Shakespeare Here.

Wendy and I read our first graphic novel, and we chose a good one, Maus I by Art Spiegelman. Maus I is on the “banned books” table at Barnes and Noble, and it was a topic of discussion the other day at the dinner table. We decided to see what the fuss is all about. Now we know.

Maus I is the story of and insight into one Jewish family’s experience in Germany/Poland before and during WWII. “Artie” Spiegelman is a graphic novelist who asks his father to tell him of his time, his fears, his threats, and his losses in Poland as the Nazis began to purge the Jewish population.

The elder Spiegelman relates his experiences with the German soldiers, the Jewish police, helpful neighbors and friends, and those who posed as helpful but who betrayed those they said they would hide and protect.

According to our “Google” research, Maus I was banned in only one county in one state. The reasons for the ban include the use of swearing and nudity. As we read the book, we missed both–humm–so we went back to the book to search for them. The naughty words were few according to the ban. We found one in the description of the father’s current wife whose only concern is money. The nudity is one drawing of the mom in a bathtub. Oh, by the way, all the characters are mice. That’s right, a nude mouse.

Some of our research suggests that the violence (suicide, shootings, imprisonment) may be too much for a middle-schooler’s psyche to handle. Okay, let’s pretend the Holocaust didn’t happen because it might be troublesome to a 13-14-year-old’s mind.

Also, good to note, Maus I was awarded a 1992 Pulitzer Prize.