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Saturday 9 July 2016

The Complete Maus


The Complete Maus (Maus, #1-2)The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't think there's much I can say about this poignant book about the holocaust that's not already been said (given that the first part was first published 30 years ago).

What I will say is that I am very tempted to post a copy to Ken Livingstone though. For those who don't know, the former London mayor said (during an interview about whether or not a fellow Labour member's remarks about Israel were antisemitic): "Hitler won his election in 1932, his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel. He was supporting Zionism – this before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews."

Anyone who reads this book will realise there's a massive difference between Hitler's views on Jewish people (Maus quotes him as saying "The Jews are undoubtedly a race but they are not human") and a belief in a Jewish nation. I have grave concerns about the actions of the Israeli government towards Palestinians, but that doesn't mean I think Israel doesn't have a right to exist or - much more importantly - that we can allow antisemitism in any form (or Islamophobia for that matter). The Holocaust happened because we allowed fear and hate to rule; we are all obligated to ensure that never happens again. This is particularly important given the UK's current political climate. "Brexiters" and "Remainers" must come together to stamp out racism. We must show the hateful that their views have no place in a modern society.

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