Maus a Survivors Tale: My Father Bleeds History
3 journalers for this copy...
tbr for a 'services for young adults' class
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Mailed this book out today to prachitulshan in India!
Mailed this book out today to prachitulshan in India!
Hola Gwendy! Finally I manage to journal this book! As you know, this graphic novel was to be part of 25 books for my boyfriend's 25th Birthday Surprise, and since he too is a bookcrosser (by the name of ecuas), i couldn't risk journalling it beforehand. This was the very first book I received from the final 27 (yes there were that many!) and all thanks to you! Maus is a treasure to possess, a million thanks to you for sending it!
Journal Entry 4 by prachitulshan at RABCK, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases on Saturday, February 13, 2010
Released 14 yrs ago (2/8/2010 UTC) at RABCK, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Put proudly in the big box of books and goodies for Ecuas's 25th Birthday Surprise. I know he'll LOVE this one!
Put proudly in the big box of books and goodies for Ecuas's 25th Birthday Surprise. I know he'll LOVE this one!
YAY! I read abt maus once on the net as one of the greatest graphic novels of all time and i finally possess it! thank you so much gwendy and prachi! I just wont be able to part with this one :-P
What a wonderful book it is! Even though I had heard a lot about it, I had restrained myself from expecting a lot. And last night, I started reading it and just couldn't put it down till I was finished! I shall try to review it here:
The Story: The story, being auto-biographical, is very real and very captivating. It is the story of a man (the author's father) in Poland during WW2. Don't want to say anything more, because commenting on a true story is not right, I feel.
The Format: I was blown away by this. I knew that in the book the Jews are mice and Nazis the cats, and I was a bit skeptical, because I am not a huge fan of anthropomorphism, and feel it just makes anything a bit comical. So I was curious to know how would it work for Maus. Now I am pretty sure this book wouldn't be the same if it featured regular 'human' characters. The Jews in Nazi-occupied countries had to BE like mice, I see now, not only because they were treated as vermin by the Nazis or they had to run and hide from them, but also because they were very resourceful. The secret bunkers they made to hide in unimaginable places is just one example. The Jews also were meek and weak then, submissively doing anything the Nazis ordered, and the mouse just seems right.
Another feature that I loved was when the Jews pretended to be Poles. The author and illustrator has shown this graphically using the simple device of a mask. I love it no end because it just works. I could easily imagine and connect the anxiety one would feel in such a situation - a Jew walking through a market full of people hell bent on reporting any Jew they see to Nazis, worrying and hoping no one would recognize him, or hoping nothing about his self would give away that he was a Jew. Compare this with the mask device - A mouse wearing a pig mask (Poles are shown as pigs), the string showing, and immediately you see and imagine what could be going on through his (its?) head as it walks down the street.
The whole concept behind the presentation is a master-stroke.
The illustrations: Simple black and white illustrations add amazing depth to the book. Because the book has anthropomorphism, I was expecting very cartoon-like expressions, but it is not so. The way everything is drawn gives it a very human feel, and I found myself bonding with the characters immediately. Very simple drawings and layout work in the book's favor.
Overall: A jewel.
The Story: The story, being auto-biographical, is very real and very captivating. It is the story of a man (the author's father) in Poland during WW2. Don't want to say anything more, because commenting on a true story is not right, I feel.
The Format: I was blown away by this. I knew that in the book the Jews are mice and Nazis the cats, and I was a bit skeptical, because I am not a huge fan of anthropomorphism, and feel it just makes anything a bit comical. So I was curious to know how would it work for Maus. Now I am pretty sure this book wouldn't be the same if it featured regular 'human' characters. The Jews in Nazi-occupied countries had to BE like mice, I see now, not only because they were treated as vermin by the Nazis or they had to run and hide from them, but also because they were very resourceful. The secret bunkers they made to hide in unimaginable places is just one example. The Jews also were meek and weak then, submissively doing anything the Nazis ordered, and the mouse just seems right.
Another feature that I loved was when the Jews pretended to be Poles. The author and illustrator has shown this graphically using the simple device of a mask. I love it no end because it just works. I could easily imagine and connect the anxiety one would feel in such a situation - a Jew walking through a market full of people hell bent on reporting any Jew they see to Nazis, worrying and hoping no one would recognize him, or hoping nothing about his self would give away that he was a Jew. Compare this with the mask device - A mouse wearing a pig mask (Poles are shown as pigs), the string showing, and immediately you see and imagine what could be going on through his (its?) head as it walks down the street.
The whole concept behind the presentation is a master-stroke.
The illustrations: Simple black and white illustrations add amazing depth to the book. Because the book has anthropomorphism, I was expecting very cartoon-like expressions, but it is not so. The way everything is drawn gives it a very human feel, and I found myself bonding with the characters immediately. Very simple drawings and layout work in the book's favor.
Overall: A jewel.
