Tennessee school board bans Pulitzer-winning graphic novel about Holocaust over ‘rough, objectionable language’
A school board in Tennessee has voted to pull a Pulitzer prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust from its schools because it contained swear words and the drawings of a naked cartoon mouse.
Earlier this month all 10 members of the McMinn County Board of Education voted to remove “Maus” from its eighth-grade language arts curriculum and libraries.
The book, by Art Spiegelman, was first released in 1991. It features hand-drawn illustrations of mice as Jews and cats as Nazis, as the author asks his father about his experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor.
NEW: The MCMINN COUNTY school board has just BANNED “MAUS”, the Pulitzer-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust — citing 8 curse words and an illustration of a woman that was objected to, with a 10-0 vote. https://t.co/QytgY3CJ5v
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) January 26, 2022
According to its publisher, the book weaves Spiegelman’s account of his relationship with his father “into an astonishing retelling of one of history’s most unspeakable tragedies,” describing it as “an unforgettable story of survival and a disarming look at the legacy of trauma.”
The McMinn County school board member, however, opposed to the inclusion of swear words and the “nakedness” in the drawing of a mouse.
“There is some rough, objectionable language in this book and knowing that and hearing from many of you and discussing it, two or three of you came by my office to discuss that,” McMinn County Director of Schools Lee Parkison said in a board meeting held on Jan. 10.
After board members discussed how they would address the issue, they ultimately voted to remove the book from its schools.
Speaking on CNN’s “New Day” Wednesday morning, Spiegelman said that he was trying to “wrap my brain around” the board’s decision.
“It has the breath of autocracy and fascism about it,” he said. “I think of it as a harbinger of things to come.”
JUST NOW: "“It has the breath of autocracy and fascism about it… I think of it as a harbinger of things to come.”
--Art Spiegelman, the author of "Maus," on how his Pulitzer winning graphic novel about the Holocaust was banned in a TN school system.pic.twitter.com/j4oETJpaLS— John Berman (@JohnBerman) January 27, 2022
The U.S. Holocaust Museum on Wednesday took to Twitter to highlight the importance of the book.
“‘Maus’ has played a vital role in educating about the Holocaust through sharing detailed and personal experiences of victims and survivors. On the eve of International #HolocaustRemembranceDay, it is more important than ever for students to learn this history,” the museum wrote.
“Teaching about the Holocaust using books like ‘Maus’ can inspire students to think critically about the past and their own roles and responsibilities today,” it added in a follow-up tweet.
