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Adam’s Review of Sober Identity by Lisa Neumann

This book review will definitely be the first of its kind here on Reflections of a Book Addict. As an avid reader of the website, you would know that we mostly read novels and watch movies. Recently, the opportunity arose for me to read a novel all about living soberly. For some odd reason, I thought it would be a great book for me to read because it seemed to be different than anything I have ever read and reviewed for this blog.  Sober Identity Tools for Reprogramming the Addictive Mind by Lisa Neumann is a self-help book that contains tools to help you get sober and live an active life as a sober individual. Neumann uses her own experiences as an alcoholic (and now a recovered alcoholic) to help you truly understand your life and what it can become with focus and determination.

This book is not a memoir or a story saying all alcoholics should follow these certain steps to guarantee sobriety. The book is written to help the reader with the different steps of recovery, as well as explaining how you should learn to live with your new sober self. She breaks the book down into six parts: the six tools you should use in looking at your new life. The six steps are: the observation, the process, the essentials, the competencies, the partnerships, and the basics. All of the six play an integral part in the recovery process: the observations entails that you observe your behavior and see what needs to be changed.  The process represents how you change the behavior, and the essentials instruct you on how to change your life in order to achieve happiness (and also a discussion on the science behind change). The competencies talked about the steps one must take in order to be a competent person, free from alcohol and truthful to themselves. The partnerships dives into the partnership with ourselves and our own self motivation, and lastly the basics ties everything together and gets into the basic steps one takes to get sober. All of these parts tell a separate story, but one must be aware of all the different six steps in order to get sober.

My favorite part of this book by far was the inner dialogue that Neumann had between two distinct voices in her head. In the introduction when Neumann was explaining how the book was written, she said that everybody has two voices in their head. Voice A is their lower self, the one who struggles and questions whether or not they could get and stay sober, and then there’s voice B, who represents the way they were meant to be in the eyes of the creator. I thought by adding these conversations Neumann added a personal level to the self-help book without turning it to an autobiography. I really enjoyed reading the progression of these dialogues because they go from pre-sobriety to complete sobriety over almost seven years. You got to see how her voices changed through the different stages. Voice A tried to drag her down and tell her she’s not strong enough and that she should go back to drinking, and on the other hand voice B was always her voice of reason even at the pre-sobriety stage. Voice B always said what she didn’t want to hear, yet needed to hear. For example, in the early stages of her sobriety when voice A was questioning whether or not it could or stay sober or why it even got sober in the first place, B was telling her that she should just focus on today. Not tomorrow, not a month from now, focus on your recovery today and then when tomorrow or next month comes focus on it then. Even though I am not a recovering alcoholic, I think this is a good mantra to have for life. Don’t focus on problems or bumps in the road that may occur tomorrow or a month from now, focus on today, then move to tomorrow, and next Friday only when it’s actually next Friday.  My favorite of the inner dialogues was definitely dialogue six (out of seven), in which she had been sober for 367 days. In this particular dialogue her voice A was telling her that since she had been sober for one year, she could go back to drinking (something her voice A had mentioned in an earlier dialogue), but her voice B was so strong and confident that it didn’t even want to drink. It really showed the progress of her recovery and how strong she really was when she wasn’t dependent on alcohol. It made me smile because it was one of the dialogues where she truly seemed happy, and happy people are always better than sad people!

In all, I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought it was an interesting tool to read as a non-addict because it made me understand the mindset of the addict without telling one’s personal story. I think this is a great tool which should be read by recovering and recovered addicts, as well as those who are going through the journey with them. It also made me question my voice A and voice B, not from the perspective of an addict, but from the perspective of my own self-doubt.  Voice A is telling me I can’t do something and my sometime too quiet Voice B telling me I can do anything I want to do.  Overall, it’s an awesome read that everyone should pick up when they have a chance.

