In addition to the books listed in the memo on Angel, you might check out:
- "What makes a good Holocaust book?: Beyond oral history". (Posted on Angel and available through MSU electronic resources.)
- Art Spiegel's Maus: A Survivor's Tale is an interesting text to consider because it is such a compelling example of a memoir told in the form of a graphic novel. (We didn't consider it for the class because it is really adult or maybe young adult reading.)
- "Michigan Teacher's Workshop on Holocaust Education". This day-long event is a chance to meet with other educators who use literature related to the Holocaust in their classrooms. The year I attended the focus was on the use of memoir. Although we did discuss students' responses to texts, the focus was much more on our readings and what is intellectually and ethically complicated about representing such a significant and horrific historical event. Spaces are limited and there is an application process. If you are interested, check the MSU Jewish Studies website for information early next semester. (And if you do want to attend and want help writing your personal statement, email me!)
7 comments:
I have read "Maus I and II" by Art Spiegelman. I think they were excellent reads. It is presented in such a different way than I am used to reading in general, but specifically in reading about the holocaust. As a graphic novel I think it does a few things. It drew me in as a reader because of the graphics and the different dimensions you would see solely in the artwork. On the other hand it is also interesting as a reader because it is written like a comic book and the dialogue is in boxes. Because of the presentation of the book it seems like it might be an "easy" read, but given the topic covered in the book it is quite the opposite. It pulls you in as a reader and you still get attached even though the characters are mostly depicted as animals (Jews: mice and Nazis: cats). As a reader you keep in mind that this story is true to a certain extent. I would suggest this book to almost anyone. It was not only a quick read (which also helps), but is very intriguing and presented in such a different way than most other Holocaust books are.
I also have read Maus one and two...and VERY much enjoyed them. It was a very interesting take on such a tough issue like the Holocaust. I think that by reading about the Holocaust in a graphic novel form, it helps us, as readers, to have somewhat of an easier time reading the text. By also making the characters in the book different animals (mice, cats, pigs, and frogs) it also makes this hard topic of the Holocaust a little easier to chew on. Anyways, I thouroughly enjoyed these two graphic novels and would highly recommend them to other readers. It's a unique take on the Holocaust and the comic book style of it makes it easier to handle such an emotional topic to read about.
I would also have to recommend Maus. It combines the Holocaust with some difficult and personal family situations. The structure of the book is appealing and it does make it easy to read. The fact Spiegelman uses animals to represent different nationalities makes this book readable. There are some pictures that are extremely graphic and hard to look at even though it is animals being shown. This happens more in Maus II, but the fact the books are based on his father's life makes them so powerful.
I have a couple of resources on graphic novels that people might be interested in. For example, one argues that the more "generic" a character (imagine a smiley face or an animal) the more people can project themselves into the character. The opposite would also be true--the more the art represents a particularly recognizable person, the less the reader is apt to identify with him/her. The reason that I bring this up is that the animal figures in Maus certainly have symbolic meaning, but they might also lend themselves to particular types of identification while reading.
I read a graphic novel for one of my English classes called "One Hundred Demons" by Lynda Barry. I thought it was a really interesting book, it tells several different stories from her life in graphic novel format. It is an adult read, but deals with a lot of issues that people would familiarize themselves with (fitting in, family, boyfriends, etc.) It was a good way for me to get introduced to this sort of genre, b/c I could relate to the stories.... sometimes graphic novels seem overwhelming and hard to identify with.
:)
I have also read "Maus" for a writing class last year. This was my first experience with graphic novels, and after reading the book I became very interested in them. I love art and this was an interesting way to include pictures into books for adults. I agree with what Valerie said about relating to the characters. Because the characters were so generic, I was really able to relate to those in "Maus." I read another graphic novel, "My New York Diary," and I was not able to relate to the character in the same way. I really enjoy graphic novels, and feel that the pictures have a way of expressing emotions and giving insight to a story that words cannot always describe. "Maus" provided an interesting twist on exploring one Holocaust experience, and it was a quick easy read. I would recommend this book to everyone.
You hear the phrase "a picture says a thousand words" and it is definitely true. There is a reason young children’s literature includes pictures, so they can make sense of the words even if they don’t fully understand. As with the other posters I too have read the graphic novel "Maus I". It was my first experience with such a text and I found it very good. It was interesting, it kept me engaged, and in my opinion provided more information than other young adult reads on the holocaust (without getting into dry research texts). Carrie brought up another text that I had read "One Hundred Demons", again another great graphic novel in which you need to pay attention more to the pictures than the words, because it is the pictures that actually tell the story.
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