Post 12 Sangkyung Lee

   When I found out that Maus was about the holocaust, I figured that I would not get any new information from it. I learned all about the holocaust in middle school and read lots of stories about it. I even remember making butterflies to represent the children who died in concentration camps.I was not happy that I had to read another story about the holocaust; death and suffering is not my favorite topic. When I opened it up, I was very surprised to see that it was a comic book.
   Turning Maus into a comic book was a very creative and unique idea. It was an easy read and kept me interested the whole way through. The thing I really enjoyed was the comparisons of people to animals. It added another level to the story. I think that if Maus was a regular story, I would not have enjoyed it as much.
   Even though I already knew a lot about the holocaust, I was still able to learn things from this book. I did not know that some prisoners were ranked above the others and had better treatment. I was also surprised to know that people could get jobs in the camps. It was so interesting to see what daily life was really like in the camp.
   The main thing I enjoyed about Maus was the characters stories. It was so fascinating to learn how Valdek met his wife and to see the interactions between Valdek and his son. The way Spiegelman wrote the story was so great that it almost felt real. When I found out that Valdek really did burn Anja’s diaries, I got upset right along with Art. Even arriving to the camps felt real. On page 159, I just cannot believe that someone could be so cruel to a group of people. Every time I read a story about the holocaust I feel so bad for the survivors. On the other hand I also have a lot of respect for them. I cannot imagine the strength and determination they must have had. To live through what Valdek described was defiantly not an easy feat. At least he had some help here and there. It makes me wonder how many of the survivors were lucky enough to have help like he did, not only inside the camp but outside as well.
   Maus was such a great story that I just had to finish it. I would recommend it to anyone who either wants to learn more about the holocaust or wants a good story about hope and determination.