A school board in Tennessee has banned MausArt Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic memoir about his parents’ experiences as Holocaust survivors, NBC News reports†
The McMinn County Board of Education voted unanimously to remove the book from the school district’s curriculum, citing profanity and depictions of nudity. The illustrations of naked figures depict mice.
Mauspublished in two volumes in 1986 and 1991, it is widely regarded as a classic of Holocaust literature and remains one of the most acclaimed works of graphic literature.
Jonathan Pierce, a school board member, said: “The wording in this book is in direct conflict with some of our policies…I’m just an old school board member and I think our policy states that the decision stops with this sign. .”
mirror man told CNBC that he thought the board’s decision was “Orwellian”.
“I also understand that Tennessee is clearly demented,” he said. “There’s something really bad going on there.”
The school board’s ban sparked widespread condemnation on social media.
“There is only one kind of people who would vote to ban Maus, whatever they call themselves today,” writes Neil Gaiman. tweeted†
There is only one kind of people who would vote to ban Maus, whatever they call themselves these days.
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) January 26, 2022
And author Andrea Pitzer wroteBanning Maus is appalling in itself, for erasing apocalyptic, genocidal suffering in the real world and rejecting complex art. I also think of children in Tennessee growing up without even a chance to escape the ignorance that their parents harbor.”
Banning Maus is horrific in its own right, for erasing apocalyptic, genocidal suffering in the real world and rejecting complex art. I also think of children in Tennessee who grow up without even a chance to escape the ignorance that their parents harbor.
— Andrea Pitzer (@andreapitzer) January 27, 2022
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and a regular contributor to NPR.
