No comments about A Tale of Two Subs: An Untold Story of World War II, Two Sister Ships, and Extraordinary Heroism.

No comments about Atomic Tragedy: Henry L. Stimson and the Decision to Use the Bomb Against Japan.

5 comments about War Nerd.

1. A big disappointment. Just a collection of some of his essays from exile. You can read all the essays on the web. I am a big fan and was expecting some new material. Very disappointed.



2. Sure, of course this is a mere collection of the Exile columns but I'm just tickled pink to be able to read these things in old school print and in a form where I can pass along the book to friends and enemies. Brecher's analysis of current events is not only frighteningly accurate but his writing is fit inducing hilarious. Buy this book. Often.



3. I've learned a vast amount about warfare -- both modern and ancient -- from Gary. His insights have given me the power to see through the BS constantly spewed at us by the media and an administration that obviously know far less about warfare than he does.
   
   His unapologetic cold bloodedness and complete lack of candy coating the harsh realities of warfare are incredibly refreshing.
   
   In the current era of ceaseless war, this is a book every informed citizen should read.
   
   And when the revolution comes, this is the man we'll need planning our battles.



4. While it's just a collection of his columns at the eXile, I'm very pleased to give Brecher a little bit of money in return for all the entertainment he's given me over the years.



5. You can send your son to college and burn $150K, or you can spend less than $20 and give him all the education he needs about world history and human nature. No joke.

5 comments about The Butterfly.

1. I am a college student who wants to become an elementary school teacher. This book was read to us in one of my education classes and I fell in love with it. It will fit in with any unit on the Holocaust.



2. The book The Butterfly By patricia polacco is a story about a little girl during the 1940's, but her mom was hiding people in the basement.When all the people have to leave, even her best friend.But they will always have a gift from eachother to remember them.
   I would recommend this book to whoever picks up this book.It has a little bit of everything a memior,a little bit of went on in history,it also has a lot of friendship.
   In this book you will have a lot of vizualization,question,and a lot of craft. These will help you understand.



3. I found "The Butterfly" a very interesting book because it not only shows how Jews, but how non-Jews lived in fear in World War II. It tells how the little girl, Monique, is afraid of the "tall black boots" in her small French village. The "tall black boots" refer to the Nazi officers. It is not until Monique's friend, Monsieur Marc, is beaten and taken away by the officers when Monique finds out why the Nazis are in her village. One night Monique encounters a little "ghost girl" in her room that teaches Monique that she is not the only one afraid of the War. The little "ghost girl" turns out to be a Jewish girl named Severine hiding with her parents in Monique's unknown basement. It turns out that Monique's mother was hiding this secret from her. One night when Monique and Severine are playing in Monique's room when a neighbor sees them. The girls tell Monique's mother that someone had saw Severine and that Monique and her mother will be in trouble if they continue to harbor Severine and her family. That night, Monique and her mother take Severine and her parents to safety and Monique ends up in trouble. Will she ever be safe?



4. My wife selected this book, for our 5 year old daughter, in the primary school library, before the Christmas break. Last night, when I picked it up to read to my daughter, I had no idea what it was about. It is a gentle introduction to World War 2 and the German Nazi's. It does not mention concentration camps or gas chambers. It is about a wonderful family in France that sheltered Jews hiding from the Nazi's, during the German occupation. This morning, my daughter asked me to read the book to her again.



5. "Rechtes... verlassen des links..., Recht, link" said the German commander as he and his men walked down the streets of France. The book The Butterfly a great book about a French girl named Monique who finds out about a secret her mother was harboring for many months. One night she wakes up. She doesn't know why she did. She sees a ghostly girl who is petting her cat when Monique said something. The girl gets up and runs. Monique doesn't know what to do. So, she tells her mom her mother gets very angry but not at her daughter. I think this book is unbelievable. I like how the author does a good job showing how they reacted to all the problems.

