Spiegelman, Art. (1992). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began. New York: Pantheon Books. 136 pp.

Grade Level: 6-12

Genre: fantasy

Summary and Critique

Maus II: a Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began is the sequel to Maus: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History. In Maus II, the Nazis (portrayed as cats) hunt and herd the Jews (portrayed as mice) into concentration camps where the Final Solution takes place. Told in an unusual comic-book format, Spiegelman, a cartoonist, visits his father and records his experiences in a graphic novel. Both father and son try to come to terms with what has happened, while they struggle through their own strained relationship. Through various tales, readers witness Vladek survive the brutal horrors of the Holocaust because of his physical strength, his wit, and luck. This story also relates the effects of those experiences on Vladek's later years and the impact upon the lives of the following generations.

This complex book relates events which young adults must confront, in a format that is sure to capture their attention and interest. The narrative combines words and pictures, as well as autobiography with the father's biography, all the while developing insights that are bigger than the characters.

Awards

1992 Pulitzer Prize

Received National Book Critics Circle Nominations 1986, 1991

1990 Guggenheim Fellowship

Themes/Topics

The Holocaust

Families

Generations

Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

Challenges and Triumphs

War and Peace

Adventure

Author/Illustrator/Editor Information

Arthur Spiegelman and his parents emigrated from Stockholm, Sweden when Spiegelman was just a child. At the age of sixteen years, he began drawing professionally. Although his parents wanted him to major in dentistry, Spiegelman instead followed his heart and earned degrees in both art and philosophy. He is now the editor/co-founder of Raw, the acclaimed magazine of graphics and avant-garde comics, as well as a contributing artist for many other magazines.

For more information on Art Spiegelman:

Geis, Deborah R. (2003). Considering Maus: Approaches to Art Spiegelman's Survivor's Tale of the Holocaust. Alabama: University of Alabama Press. 232 pp.

http://www.lambiek.net/spiegelman.htm This site contains up-to-date biographical information on Spiegelman and offers examples of his other works.

Media Connections

Movies

Romeo and Juliet (1996) A 1990s remake of the Shakespeare play.

One True Thing (1998) A career woman reassesses her parents' lives after she is forced to care for her cancer-stricken mother.

Life is Beautiful (1998) A Jewish family tries to survive in a concentration camp while maintaining contact with each other.

Smoke Signals (1998) Native American teen comes to terms with his abusive alcoholic father's death.

Television

American Dreams-any episode (family relationships, race relationships, war)

My So-Called Life-any episode (family relationships, teen issues)

Six Feet Under-any episode (family relationships, tolerance, resolution)

The Bernie Mac Show-any episode (family relationships in mixed families)

Music

"One." Performed by U2. Achtung Baby. Polygram, 1991. Relationships, unity and difference.

"Every Rose Has Its Thorn." Performed by Poison. Open Up and Say...Ahh. Capitol, 1988. Beauty and pain.

Online Resources

http://www.remember.org A comprehensive Holocaust site filled with images, witness accounts, books for sale, art, literature links, and tips for educators.

http://www.koyagi.com/Libguide.html The Librarian's Guide to Anime and Manga. This site is helpful for teachers wanting to implement more of the graphic arts into their lessons. It gives them an introduction to the new forms of comics that are popular with Teens today.

http://ublib.buffalo.edu/lml/comics/pages/ Comic books for young adults. Good guide for what is appropriate for the classroom

http://my.voyager.net/~sraiteri/graphicnovels.htm Recommends titles of graphic novels appropriate for libraries.

Related Texts

Satrapi, Marjane. (2003). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. New York: Pantheon Books. 153 pp. Presented in black-and-white comic book style illustrations, Satrapi portrays her life in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.

Minear, Richard H. (2001). Dr. Seuss Goes to War: World War II Editorial Cartoons of Theodor Seuss Geisel. New York: The New Press. 272 pp. Cartoons expressing Dr. Seuss's political views.

O'Connor, Flannery. (1946). The Complete Works. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. 555pp. The short story,"The Artificial Nigger," addresses racism and age conflicts.

Jimenez, Francisco. (1997). The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child. Albuquerque : University of New Mexico Press. 134 pp. An autobiographical account of a child from a family of migrant farm workers.

Teaching Ideas

(1) "Comprehension Check" Have the students read the first chapter of an assigned novel and ask them to prepare two statements that cover the most important events in that chapter. They will then rewrite their statements as sentences to be completed on a separate sheet of paper. Students will exchange incomplete statements with classmates, who will complete them. This allows readers to check on their comprehension of main events in the plot, and also serves as a review of what has been read so far. As they read through the book, the completed sentences eventually become an outline for the b4teens_book. [Summarized/adapted from "Chrono-logs" by Jean K. Hammond in Ideas Plus Book One. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, pp. 4-5.]

(2) "An Andy Rooney-Style Essay" Inspired by the pieces Andy Rooney does at the end of the television show 60 Minutes, students will think of some common, everyday object, custom, or behavior, then write a short essay about it and present their musings in front of the class. Encourage students to pick topics with which they are intimately familiar- eating pizza on first dates, teachers, friends, video games, parents, and so on. The format helps keep the essays short and stylistically down to earth.

[Summarized/adapted from "The Rooney Essay" by Jane McFann in Classroom Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. January 1987, p. 7.]

(3) "That Was Then...This Is Now" Students will reflect upon how they have changed over the years. Ask them to bring in two photographs of themselves. One should be as current as possible and the other should be at least three years old, but not a baby picture. These photos served three major purposes: to remind students of their past, to focus on a particular time, and to generate interest. Next, give students a list of statements that will be the springboard for their final writings (but they don't know that yet.) The information sheet should be divided into two parts. The top half is titled"That was then," with a place to attach the picture from the past. The bottom half, devoted to the present, is titled"...but this is now." Also include space for the current photo. The response stems for each part follow.

"That was then,"

At age ____, my favorite pastime was...

My best friend was...

My other friends included...

My favorite entertainer was...

My room looked like...

I wanted to become...

When I needed to talk to a parent, I usually went to my...

The thing I valued most was...

The person I respected the most was...

As a student, I was...

If I got into trouble, I would...

"...but this is now."

Now, at age____, when I have free time I like to...

My best friend is...

My other friends include...

Now, my favorite entertainer is...

My room looks like...

Now my goal is to become...

If I need a parent, I would normally go to my...

At this time the thing that I value the most is...

The person I respect most is...

As a student, I am...

If I get into trouble, I...

Today I am mainly concerned with...

By responding to these statements, students have already collected the details for their papers. At this point, all that remains is the organization. In evaluating the papers, look for extensive detail from the first group of statements and for substantiated conclusions drawn from their responses to the last group of questions.

[Summarized/adapted from "Prewriting from Photographs" by Pat Nance in Classroom Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. December 1991, pp. 5-6.]

(Review written by Erika Melero and Jennifer E. Moore and edited by Jennifer E. Moore).