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This is the continuation of the true story of Vladek Spiegelman’s survival as a Jew in WWII Poland.
Most of what I wrote in my review of Maus I still stands, but there’s a bit more of the author’s feelings included. You can see the catharsis he’s going through as he writes this novel. He’s painfully honest about the conflicting feelings he has toward his father and his mother.
Again, most of Vladek’s survival relied on luck, but I was left in awe of his ingenuity and his talent for survival. But the man would drive me crazy. I was left wondering if he was the way he was because of what he went through or if he was just born that way.
This book touches on prejudices we still have today, even people who should know better.
I have to admit that I was welling up before I had read one word of the story–and I’m not a crier.
Maus I and Maus II are just such powerful books. Still highly, highly recommended.
Reviewed August 14, 2009
Read an excerpt.
Buy Maus II: A Survivor’s Tale: And Here My Troubles Began at
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2 Comments
These sound like important books, and they're on my to-read list.
I loved it when Vladek built himself a hammock in the train (cargo carriage!) so he wouldn't get trampled. Ingenious and quite clever as well… but I think it shows a bit of one mindedness as well.
He might have been born the way he was, but maybe it's the way he was that got him through the war.