5 comments about Baseball Saved Us.

1. Mochizuki, K. (1993). Baseball Saved Us. New York. LEE & LOW BOOKS.
   The story of "Shorty" and his family living at an interment camp during WWII can be used when teaching students about war, especially WWII. Younger students can relate to the character of "Shorty" and his struggles with fitting in and the hardships he feels among peers. Older students can debate the equality issues and the effect war has on people concerning race, religion, and nationality. The issues of prejudices are revealed through the eyes of a young Japanese-American boy. This story revolves around baseball, an all American great pastime. Baseball is the answer because the Japanese-American's are American's. The injustices in this book are well written to inform a large audience at many age levels.



2. This book is a great inspiration to young children. It deals with obstacles in life and the ways they are over come. Even if you are different, there are ways for everyone to fit in.



3. This book was about a boy and his family when america was at war with jaspan. The boys dad dicided to make a baseball field and everyone hekp it eas like the real thing. The boy was not such a good playaer but he practiced. After the war ended he went back home it was bad nobody talked him and also made fun of him. Basebasll season came and he palyed for a team there to they made fun of him saying Jap's no good. That same day he bated and he made jhi steam win. This sotry show the struggle and getting out it just by playing baseball.



4. The book Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki is a book on baseball. This is based on Japanese camps in World War II. This book shows pride about how they made something useful by playing the game.
   There are three reasons you should read this book. One reason is because It is an inspirational book. It shows how Japanese made it through the war and being in a camp. Another reason is because it spotlights our mistakes in the past. Putting innocent victoms in fenced camps, even though they had nothing to do with the war was a mistake. Another reason is because it teaches us that you can make something out of nothing. They made a baseball field out of a dirt field.
   We Recommend this book because it's an inspiration to everyone. It shows our past mistakes, so we don't repeat them in the future. It also teaches us a lesson because we can make something out of nothing.



5. Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki
   In the book Baseball saved us many lives were changed. I thought that it was a good book because of the picture. We think that it was great because wealso like baseball. The pictures are detailed and lifelike. On page 4 you could tell how afraid he was when his dad yelled at him. In addition, when the kid looked at the guard, you can tell that the guard was frowning from the illustration. The story would make you think it is real. Explains all the things that you would think would happen from reading the title. You would be cheering on the kid as if you were his friend. If your into baseball, you would adore this book. All the people use all their effort to make a baseball field. On page 6 and 13 they play a baseball game, where many things happen.
   We thought the book was still great and alive. The drawings helped you explain everything and the story makes everything real or you think. If your into baseball, you will adore this book.

5 comments about America: The Last Best Hope (Volume I): From the Age of Discovery to a World at War.

1. Bill Bennett writes a pithy, easy-to-read history of the U.S. While not hesitating to point out the numerous failures and foibles we faced as our nation grew, the author is also not reluctant to describe the many more triumphs. His work is a straightforward history -- you know,the kind that school kids used to read before the teaching of history gave way to politically correct indoctrination. His book is well-researched, well-cited and punctuated all through with interesting footnotes that flesh out the events described higher on the pages. Through it all echos the message that the U.S. often was a beacon of hope in a complicated, often dismal world. This is a very valuable book and most readers except the America haters will come away richer for having read it.