4 out of 5 Stars

Sober Identity by Lisa Neumann
Balboa Press (2011)
Paperback: 156 pages
ISBN: 9781452539188

Special thanks to Jessie from Author Solutions for sending over my review copy!

Adam’s Review of Double Crossing by Meg Mims

Trust is a thing that is earned, not given, to those in our lives. Unfortunately, sometimes those who seem closest to us are the ones who will stab us in the back if given the means and opportunity to do so. The idea of trust is put to the test in Meg Mims’ historical fiction mystery novel Double Crossing. Through trials and tribulations the main heroine learns these difficult lessons about trust, as well as the old adage that one should keep their friends close, but their enemies closer.

Lily Glanville lives in Evanston, Illinois  in post-Civil War America and seems to be at a crossroads in her life. She can get married to Charles Mason and join a missionary trip to China, or she can get married to another suitor and stay near her recently widowed father. One night near her birthday, her father is unexpectedly murdered and deeds to a California gold source are stolen. Lily suspects her father’s friend Emil Tadaro, who happened to be at the house when her father was murdered. While receiving condolences at the funeral her Aunt Sylvia, along with her husband Sir  Vaughn who she hasn’t seen in years, approach Lily and plan to take care of her. They prove to be too much for Lily, and she escapes one night with help from Charles. She plans to go to California to intercept Tadaro, who was planning on meeting up with Lily’s Uncle Harrison. Along the trip, she meets a Texan named Ace Diamond who she pays to help protect her and Charles on their mission to California. By the end of the trip, she discovers who can be trusted and who has been acting the whole time.

I must admit, I liked this book a lot more than I originally expected to. I am not a huge mystery fan; I like Dan Brown’s works, but other than that and The Boxcar Children I really don’t find many mysteries to be interesting unless they’ve been made into a movie. However, Meg Mims wrote this book in such a way that would make it perfectly translatable to film. Right away I was casting the roles in my head, and I was able to do so because of how much detail she put into the book. She explained every chapter down to the smallest detail so that any reader could visualize them. The characters were extremely well written and most of them were extremely relatable. Even the villains of the novel had a really interesting story and when you find out who double crossed Lily at the end, I guarantee you’ll be shocked because I did not see it coming. Even though there are some foreshadowing clues, I never expected the ending to be as thrilling and exciting as it was. The different parts of the novel are a great build up to the climax and I often found myself making predictions as to how the novel was going to end.

Another aspect of the book that I found really interesting and really made me like the book a lot more was how strong of a heroine Lily was. Given that the story took place in the late 1800s and women were still seen as second class citizens, it was really interesting to see how strong-willed Lily was. She was truly an independent woman, and she thumbed her nose at people who expected her to do what society expected of her. She was a great character and I really enjoyed reading about her growth from start to the finish.

All in all I really enjoyed this book. It grabbed my attention from the start and throughout I found myself cheering out loud for Lily. I would definitely love to see a sequel because I want to know where Lily goes next.

4 out of 5 Stars

Double Crossing by Meg Mims
Astraea Press (2011)
Paperback: 257 pages
ISBN: 1466223200

Special thanks to Astraea Press for my review copy!

Adam’s Review of Deal with the Devil (Part I) by J. Gunnar Grey

Graduating from college with a degree in history is I guess the most obvious way to tell that I enjoy history.  To say you enjoy history offers a pretty broad spectrum of things to like.  The World War II period has always been my favorite period to study/read/learn about which was one of the reasons I jumped at the chance to review Deal with the Devil.  Written by J. Gunnar Grey, it details espionage, loyalties, and the difference between right and wrong in Europe in World War II. While reading this novel, the reader’s eyes are opened to question of doing what is perceived to be right versus what is actually the right thing to do.

