Kurt's Reviews > Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began

Maus II continues the tragic experiences of Vladek Spiegelman after he and his wife Anja were captured and incarcerated at Auschwitz. It also recounts the struggle of the author (Vladek Spiegelman's son) to obtain the story from his increasingly belligerent and ailing father, along with his internal struggle to determine exactly how to illustrate and portray that story within his book.

This is a great pair of books. The graphic novel format of the books delayed my reading of them for years. It should not have. Everyone, whether they are fans of graphic novels or not, should read these.

A couple of observations that will always stick with me:

Despite being a victim of racism and prejudice in the most horrendous sense, Vladek Spiegelman was himself very racist against black Americans. Vladek's son, the author, deliberately chose to include an episode that clearly illustrated this. Very thought provoking.

The depiction of hunger and desperation for food was prevalent throughout this book. In my 63 years I have never once worried about having to go without food in the long term or even do with less food than I would prefer. In this regard I believe the past two or three generations of Americans are unique to the rest of the world population and history. Will our grandchildren and future posterity enjoy this security also? I have my doubts.