Maus I & II by Art Spiegelman

A must read comic strip book. These books are written about Art Spiegelman's father and how he and his wife survived Germany as a Jew. Art's father was not put in a concentration camp until later in the war so you get a view of how life was leading up to his capture. Moving a lot, hiding out in people's houses, having parents and children killed... It is a terrible story, but gives you a first hand look into how the war affected Art's parents even after they were released and moved to the United States. His mother eventually committed suicide since her first son was killed by Nazi's and Art's father is incredibly frugal and even convinces a grocery store manager to take back his opened cereal boxes that he was no longer going to eat. It's entertaining in the sense that Art shows arguments that he and his father have while being interviewed and the tricks his father pulls on Art to get him to visit or help around the house. Definitely a book I would suggest everyone read.

This book especially affected me since Art's parents had a very young son when the war started. It was hard to read about how the soldiers would smash kids heads against buildings or learning about one family that lived in a communities trash dumpster the entire war. Can you imagine staying in a small dumpster every day with your young kid. The community knew about them and luckily never turned them in. I just think about my own kids and how I would not have made it through any of these experiences very well. Art's mother struggled horribly through out everything, especially after her son was killed. They sent him away with others to a 'safe' area. They learned later that the Nazi's were rounding up that neighborhood and sending them to the ovens. Instead of going, the lady poisoned her children and the other children that were with her which included the Spiegelman's son. It was interesting to note that the war had a huge affect even on Art and that he went to therapists a lot to cope with his insecurities with the war and his parents and his competition with a brother he never knew. Having children of your own really makes stories and experiences take on a whole new personal meaning. It stinks at times.