2. WHAT I BOUGHT WAS GOOD BUT AT TIMES IT SKIPPED SO I NOT SURE WHAT THE PROBLEM OR IF THE CD'S WERE BUFFED



3. Mr. Bennett's history of America Vol. 1, is a good chronology of the people and events which shaped the histroy of the USA, but it is marred by his nationalistic perspective. He tells us that Ronald Reagan got it wrong at this First Inaugural when he said, "All of us need to be reminded that the Federal Government did not create the States; the States created the Federal Government." To think this a false statement is nonsense! In the chapter on secession , Bennett makes this statement about the Virginia delegates who voted to secede from the Union, "Delegates long forgotten voted to break their ties with the American Republic that Virginia's greatest sons - Wahington, Jefferson, Madison, Marshall, Mason, and Henry - had risked their lives to bring forth." This too is false! Back in 1776 Virginia's greatest sons risked everthing to leave a union (the British Union) and form their own independent country of Virginia! Our founding fathers gave us thirteen independent states, which later formed a Confederated Republic. Bennett makes the inexcusable mistake (or nationalistic trick) of thinking the people of the United States are the people of a nation as a whole, rather than the people of each state considered as an independent sovereign. This sloppy thinking should disqualify him from being taken seriously as a historian. We are, after all, the United STATES of America, not the People of America. There was no consolidated nation in the late 1700's, so the people had no way of expressing themselves as a nation. The States were sovereign and the will of the people was manifested on a state by state basis (as it is to this very day!). No founding document speaks of a nation or national government. Our founding documents speak of free and independent States united into a Confederacy of States, devoted to their mutual defense, liberty and welfare. Bennett attaches himself to this false history because he worships at the altar of Lincoln and adopts Lincoln's flawed understanding of the foundations of American Government. Hence, he gets a false read on many aspects of American history, e.g. the Federalist vs anti-Federalist debate, Hamilton's economic schemes, a central bank, the Webster-Hayne debate, the nullification crisis, the legality of secession, Lincoln's war, etc. Those who advocated limited government and stood in the way of a more powerful central government are sneered at by Bennett, especially Southern leaders who understood American history and law better than his self-taught hero, Lincoln. This glaring error in Bennett's outlook taints his perspective and undermines his thesis that America is the world's last best hope, since this country has never fully recovered from its attempted suicide back in the 1860's. Yet, much can be learned from his book about American history in spite of all the nonsense about "Father Abraham". One has a good outline of people and events with which to dig deeper and get a more accurate picture.



4. Dr. Bennett provides a wonderful walk through our history and points out aspects left unwritten in our standards texts.



5. Bennett has done an outstanding job of documenting the often chaotic, confusing story of the founding and development of our country in a very easy to read and comprehend book. It's become one of my permanent references on US history.

5 comments about Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World.

1. In the aftermath of the Great War decisions were made in Paris that decided the history of the world for the next century. MacMillan does a creditable job of making sense the negotiations that took place in 1919 to divide up the planet after the total collapse of the Central Powers and the Russian Empire. She addresses dozens of issues involved in the meetings and committees of the Versailles conference and the politics involved amongst the victorious allies. Millions were taken from their Ottoman and German colonial masters and given over to the French and British. The United States was offered a Mandate over the Kurds but refused it as Wilson did not want to get involved in middle east colonialism. The existence of new states was recognized and the colonial authority of France, Britain and, ominously, Japan was reinforced.
   
   A good book and the best I've seen on the subject.



2. The author does an exceptional job of writing an easily read and understood book about a very complex part of history. Getting past the easily taken road of blaming the Paris Peace Conference for many of the ills the world has experience since, the author provides what I believe to be a very balanced look at the events in Paris in 1919. Although readily admitting that many mistakes were made by the peacemakers, some that could have been avoided, the author does an excellent job of considering the many factors that made many of the decisions seem more resonable when they are considered. Some of these factors include: rising and competing nationalist feelings, strategic security and economic considerations, the circumstances of the "peacemakers" (primarily the U.S., England, France, and Italy) at the end of WWI - especially their economic and military situations, perceived future threats to the international community, and the desires of the people whose futures were being decided.
   Bottom line - a wonderful book and highly recommend to anyone looking for a single book describing this time in history.



3. In assessing the 20th Century I tell people the pivotal event was the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand that touched off the first world war. Granted, if that had not happened something else probably would have caused the war sometime within that timeframe but such was not the case.
   
