Booking Through Thursday: Obscure

What’s your favorite genre that other people might not read? I mean, mysteries, romances, real-crime … these are all fairly widespread categories. But real readers don’t usually limit themselves to just the “big” genres … so what’s your favorite little-known type of book? Books on dogs? Knitting books? Stories about the space race? Mathematical theory?

So, I have a couple to tackle here, I think.

First, sci-fi. Now, I don’t think it’s a particularly obscure genre, but I do think it’s one that tends to be underrated and brushed aside. Sure, it’s nerdy and not all of it’s good–which can be said of all genres, frankly–but when it’s on, it’s on. You see some great writing in it, plus world building, attention to detail, creativity, observation, and social commentary. I love books that are very well-planned and intricate where maybe you’re not sure where things are going for awhile until suddenly, everything comes together perfectly.

Another is graphic novels, which is again not necessarily obscure but is looked down on and dismissed, but again, the good writers really nail it and take things beyond triviality. Plus there’s a hell of a lot to be said for being able to effectively work with both words and drawn pictures to create a good, compelling story. I wasn’t sold on the genre until I read Watchmen, then I tackled Sandman over the course of the past year-ish, and they’re both example of what I already said I love about sci-fi, too–intricacies that collide to create excellent storytelling.

And finally, something that is a bit more niche–Holocaust memoirs. My dad’s a WWII buff, so at a point in school where most kids are just starting to learn about what happened during the Holocaust, I was already well-aware, and I’ve always been interested. I’m not completely sure why. Maybe it’s the fact that someone can be so full of hatred that they choose to kill and harm so many people and that they can manage to suck enough people in that agree that they manage to pull off one of the greatest atrocities in history. Holocaust survivor stories are always heartbreaking, as well as compelling because each person experienced something different and has a different perspective, meaning no two stories are the same. I also feel that one of the best ways to get an idea of what any era, place, or event was like is to read firsthand accounts, and in the case of the Holocaust, it’s important to keep telling these stories and be aware that we have a responsibility to put an end to genocide, which is still happening.

Now, graphic novels and Holocaust stories collide excellently with Maus, which is actually two books by Art Spiegelman that tell his dad’s (and in part, his mom’s) Holocaust story, and the reason I bring up Maus is it’s the perfect example to illustrate the points I’ve already made…and I just finished the first book a few days ago. This isn’t just a rehashing of Art’s dad’s story–Maus is a comic/graphic novel, though drawn all in black and white, and it uses animals to tell the story. The Nazis are cats and Jews are mice, hence the title, and even though it seems like an almost absurdly simple framing devise, it’s ridiculously effective. It’s not that Maus wouldn’t be a strong story otherwise, but using the animals adds a layer and potential makes it slightly more accessible for younger readers–but don’t think that means it’s too juvenile for adults. My brother expects I’ll cry when I finish it, for one, plus it doesn’t sugarcoat any atrocities of the Holocaust. Art seems to have great instinct, too, because the book is written just his dad told it, complete with broken English, interruptions, missing pieces, and some father/son interaction that helps to characterize both of them, as well as show their relationship and the aftermath of the Holocaust so many years later. I highly recommend it to everyone, no matter what you like to read.