WWII graphic novel to be discussed at Des Plaines History Center

The year 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, and the Des Plaines History Center’s book group plans to read war-related titles throughout the year. Maus by Art Spiegelman is now available at the readers services desk at the Des Plaines Public Library, 1501 Ellinwood Street.

Maus, which is published in a comic-book format, relates the chilling story of how the author’s father survived the Holocaust. Spiegelman combines history and art in this graphic novel to cover ground that is indescribable. Maus is a two-volume set that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1992. Its book jacket reads: “Maus is the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler’s Europe, and his son, a cartoonist who tries to come to terms with his father, his father’s terrifying story, and History itself. Its form, the cartoon (the Nazis are cats, the Jews mice), succeeds perfectly in shocking us out of any lingering sense of familiarity with the events described, approaching, as it does, the unspeakable through the diminutive. These cats and mice are not Tom and Jerry, but something quite different. This is a new kind of literature.”

Adults and high school students are welcome to attend the discussion of Maus, Volume I & II, Wednesday, March 18, from 6-7 p.m. at the Des Plaines History Center, 781 Pearson Street. While there, guests are invited to view the History Center’s new exhibit, “World War II: Des Plaines and the War against Fascism.”

The other World War II books the group will review this year are Unbroken (now a major motion picture) by Laura Hillenbrand (May 20), Code Talker by Chester Nez (July 15), and Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (September 16).

For more information, call the History Center at 847-391-5399 or visit www.desplaineshistory.org. When online, visitors are invited to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and become a member to receive updates, bulletins, and newsletters.

The Des Plaines History Center gratefully acknowledges operating support from the City of Des Plaines, the Des Plaines Park District, its members, and other contributors.