The Book in 3 Sentences

The author relates his father’s stories of World War II to the reader via a graphic novel. More than a retelling of war stories, Spiegalman relates how the war affected him, as well, by recounting his complicated relationship with his father. Spiegelman’s father was a Polish Jew who was put in a ghetto and then later a concentration camp during Nazi occupation.

How I Discovered It

This book was suggested to me by one of the employees at my Local Comic Shop.

Impressions

World War 2 was absolutely brutal, and this book succeeds in portraying that brutality. Liz also read this book with me, and we were left blown away by the wartime living conditions described by the author, and were left in awe of the resilience of everyone made to suffer through Nazi rule.

The book also explores how the war affected the psyche of survivors, their progeny, and the world, after the war ended. That was also super interesting to read about, and reflect on.

The book was described to me as “The best graphic novel of all time”. I don’t think I agree with that. It’s not even the best graphic novel that I’ve read. But it was very good, and well worth a read.

How the Book Affected Me

This book is a spiritual successor to reading Persepolis: a graphic novel read with the purpose to learn about cultures and peoples who lives are different than mine. It left me with a deep respect for survivors of World War 2.