   The assassination and the resulting catastrophic war eventually led to a cessation of hostilities in November 1918 when the Germans and the Axis Powers were more exhausted than the exhausted Allies. As the victors, the Allies met in Paris to establish the terms for surrender. The Allies also decided to set the terms for not just peace but a lasting peace in Europe specifically and the world generally.
   
   However, the main architects of what was to be the Treaty of Versailles (Clemenceau of France, Lloyd George of England, and Woodrow Wilson of the US) were also humans prone to many human faults. For one thing, they were political leaders susceptible to political pressures. While Wilson was more sympathetic to the losing side of the war the British and French -- especially the French who hosted the western front for four miserable years -- were not sympathetic. The Russians were invited even though their new Bolshevic Government had withdrawn in early 1918 but the invitation was more of an obligation than an actual desire to have them in Paris to make things more difficult. To the relief of the Allies, the Russians chose not to participate.
   
   When I first got the book I thumbed through it and my immediate thought was that it was going to be boring. Once I got into the book it was anything but boring. The interactions between the leaders and their staffs and their different agenda was fascinating and gave a clearer understanding as to why their efforts to redraw the boundaries of Europe and the world -- nobel as they were -- were probably doomed to failure. Perhaps the world would have been better off without the Paris negotiations, the Treaty of Versailles and the resulting League of Nations. But in 1919 the victorious leaders could not look ahead to see that their efforts to redraw Europe and the world was a mistake.
   
   It seemed like a good idea at the time.



4. I've read some great history books before, including 1776 and America's Longest War. But this is the best. It shows in astonishing detail that the greatest errors made in 1919 by President Wilson were not in allowing the British and French to impose overly punitive reparations on Germany (though that is partly true, this familiar thesis is turns out to be overblown -- the greater error with respect to Germany was not following the young Keynes's advice and starting the EEC in 1919). Even worse, Wilson gave into American and European racists who could not tolerate Japan's proposed "racial equality clause" and thus had to accept Japan's demand for a slice of Chinese territory -- thus weakening the League's moral credibility, embolding Japanise colonialism, and driving betrayed Chinese intellectuals into the hands of Lenin. This is not your 11th grade history textbook: this is what really happened, with incredible detail about the tangle of problems in region after region -- Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the new Yugoslavia, Italy's attempted land grabs, Greece's ambitions and their terrible consequences, the disasterous policies in the middle east. The cast of major characters are painted in vivid detail; I almost feel I know these men after reading this amazing book. Through it all, the tragedy of Wilson's humanitarian dream comes through keenly -- compromised away in efforts to save the League of Nations that only ended up making it worthless. Here is a thought for the future: Henry Cabot Lodge and his Republican opponents of the League would have accepted a league that only included democracies. But Wilson would not compromise were it would have helped, only where is harmed, it seems. Perhaps we should go back to Lodge's idea now and consider a new Federation of Democratic Nations to replace the defunct U.N. -- and try to revive Wilson's lost dream.



5. This work is all about the treaty that brought World War One to a close. It's also takes a detailed look at the various, (and often, "nefarious"), world leaders who were the principals in fleshing out that final agreement which, by the way, was never ratified by the U.S, Congress.
   
   I especially liked the book because it's sort of an unvarnished mini-biography of Woodrow Wilson. I came away seeing Wilson as both incompetent and a bit of a loser. The book also verified what I already knew about governments in general: they're NOT there to help you and their leaders harbor personal power agendas that are rarely, if ever, in the public interest.
   
   A lot of countries got screwed (I couldn't think of a more appropriate term!) as a result of the Versailles Treaty and, perhaps, I differ a bit in my personal conclusions about this from the author and the conclusions she has drawn. Still, the book itself arms one with all the facts, and there's not much editorializing, and for that I praise Macmillan.
   
   I doubt that there is a better documentation of this period and place anywhere. Macmillan was very thorough in her research and it's a fine book. I most enjoyed the discussion of "Lawrence of Arabia" and his dillemma.
   
