Maus: And Here My Troubles Began

The second half of Art Spiegelman's Maus, a comic book about his father's experiences was a Polish Jew during WWII and the lasting effect they've had, mostly concerns itself with Aushwitz. All told Spiegelman's father, Vladek, spent just under a year in the prison camp Aushwitz. He worked various jobs, including as a tinsmith and fixing shoes, trying to stay one step ahead of the ovens. Throughout this he was doing his best to bribe guards, both to secure enough food for himself, and to do whatever he could to keep his wife alive.

This story is juxtaposed against the present day, where Vladek has become a stingy man with failing health and serious marital problems with his second wife. Art's tumultuous relationship with his father is the real core of this book. He struggles to understand his father and how he came to be the man he is. He worries about portraying him in a negative light, but also wants to stick to the truth as he understands it.

This is a really powerful, difficult book, and it's hard to say more than that. Read it if you can.

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