Maus II: by Art Spiegelman
Published by Pantheon Books, New York, 1986, 136 pages. In 1986 the second installment of the ground breaking Maus series written by Art Spiegelman was published. I choose this book because the depth of information contained within 136 pages simply amazed me. The use of a Graphic Novel as a medium was part of what made it groundbreaking. The use of this medium Spiegelman could vividly tell a story to many people who would otherwise not have had access to this material. Children and adults not inclined to read a lengthy novel on the holocaust benefited the most from Spiegelman use of this medium. This book is a continuation of the prolific story interduce to us in Maus I. In Maus II Vladek and Anja are sent to Auschwitz, where they are separated and thus begins their journey for survival. Throughout this story the reader is introduced to the hardship and oppression
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It does not simply teach about the events surrounding the treatment of Jews during WWII, which by itself has great value to teach about an important historical period. Rather it serves as a lesson to everyone about the dangers of dehumanizing any one group for any reason political or otherwise. The more aware that people are about the past and the events that lead people to take such unimaginable action, there the more likely we are to be able to stop similar occurrences. Given the times we find ourselves in now, with a President that many fear is demonizing roughly one third of the population, and the value of this book becomes clear. Students that are armed with the knowledge contained within Maus II are far less likely to contribute to similar actions in the future being as they are more likely to recognize the tactics used by dictators such as Hitler. Giving the value of this information I cannot imagine why this would not be considered mandatory reading for all students in collegiate