   If I have a complaint about the book it's simply that, even accounting for the fact that it's non-fiction, I didn't find that it was a very fluid read. This was a book that I had to make myself finish and, after the fact, I'm pleased that I did.

5 comments about An Army at Dawn: The War in Africa, 1942-1943, Volume One of the Liberation Trilogy.

1. Overall, I am glad that I read the book. It is a part of World War II that I knew nothing about. After reading the book it is clear to me that this was a critical part of the war for the Allies. The negatives are:
   
   1. Most of the discussion is on the weakness of the allies. This includes lack of adequate planning (e.g., trying to take the wrong hill), bad assessments of Axis strength, lack of aggressiveness especially on the part of US generals, etc. Then all of sudden , the Germans are in retreat and the Allies are at the door of Tunis. Atkinson needed to provide analysis and explain what changed.
   2. There was inadequate discussion of the control of the airways. There were several references to the Luftwaffe attacking the Allied lines but then that stopped. There is practically no discussion of Allied air power and how it neutralized the Luftwaffe, gave air support to the advancing armies., etc.
   3. Similar to point 1, Eisenhower is presented as an unsure, overly political, poorly prepared commander. There is little discussion about what he did, if anything, to lead the Allies to victory, although it is implied at the end. Similarly, Alexander is first introduced as the savior of the Allied effort. All future references to him only cover the battlefield mistakes. It is not clear why Atkinson introduced him in such a favorable way. I assume there were a lot of strategic and tactical skills that he brought to the effort that were left out.



2. WITH A WW II LIBRARY OF ABOUT 400 ITEMS, THIS HAS SHED NEW LIGHT ON ARES THAT WAS QUITE INDEPTH. THE RESEARCH PUT INTO THIS MUST HAVE BEEN COLOSSAL. THIS IS A MUST HAVE FOR ALL WWII BUFFS.



3. This is a conventional and only partly successful history of the US Army in the North African campaign in WWII. Atkinson has done a great deal of research to assemble a generally well written and fairly thorough narrative of the campaign. In assembling the narrative, Atkinson has the advantage of a theme to unify his book; the inexperience and gradual maturation of the American Army. Atkinson describes well the general inexperience of the rapidly expanding American Army and how the Americans struggled when they experienced real combat conditions. After the short but violent conflict with the French during the invasions of Algeria and Morocco, the Americans and the British had to confront the Axis in Tunisia. The Axis forces were composed primarily of experienced German troops led by aggressive officers fighting on good defensive ground and under the overall command of one the very best theater commanders of the whole war, Field Marshal Kesselring. Not surprisingly, the inexperienced Americans did not do well, though neither did the British forces. Eventually, improving combat capacity and the sheer weight of resources led to a substantial Allied victory. Atkinson emphasizes other aspects aspects of the North African campaign; it was forging ground for Allied command structure and American-British cooperation. While long regarded as a sideshow, Atkinson argues (as have quite a few others) that the North African campaign was actually crucial to Allied success. For a more thorough and convincing discussion of this issue, see the work of Douglas Porch.
   
   The defects of this book are several. It is not really a history of the campaign as a whole. To be a real campaign history, Atkinson would have to provide a good deal more information about the Germans and Italians. Not does Atkinson provide much information about crucial aspects of the campaign such as the air war, which clearly proved to be decisive, or naval features. He concentrates on the American Army but here the treatment is not entirely satisfactory. His approach is very much the usual "chaps and maps" approach. There is little description or analysis of the actual experience of campaign from the soldier's point of view. If the campaign did produce improvements in American combat capacity, how did this actually happen? Changes in tactical doctrine, training, equipment? Even at the "chaps and maps" aspects, this book has problems. Atkinson does relatively poorly in describing geography, usually a key feature in determining the character of battle. Finally, Atkinson is generally a good writer but he occasionally veers into unfortunate purple prose.



