I loved these comics. I've never gone through that phase I see a lot of people go through where they can't read enough about WWII. I've read quite a few books that take place in that period, but I need a break after reading about something so terrible. This is definitely a book I would recommend if you are like me and probably won't get around to reading every book there is on the subject. It's a such a sad account from the war and is unique from what I've read previously in that it also goes into how living through such hardships effects a person long after they've returned to a comfortable life. It is also an account of a son and father's relationship and I love that that aspect was included. The art is simple, something you'd find in a newspaper comic that you don't normally don't get to see in a book like this. But I think it is fitting, I don't want to be caught up in the detailed artwork when reading something so serious.

The review above is what I wrote for the first volume of Maus, but I felt I needed to add more for this volume. Throughout the books I thought about what it meant that everyone was drawn as animals. Of course it is metaphoric of how the Nazis viewed the Jewish people, but I also started to suspect that seeing these horrible things happen to cartoon mice was making it easier for me as the reader to "digest" the information without the complete mental impact it would have if I was watching this happen to real people. (Of course I know all this and more happened to actual humans. Throughout the books I was also thinking about how hard it would be to live through all this and amazed at the strength of the survivors that did.) My suspicions were confirmed when I saw the

Spoiler

photo of Vladek Spiegelman right after the war had ended

I had been holding back tears the entire book, but I started WEEPING after I saw that. I seriously can't recommend these books enough!