Major Faust is a high-ranking officer in the German army during the start of World War II. After spending some time in England while achieving his college degree from Oxford, Faust found that he liked Britain as well. He tended to believe in British ideology more than the propaganda of Nazi Germany. After allowing some British soldiers to escape from German control, a friend gets Major Faust drunk and throws him over into England near Oxford. There he is captured by Major Stone, a retired general of the British army and his granddaughter Jennifer, whom Faust has an immediate connection with. He must not crack under interrogation as he was one of the architects of a detailed plan to invade England drafted by the German army. He attempts to escape, but during his attempt a local woman is brutally murdered, and he is captured again and made the lead suspect. Thrown into this classic whodunit is a story of loyalty, with twist and turns around every corner.

I will admit, I did not like the book the first three times I attempted to read it. I would read 20 pages and then it would slow down and I couldn’t get myself past that hump, only to give up and start again a week later. However, on my fourth and final attempt I got past the hump and am I glad I did. I couldn’t put my iPad down and couldn’t wait to flick (iPad turning) the page. I kept finding myself gasping at the twist and turns  set in the backdrop of World War II England. Similar to Dan Brown creating mysteries with religious material and legends as a base, J. Gunnar Grey was able to create an excellent mystery with a fantastic historical background.

I was completely blown away with the amount of research Grey put into the book. I kept learning about new facts and was constantly double checking to see if these were actual events and places that were described in the book. It probably took me twice as long to read the book because I kept doing that, but it made for a fuller reading experience. Not only was I reading a mystery, which was the first mystery I truly enjoyed since Angels and Demons, but I was also learning more about a subject I love.

All and all, I think this reading experience goes to show that you shouldn’t judge a book by the first 20 pages. Even though the beginning may be slower, eventually you will get to an exciting part. My only complaint was that I only read part one of this two-part series, because this first part ends with a huge cliff hanger, I need to get my hands in part two ASAP, so I can continue this great story!

5 out of 5 Stars

Deal With The Devil by J. Gunnar Grey
Astraea Press (2011)
eBook: 286 pages
ISBN: 2940012608321

Special thanks to Astraea Press for my review copy!

Read-A-Thon Hour 14, Mini Challenge #11

Hello and welcome to the hour 14 mini challenge! Adam here, and I am currently taking a break from reading so I can write this post.

Kanaye is hosting this hour’s challenge! We’re asked to share our first library memory/experience!  I wish I could remember the actual first time I entered a library and saw what books can actually do, but alas I don’t remember that time. However, I do remember the time I signed up for the New York Public Library only 8 short months ago. I was unemployed and looking for a way to pass time in a new city, so I hiked down to the main branch of the public library on 42nd street and instantly my mind was blown. First of all the building is incredible on its own, then to top it off the copious amount of books they have in there is actually mind-boggling. I was literally like a kid in a candy store, except instead of sugary treats I was gaining knowledge. I must have walked around for a good five minutes before a concerned employee made me stop and get my new card. I have yet to return to this branch of the library, but I eagerly look forward to my next visit!

Note: for roughly the next two hours we’ll be participating in “Hitchfest”, a Twitter-based group where we watch movies by Alfred Hitchcock and discuss them.  So, we’re going to take a quick two-hour break from mini challenges, but worry not!  We will be back with more Read-A-Thon awesomeness soon!

Read-A-Thon Hour 11, Mini Challenge #9

Welcome to hour 11!  I can’t believe that we’re almost to the halfway point!  Hopefully those of you following along haven’t gotten sick of us yet!  This hour’s mini challenge deals with a character you may or may not have thought a lot about: the anti-hero.

