expanding the main arc. Maus is honest and balanced, not portraying the Jews as perfect victims, but showing collaboration and human confusion as well. Although I do not read many graphic novels, when I do I wish they could all be as good as Maus.  [5★]