tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210408773928235445.post5750094573654527287..comments2023-12-20T21:19:20.824-06:00Comments on Black & White and Bronze!: Maus: A Survivor's Tale. My Father Bleeds History, Chapter 1 - a ReviewDoughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210408773928235445.post-58563199249438533912019-01-29T18:28:59.626-06:002019-01-29T18:28:59.626-06:00Hi All,
Really great review Doug! Superlative!
...Hi All,<br /><br /><br />Really great review Doug! Superlative!<br /><br />Maus is the only 'underground' comic I ever read. I have kept I and II on my shelf for 25 years now. I have reread them twice and checked Meta-Maus out of the library 2x. I do recommend Meta-Maus. It is indeed extra special because it deals with before, during, and after the Holocaust.<br /><br />Regarding the "good" I too never appreciated the greater horror of the Holocaust until I lived in Germany and realized many "good people" basically had no problem physically murdering, beating, robbing, dispossessing their Jewish friends and neighbors in little Schwabisch Hall, Germany.<br /><br />Regarding the "Bad," I came to appreciate that from my French wife where they knew first hand of the incomprehensible pain Holocaust survivors lived with. I am glad Maus touches on that as well.<br /><br />The "Ugly" it's a pity we don't need an explanation for the stereotype as I suspect we are all familiar with it. That being said, I echo Edo's observations... it would take an extraordinary person to not be influenced by this and other stereotypes, even to this day.<br /><br />I introduced my two young-adult kids to Maus I, II, and Meta-Maus this winter break from University. They both truly appreciated them.<br /><br />FWIW my ongoing read into the Holocaust is "They Thought They were Free" written in the early 1950s. I find the unnerving remarks of the University Professor rather relevant to today. Paraphrasing him... "You know, we did not realize anything was changing: the buildings were the same, the opera was the same, the clothes and food were the same. Truly our lives did not change. Slowly the anger and violence increased towards the Jews. But everything else stayed the same for us. We did not appreciate these changes until it was too late."<br /><br />Again, Doug, this was really a superlative blog you provided us. Much thanks. Joe <br /><br /><br />Charlie Horse 47https://www.blogger.com/profile/00906538705798228800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210408773928235445.post-79842232862596240132019-01-29T11:38:03.234-06:002019-01-29T11:38:03.234-06:00Thanks for the comment, Edo. I can also somewhat r...Thanks for the comment, Edo. I can also somewhat relate to that "miserly" aspect of the older generations. Mine and my wife's grandparents grew up in the Depression, and those years certainly impacted them for the rest of their lives. My wife's paternal grandmother was notorious for coming home from the supermarket and reconciling her sales receipt with each good she'd purchased as she shelved it. She didn't want "the man" taking advantage of her!<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210408773928235445.post-57697618583450877572019-01-29T11:34:16.873-06:002019-01-29T11:34:16.873-06:00Good idea for a series of reviews. I'm assumin...Good idea for a series of reviews. I'm assuming at some point in the year you'll get me to *heavy sigh* re-read this (the heavy sigh is not because I see that as a chore - it just means pushing back the tons of other stuff I have to read).<br />Anyway, I agree that Maus is a very moving and effective way to learn something, or teach for that matter, about the Holocaust.<br />On the topic of Vladek and the stereotype of a miserly Jew, I found that part of Spiegelman's story had particular resonance for me: my parents were immigrants from southeastern Europe, both from not very well-to-do rural/peasant families, and thus they had similar, frugal, attitudes about money. But they were Catholic, not Jewish, so they didn't have to deal with that stereotype, even as they believed it about Jews (my father in particular often made comments about 'Jewish bankers' or whatnot). The weird, or perhaps ironic, thing is that many aspects of Vladek's personality as portrayed in Maus rather uncomfortably reminded me of my father.<br /><br />Anyway, looking forward to future installments.Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210408773928235445.post-74255349405690375562019-01-28T13:38:31.167-06:002019-01-28T13:38:31.167-06:00Redartz -
Many thanks for the depth of your comme...Redartz -<br /><br />Many thanks for the depth of your comment. As I type this, I'm also just finishing up my review of chapter 2 - you'll see that here on the BWBC in a month. I feel very strongly about Maus, and I hope I'm doing it justice with my thoughts. I'll look forward to hearing more from you as we step through the book.<br /><br />Stay warm!<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210408773928235445.post-46953204177584713022019-01-28T13:36:38.683-06:002019-01-28T13:36:38.683-06:00Thanks very much, Mike. Do find time to read this ...Thanks very much, Mike. Do find time to read this at some point in your life. I don't think you'll be disappointed.<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210408773928235445.post-17483565048245482019-01-28T12:09:37.797-06:002019-01-28T12:09:37.797-06:00I keep meaning to read this, but never seem to get...I keep meaning to read this, but never seem to get around to it. I really should check it out one of these days. Great review, Doug; I'm looking forward to more.Mike Wilsonhttp://www.eruditegorilla.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210408773928235445.post-57038965962062076882019-01-28T08:52:59.262-06:002019-01-28T08:52:59.262-06:00Doug, thank you for diving into the deep,deep well...Doug, thank you for diving into the deep,deep well that is Maus. Excellent review; I look forward to your continuing installments. Also, thanks for the background information you presented in the "Bad" section above. I'd not heard that bit of history, it is most enlightening. You began your column discussing your Holocaust education; like you most of mine came from Maus. And, no disparagement to my own schooling, obviously my historical education in that area was insufficient.<br /><br />As for the book, Maus was a lifechanger for me. I'd read many comics, popular, underground, all kinds; and novels such as Eisner's "Contract with God". I'd read many powerful stories, both in comic form and in books. But one day I finally picked up the first volume of Maus, based on the reviews I'd seen of it. And like you, Doug, I read it straight through. No book I've ever read hit me like that one did. The combination of Speigelman's beautifully effective, deceptively simple drawings and the voluminous narrative of the book, leaves the reader truly staggered by what he/she has just read. There are so many sequences, so many incredible scenes and interactions in the book it's impossible to know where to begin. Glad your'e doing it over some time. I too have read the books repeatedly over the years, and am deeply affected every time. Think it's time to give them another look.Redartzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08221459636234713619noreply@blogger.com