4. The good part about this book is in the details. Many engagements are described day-by-day and objective-by-objective. The lives and experiences of officers and men throughout the ranks are investigated.
   
   The bad part about this book is its imbalance. If you enjoy reading about inexperience, ineptness, or incompetence, you'll get a full dose. But you will rarely find a description of characters who are experienced, accomplished, or competent. As described in other reviews, there were plenty in the latter category.



5. I highly recommend this book as a great read and an invaluable view of one of the less studied struggles of World War II. If you like the Civil War documentaries of Ken Burns, the works of John Eegan and others of this stripe, you will find equal or greater enjoyment in An Army at Dawn. But the author has more in mind than an entertaining overview or a personalization of battle. He skillfully uses the book's style and content to embody what seem to emerge as his deeper points. Chief among them is the historical and contemporaneous ambivalence toward, and downgrading of, the importance of the North African campaign. This despite what is, at least to Mr. Atkinson, its strategic centrality and its essential role in shaping the American military leadership. Yet again, through his presentation one develops the overall feeling that the story of clashing personalities, political distraction and balky or inadequate subordinates is a reprise of the continuity of the great literature and themes of campaign retrospectives through the ages. The memoirs Ulysses S. Grant came to mind for me. In this respect it does a service that Keegan does not, but perhaps more historical writers like Tuchman manage. This book helps illuminate them, even as it calls you to think about other works as you read on in this one.
   Doing an expert job at the now familiar style of mixing overview and detail, facts and anecdotes, the book lays out a full picture of the North African campaign at every level and engages the reader fully, the whole time. The multiplicity of views is the book's weakness as it leaves one wishing for more of the deeper analysis it begs for in many of its key topics, but you have to draw the line somewhere. The author has done a great service and a yeoman job in digging through and offering up so many new primary sources. The book is in fact a trove of topics and arguments calling to be expanded by other authors. The one thing I would have loved to see added is some kind of suggestion list or organization of some of the key sources, to help a reader follow up

5 comments about Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History.

1. In Maus, Art Spiegelman illustrates his father Vladek's story -- of growing up as a Jew in Poland, persecuted and eventually captured and sent to Auschwitz during WWII. While portraying tragedy, Maus manages to have a certain amount of beauty and humor, due partly to the various types of characters being rendered as different animals (e.g. Jews are drawn as mice, Germans as cats, Poles as pigs, etc.). Whenever Vladek and his wife attempt to pass as Poles, they are charmingly drawn wearing pig masks. The scenes portraying Art's relationship with his father are touching and feel very authentic. I'm looking forward to reading Maus II.



2. This graphic novel in no way cheapens the magnitude of it's subject. Metaphors are rich and overall a solid read.



3. This book is a survivors tale of being a Jew in Nazi Germany. The author tells his father's memories of the horrors of the holocaust. It is written in the form of a comic book. The author uses a metaphor for the people in WW2. The Jews are mice and the Germans are cats. The book talks about the author's father being a succesful person and then being captured by the Germans and finally freed from his POW camp, but forced to live in the Ghettos and hide from the Nazis who want to send them to Austwitch. The book leaves off as he is being shipped to Austwitch (a Nazi Concentation/death Camp).
   This is one of the best books I've read about the Jewish experience in Nazi Germany. It's easy to read and surprisingly informative. I would most defenintely recommend this book for someone else to read.



4. When I included this and Perseplos & Maus 2 I was informed that they are not graphic novels and that I could not have one free. AMAZING! Of course after I asked for the distric manager's name/number there was a sudden change of heart BUT NOT a good instore experience from BORDERS at ALL. The GRAPHIC NOVEL is great. Borders are not.



5. One (two actually since there are two volumes) of the best submissions about the Holocaust which is designed to reach a broad audience. Maus and Maus II are written in the vernacular, personalizing the experiences of a camp survivor who is interviewed by his son. Excellent supplement to any Holocaust discussion.