Ah, the anti-hero.  Lurking in the shadows, typically not caring about the spotlight, the anti-hero doesn’t care who he/she offends or who what laws he/she breaks in order to exact revenge or obtain a personal goal.  While all of us are familiar with a typical hero, swooping in to save the day, most of us overlook the general awesomeness of an anti-hero.  In this mini challenge we’ve been tasked with describing our favorite anti-heroes.  Kim and Todd will go first, then I’ll tell you my pick.  Without further ado, here they are:

Kim and Todd:  Our favorite anti-hero would have to be V from V for Vendetta. (Kim’s review is here)  A strong and mysterious character, V embodies all that is revenge and destruction.  Taking a page from the book of Guy Fawkes, V aims to destroy the government that has oppressed him for his entire life and enlighten the residents of post-apocalyptic Britain on exactly how little freedom that they have left since this government has taken over.  The best part of V’s character is that he unapologetically charges forward with his mission, not caring who he takes down in his quest to avenge the life he suffered at the hands of the government many years ago.  This is, we feel, the best part of an anti-hero.  While heroes may be concerned with acting as “the nice guy” throughout their work, the anti-hero can really get the job done without pomp and circumstance.

Adam: My favorite anti-hero seems to most to be pretty villainous, but I see some good in him despite some major flaws. The character is Stanley Kowalski from Tennessee Williams’ classic play A Streetcar Named Desire. He has some huge character flaws in that he’s loud, obnoxious, misogynistic, and extremely crude in the sense that he rapes his wife’s sister. However, he does have some redeeming qualities in the fact that he loves his wife and has a genuine affection for her and truly would do anything within his power to protect her.  Maybe I am basing this off of Marlon Brando’s performance of him, but I feel that he is able to bring a human level to this character as well as a likability to the character.  This makes him such an enigma of the character and despite his actions, you still want to like him.

Well, that’s all for now.  Stay tuned for hour 12 (the halfway point!)

Winner Announced in the Clarice: Her Journey Through Life Giveaway!

One person has been chosen the winner in the Clarice: Her Journey Through Life Giveaway!

Congratulations to: Krista who left a comment on March 4th for being the lucky winner!!

Please contact me with your mailing address by Wednesday March 14, 2012 to claim your prize.  Shipment is to the US and Canada only.

Thank you to all who participated and left comments!

Adam’s Review of Clarice: Her Journey Through Life by Harriet Maxwell + GIVEAWAY

What is it to be perfect?  Is this even an attainable goal?  Should every human being have a role model, someone to look up to and emulate?  Are things always what they seem from the outside looking in?  These are all questions that we ask ourselves, making us ponder our existence and purpose in society every day.  These are the questions the main character in Harriet Maxwell’s Clarice: Her Journey Through Life asks on her journey down the road to discover who she really is and what the deeper meanings of her life are.

Clarice leads a far from perfect life.  She grows up in England with an abusive, alcoholic father who goes on all-night drinking binges only to come home and take his anger out on the family.  Her mom is a people pleaser, always acquiescing to her husband’s drunken demands.  Her younger sister, Prue, is her father’s favorite child, and her younger brother is far from being the perfect son.  Born with only 3 fingers on one of his hands, he isn’t the son his father imagined having.  Clarice drops out of school at 16 and begins working as a nanny for a young boy and girl.  She begins to emulate the mother of the family she works for through an unhealthy cycle of dealing with her problems using food.  She doesn’t consider herself fat, but after one weekend at home hearing some of her mother’s hurtful comments, she begins a cycle of bulimia.  She moves on from being a nanny and creates a new life for herself, always keeping the cycle of bulimia as her little secret.  After a session with a fortune-teller, words from a past lover begin to haunt her.  Will she ever be able to end her battle with bulimia? Will she figure out why these words are haunting her?

To start, the book was really well written.  I kept comparing it to a mix between Catcher in the Rye and Bridget Jones’ Diary.  I think most coming of age stories are about people figuring out themselves, weaknesses and all, in their teenage years.  This book takes a uniquely different approach in that it takes place later in life.  It asks the question,
“What if figuring yourself out came later in life?”

Maxwell was able to write the book in a way that made the characters seem relatable and like people we actually know.  My favorite character by far was Terry: the love of Clarice’s life, husband, and father to her child.  He seemed like such a genuine person and the author wrote about him in such a kind way that he seemed like a good human being.  His love for Clarice, flaws and all, really became the heart of the story.  It also made Clarice the most comfortable than she had ever been and really allowed the character to have a sense of normalcy.

