6 Mar 2024 6:42 am
Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. It’s Wednesday, and it’s time for the next post in the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge hosted by Long and Short Reviews. You can check out the list of topics for 2024 here if you’d like to take part, and you can read what others have written on today’s topic here.
I have always loved to read, and ever since learning how, I’ve loved to visit fictional places like Narnia, the mean streets of Victorian London or even Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Escaping reality was why I read. It’s why I still read. However, I’ve come to find over the years that non-fiction books can be just as an escape as fiction.
A good non-fiction book can lead you into a world of intrigue and wonder. The term “falling down a rabbit hole” is apt because that is exactly what happens to me when I start to read anything remotely interesting. I can easily get lost for hours in an intriguing non-fiction book.
One such book I read lately is Maus by Art Spiegelman. The book is a graphic novel telling the story of the author’s family during and after the holocaust. Reading it was the first time I encountered non-fiction in the form of a graphic novel, and I found it to be a great way of conveying information. Although the book tackles a challenging subject matter, it is handled carefully yet unflinchingly (my review will be posted in the next month or so). The graphic novel format helps to convey vital information about the holocaust in a less confronting way than a standard book, allowing the reader to learn about the absolutely despicable way human beings were treated whilst under the rule of the Nazis in an engaging way.
I must admit, although we briefly studied the holocaust when I was at school, it wasn’t a subject we delved very deeply into. We were taught about the camps and some of the awful things that went on in them, but reading an actual account hits differently and is a little bit harrowing.
I found myself googling other stories of survivors and those who didn’t make it out. It’s so crucial that all of these stories are talked about and remembered.
Well, anyway, that’s post number 10 complete. I wonder which non-fiction books you’ve all been reading. Perhaps I’ll be inspired to read some of them.
As always, thank you for stopping by to read my words. It really does mean the world!
Until next time,
George
© 2024 GLT
Posted by georgelthomas
Categories: life, Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge
Tags: books, challenge, Holocaust, Maus, Non-fiction, Wednesday, Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge
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I’ve heard great things about Maus.
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By lydiaschoch on 6 Mar 2024 at 12:09 pm
I haven’t read Maus, but considering that in eighth grade we was watching documentaries on how the Nazis were mining gold from their victims’ teeth and making fertilizer from other parts, I can’t imagine it’s more harrowing than that! My response is <a href=”https://readingfreely.com/2024/03/06/wednesday-blogging-prompt-nonfiction/“> here</a>.
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By smellincoffee on 6 Mar 2024 at 4:24 pm
Indeed, Stephen! Such an awful period in human history.
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By georgelthomas on 6 Mar 2024 at 4:55 pm
Maus seems to have had a resurgence lately, which is a good thing. I ought to read it soon.
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By Aymee on 6 Mar 2024 at 5:21 pm
It’s a sad read, but it’s an important story.
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By georgelthomas on 6 Mar 2024 at 5:29 pm
I completely agree about non-fiction – it can be both an escape from my own reality, but also a full immersion into someone else’s. I value opportunities to learn about other cultures, other experiences, and other lives, and I never tire of this experience. (Mostly I also just love learning!)
I haven’t read Maus yet, but I have heard wonderful things about it through the years. I’m glad that it seems to have sustained interest, and that it offers a different way for readers to engage with this important part of history.
I never really learned about the holocaust that much in school, I learned about it it from reading Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl when I was about twelve. It was a pivotal reading experience for me because it showed me the slow progression of the holocaust, the depths of evil the human race is capable of, the horrible position many were placed in of deciding whether to go along with something unspeakable to protect their lives and their families at the expense of others, or to stand up for what was right knowing that they would likely lose – and lose everything. And to see this through the eyes of someone my own age, someone who was growing up in this situation, made it feel that much more immediate to me. I think that understanding of the slow and insidious progression of anti-semitic views and acts has stuck with me because it underlined the importance of looking for “small” moments of prejudice (in myself and others) and nipping them in the bud, or at least interrogating and identifying them.
Thanks for bringing this up – it’s a great reminder that I need to read Maus, but also that this historical time is one that we must not leave in the past, but carry forward with us to inform the future.
I hope you are doing alright, and thank you for sharing! (Sorry for the long comment, it sent me down a tangential path in my mind….)
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By RAIN CITY READS on 6 Mar 2024 at 7:22 pm
Thanks for taking the time! And I’m doing well, thanks for asking I hope you are, too. I also read The Diary of a Young Girl, and I agree with everything you said about it. Sometimes, when I think about it too much, I can’t quite believe that period in our history actually happened.
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By georgelthomas on 6 Mar 2024 at 7:48 pm
I’m glad to hear you are doing well! You know, it’s interesting that you said that about not really believing that this period in history actually happened. I have heard more and more about “holocaust deniers,” along with the people who think the moon landing never happened etc. etc. I think this is part of what fuels that view, particularly of the holocaust. It’s a huge breaking open of the mind to realize and understand that this DID in fact happen, that it was perpetrated in large part by “normal” people, and that it could actually happen again. I also worry that as we reach the time when the last of the survivors are passing away, it becomes easier to retreat into denialism. This makes books and accounts like these that much more vital.
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By RAIN CITY READS on 6 Mar 2024 at 7:51 pm
That’s exactly what I think. One day there won’t be anyone left who was actually there, so it’s important for those of us who love humanity and who want a peaceful world to keep all of those stories alive.
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By georgelthomas on 6 Mar 2024 at 7:58 pm
Maus is a work of genius. Sometimes people underestimate the ability of graphic novels to tackle difficult topics. Reading your post makes me think also of Persepolis, a great memoir of a rebellious girl during the rise of the theocratic regime in Iran,
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By gretaham on 10 Mar 2024 at 5:55 pm
Oh, that sounds interesting, Greta. Thanks for that!
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By georgelthomas on 10 Mar 2024 at 5:58 pm