5 comments about Maus : A Survivor's Tale : My Father Bleeds History/Here My Troubles Began/Boxed.

1. Despite the approachable medium of the grpahic novel, Maus is an intense experience that I think everyone should read. This novel is NOT for minors.



2. Boy, can I be a dope sometimes!
   
   I've resisted reading Art Spiegelman's Maus for years. There was something about the holocaust turned into a comic that set my teeth on edge. It wasn't that I didn't know that lots of people whom I respect thought Spiegelman's work a masterpiece, or that several of my fellow professors had actually used Maus as a text in various courses (much less that the book won a Pulitzer!). It was just that I couldn't bring myself to reconcile the theme (genocide) with the genre (comics).
   
   Well, I was a dope. I've learned a lot about the genre since then (although I wish we had more appropriate titles for it than "comics" or "graphic novel"), and I've discovered that the genre is perfectly capable of handling heavy themes (Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner's Our Cancer Year or Joe Sacco's books on Bosnia and Palestine are perfect examples). So I've spent the last week reading Spiegelman's Maus.
   
   Oh my. Who could've imagined that the unclassifiable tragedy of the holocaust could've been so poignantly, so thoughtfully, expressed? The story line and the drawings are incredible, succeeding in saying entire volumes in the abbreviated way characteristic of this genre. It astounds me that so much can be said in just a few words and "simple" drawings. No doubt years of thought and mountains of draft went into such craftsmanship. One is reminded of how much effort it takes to write good poetry.
   
   One of the best features of Maus is that Spiegelman, in telling the story of his parents' ordeal through the story of his troubled relationship with his survivor father, keeps the holocaust in the present instead of relegating it to a distant past. The father Vladek's memories of the horrific past bleed into the normalcy of the present. One of the most chilling examples of this temporal fluidity is found in Volume 2 (p. 79). Vladek, Art, and Art's wife Francoise are driving through some wooded areas on their way to a supermarket. Vladek is telling the story of four young girls who were hanged at Auschwitz. One of the panels comprising this segment is an overhead shot of the car containing Vladek, Art, and Francoise as they drive under a canopy of tree branches. From the branches we see four sets of legs and feet dangling. The legs have the characteristic striped pants of Auschwitz inmates. The power of Vladek's memory invades the present.
   
   And indeed this is one of the major themes of the book. Vladek, who infuriates Art with his stinginess, his continuous tension and nervousness, and his constant complaining about everything, is who he is because the horror of the past is always with him. He can't shake it, and neither can his son Art. Indeed, the theme of memory percolates throughout the book: unwanted present memories, yearned for lost memories (exemplified by Vladek's destruction of the diaries written by Art's mother, Anje).
   
   That's one of the reasons this book is the masterpiece it is. It isn't just a several-layered story. It's also an implicit archaeology of memory that, layer by layer, uncovers what it means to be a creature capable of both remembering and forgetting.



3. Spiegelman offers an intensely personal and touching encounter of one man's perspective of the Holocaust. His unique portrayal of the characters might seem arbitrarily comical on the surface offer a distinct closeness and newness of perspective never before offered by a Holocaust survival story. The graphic novel is a perfect medium for expressing the troubled yet sincere relationship between father and son and the honestly-plaited story of survival. This work is simply outstanding and a must read for anyone remotely interested in graphic novels.



4. Schools are beginning to assign this work as serious literature worthy of serious study, which it is. The "comic book" approach is highly accessible, yet retains a great deal of subtlety and nuance in illustrating (literally and figuratively) the far-reach psychological impacts wrought by the holocaust.
   
   The book has also advanced the state of comic books from the status of children's pap toward a medium with power and artistic merit for all ages.



5. Elegant and bittersweet. Humorous and horrifying. Astonishing original and intuitive. The author poured his soul and marrow into interpreting the nightmare his parents endured and survived, showing also that that the genocide of WWII continued its reach far past 1945.