This book really opened my eyes to something that has personally impacted me throughout my whole life: food addiction. Dealing with a food addiction is something that puts a lot of shame on the character of Clarice, but allows her to deal with her problems in her own way.  I felt a connection with Clarice because I have used food as a crutch for a good portion of my life.  Anyone who has ever had an eating disorder, whether it’s anorexia, bulimia, over-eating, emotional eating, etc knows what role food can play.  It’s a drug.  It’s something we’re so ashamed to abuse, but it’s also something so necessary for our daily survival.  The author made the idea of  food addiction so true to life and true to the character that I felt like I was reading am intriguing news article rather than a book.

With all that being said, I would recommend Clarice: Her Journey Through Life to anyone!  This story is very different from most coming-of-age novels because it takes place over the course of 20+ years.  She comes to be her own person slowly but surely, and her struggles are written so well and so realistically that it made them jump right off the page.  This is a must read for anyone who has ever had issues with food or anyone who knows someone who has.

4 out of 5 Stars

Clarice: Her Journey Through Life by Harriet Maxwell
AuthorHouse (2011)
Paperback 208 pages
ISBN:  9781456777500

Special thanks to Jessie from Author Solutions for sending me my review copy!

Giveaway

One lucky person will have the opportunity to win their own copy of Clarice: Her Journey Through Life by Harriet Maxwell.  Simply leave a comment below by midnight on Tuesday, March 6, 2012.  Winner will be picked at random and announced on Wednesday, March 7, 2012.  Giveaway open to residents of US and Canada only. Good luck! 

Adam’s Film Friday – A Review of The Artist

Do you ever wish you could travel back in time and live in another generation? Experience what life was like back in another lifetime and view some of the entertainment that our ancestors once enjoyed? Very few period movies released now-a-days actually have the ability to transport the audience to a whole new world, one that we would otherwise would not be able to see. However, I have found a movie that not only transports you as back in time, but it also makes you want to stay there. The Artist transports the viewer back to the golden age of silent films, allowing you to experience a truly unique movie-going experience which you won’t soon forget.

A mix of two of my favorite old movies, A Star is Born and Singin’ in the Rain, The Artist tells the story of silent film star George Valentin (played by Jean Dujardin) who at the time is the biggest silent star in the world. At one of the premieres to his films he has a chance meeting with a fan and struggling actress named Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo). The next day George is able to get Peppy a role in the film he is working on. However, Hollywood is changing over from silent films to talking pictures, and George is unable to find work while Peppy becomes a bigger and bigger star. Now fully unemployed, George’s life begins to fall apart. His wife leaves him, he loses his house, and soon the only companionship he has is a dog (played by the adorable Uggie). Will George be able to bring his career back to the star level it once was on? Will he ever find happiness in another person again?

This movie made me so happy. Never have I ever seen a movie in the theaters that made me as genuinely happy as this movie did from the beginning  to the end. Even including the more serious parts, this movie made me smile. Maybe it was the environment I was in (I saw it in a single picture movie house, sitting in the balcony), but this movie just made me so happy. It felt true to other silent films I have seen in the past and seemed like it could have been an “Old Hollywood” film just from its feel alone. Jean Dujardin had a very Gene Kelly-like quality about him, and every time he smiled I thought of him. He just oozed personality and charm, which is very difficult considering there is no dialogue. He was able to convince the audience that he was in fact a struggling silent movie actor awash in a confusing new world of sound. He deserves any accolade he gets for this film and should be preparing his shocked winner face/speech for the Oscar, because if there is any sanity left in the world he will be rewarded for this truly unique performance. The only actor who out-acted him was Uggie, but sadly dogs can’t be nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Berenice Bejo was divine as the up-and-coming Peppy and really lit up any scene she was in.

