Maus

Vladek was a Jewish mouse who survived Auschwitz.

"Friends? Your friends?..."

"If you lock them together in a room with no food for a week..."

"...then you could see what it is, friends!"

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Art was the son of Vladek.

Art: Sigh. I'd rather kill myself than live through all that...

Francoise: What? Returning groceries?

Art: No. Everything Vladek went through. It's a miracle he survived.

Francoise: Uh-huh. But in some ways he didn't survive.

-From Maus: A Survivor's Tale
by Art Spiegelman

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I like this book because it retells the standard artistically meaningful Jewish sob story in a unique and compelling way. With mice!

In a society where we have every convenience and people often dramatize every little change in their lives, it's interesting to think about how we might deal with real hardship. Like being locked in a cattle car for days, standing in other people's shit with no food or water.

I wonder how someone who complains about the hot weather while sitting in an air conditioned SUV would react if put into Vladek's situation.