Although it was a mixture of two great films’ plots, the storyline seemed to be really fresh and delved into uncharted territory. Maybe it was the silent aspect, but it seemed like it was a new story. The direction was beautifully done, and Michel Hazanavicius deserves a lot of credit for not only this but for being the lead writer of the film as well. Additionally, the fact that the movie is in black and white just made it that much more special. Black and white adds an extra ounce of quality to any movie, and it was really cool to see it used in this day and age. The music, more important than ever due to the lack of dialogue, still fit the film perfectly and really enhanced the story telling and helped move the story along.

All and all, I think The Artist is a rare movie that deserves the title of perfect. From the acting, to the direction, to the music, everything in this movie excited me. I think it will soon be considered a modern classic. I know a lot of people are put off by watching a silent film, but please don’t stop that from allowing you to experience this true joy of a film. Go out and see it!

7 out of 5 stars

The Artist (2012)
 La Petite Reine
PG-13, 100 Minutes

Adam’s Review of Carnal: Pride of the Lions by John Connell

What if we lived in a world where animals ruled the world and the human race became all but obsolete?  What if rather than humans evolving into superior beings, animals such as lions and hyenas fought for control of the world’s power?  All of these what if’s are discussed and explored in John Connell’s graphic novel Carnal: Pride of the Lions.

Taking place in Africa after humans have become all but wiped out, Connell’s work begins with an introduction stating that due to man’s arrogance and some sorcery, animals developed human traits and eventually evolved into human-like beings who ruled the planet.  Lions, buffaloes, and hyenas became the most powerful, with such species as leopards being killed off in a constant battle of survival of the fittest.  After a war between the lions and the hyenas, in which the lions were victorious, the hyenas were banished to living underground.  The real story thus begins with Long Eyes, the oldest lion in his tribe.  He is waiting for his son Oron to arrive back after a mission to spy on the hyenas and hunt for food.  Unfortunately Oron doesn’t return and instead another lion named Short Day comes back, telling Long Eyes that he and Oron were captured by the hyenas.  Short Day was able to escape however, leaving Oron still in captivity.  With the help of the other lion prides, Long Eyes sets out to rescue his son.  Will Long Eyes be able to rescue his son or will the hyenas be able to gain control that they feel is rightfully theirs?

This was definitely the most unique graphic novel I’ve ever read.  I am so used to reading them in a comic book format (with multiple strips) that seeing the format of paragraphs with pictures at the end of the page was refreshing.  I think having the book written in the graphic novel format helped me, because the pictures helped enhance the wealth of text provided.  The illustrations made reading the text more interesting allowing the reader to be able to imagine what it would be like to live in a world like this.  Having Long Eyes’ sad blue eyes staring at me made me sympathize with this old lion, and seeing the evil in the hyena’s eyes made the story jump off the page.  The illustrations were breathtaking and seemed like watercolor paintings thrown into the book.  More times than I’d like to admit I didn’t want to leave a particular page because the illustrations drew me in.

Connell was able to create a world that was very real and alive, despite the fact that it was fictitious.  The idea of giving animals human abilities and making them the stronger species was intriguing, and even a little scary.  The reason I say scary is because in the introduction the author writes that mankind’s arrogance was our downfall, and I can definitely see that being true.  I’m not saying lions will someday rule the world, but it is an interesting concept to think about.  Will there ever be a day where we are taken over by something or someone we underestimate?

All and all I would definitely recommend Connell’s work.  I think the unique premise will draw you in, and the context and the drawings will keep you wanting to come back for more.  As a funny aside, for some reason while reading this I kept picturing an R rated version of the Lion King, without the cheesy ending and the music.  I hope you enjoy it!

4 out of 5 Stars

Carnal by John Connell
Sea Lion Books (2012)
Hardcover 120 pages
ISBN: 9780983613169
Special thanks to Sea Lion Books for sending over my review copy!

Adam’s Review of The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman

Today I will be reviewing the novel that got me interested in graphic novels and really introduced me to this underrated genre of books, The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman. With the source material coming directly from conversations Art had with his father Vladek over a period of time, Art converted this story to a graphic novel where every Jewish person is a mouse and every other ethnicity is portrayed by a different animal (Germans are cats, Poles are pigs, etc). The story paints a vivid and true picture of what it means to survive under any circumstances, and how we often don’t know the real version of our parents’ history until we hear it from them firsthand. Telling his father’s story of the events leading up to the Holocaust and how he survived his time in Auschwitz, this graphic novel somehow makes the events of the Holocaust more real than any textbook could. Maybe it’s because it’s a real story and not just a jumble of different facts and figures, but this novel really hit me in a way that other Holocaust literature hasn’t before.

As I previously stated, Maus tells the story of the author’s father and his journey during the Holocaust. Now in his 70’s, Vladek is in poor health after surviving two heart attacks. Art wants to get the full story of what actually occurred with his father and mother (who committed suicide 10 years prior to Art starting to collect his notes). The retelling of the events begin with Vladek meeting Art’s mother Anja, and details how they got married and the life they had prior to the Holocaust. Told as if we were a fly on the wall during the conversations Art had with his father, we mainly listen to Art having multiple conversations with his father, including some side notes and historical information to fill the reader in. This allows for a full experience, as you somehow feel more part of the story than if it was written in a third person narrative. Maybe it was the pictures that accompanied the dialogue, but reading this was a much more fulfilling experience for me. We can never imagine what life was like for the Jewish people and those others who were sent to concentration camps, but this book gives an accurate tale of what it was like for one person, and the pictures really help to bring that message home. The illustrations were amazing and really vivid. My favorite part of the novel’s illustrations was when the mice were hiding or were pretending to not be Jewish. Rather than drawing them as a different animal, Art put a mask on them depicting the animal they were trying to impersonate. It was an extremely creative solution to illustrating this portion of Vladek’s story

One of the most amazing parts that I was really surprised to see in the book was Art’s own thoughts about the Holocaust. Art was born after the Holocaust in Sweden and grew up in Queens, New York, but it was interesting to see that he had a lot of guilt regarding the Holocaust. His older brother, Richeu, was sent to live with an aunt when the Germans began rounding up Jews and putting them in ghettos.  (Her ghetto was deemed safer than the one Vladek and Anja lived in) As the ghettos began to be liquidated, Art’s aunt poisoned Richeu, her niece, her daughter, and herself as not to be sent to the concentration camps. It pains Art because he feels as if he isn’t as deserving to be alive because he didn’t experience it. In the beginning of the second volume, he visits with his therapist and he brings this up, which was interesting to read/see. It made me think, can we have guilt for something we don’t have any control over? We don’t have any control over what happened before we were born, but is it possible to still feel bad for it? It made me also made me wonder if any of the survivors of the Holocaust or any other tragic historical events have survivor’s guilt.

All in all, I think Maus is a great way to learn about the Holocaust. It is extremely informative, but also has a heart in the middle of this terrible story. It allows the reader to laugh at the flashbacks of Art’s conversations with his father, and really get emotional learning first hand what it was like. Art was great at drawing the reader in. Whether it was the dialogue or the illustrations, I could not put this book down. Even when the story got deeper and a lot sadder I was enthralled by it and couldn’t sleep until I was done. If you are just starting to learn about the Holocaust, know a lot about the Holocaust and are looking for another source to read, or are just in the mood to read an excellent graphic novel, I would recommend this work 1000%. Definitely a must read for anyone over the age of 14. (Note: some of the material regarding the death camps is very heavy and may not be appropriate for younger readers)

5 out of 5 Stars

The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
Pantheon (1993)
Paperback
ISBN: 9780679748403