Historical novel Maus removed from shelves in Tennessee; Author believes history is being censored

     In Tennessee, school boards have been banning award-winning classic literature from curriculum, including the novel Maus.

     Maus: A Survivor’s Tale written by Art Speigelman “is the illustrated true story of Vladek Spiegelman’s experienced during World War two, as told by his son, Artie,” according to a summary by Study.com.

     The novel follows the authors parents’ story in Poland during the 1930s, describing their experiences during that time as the Navis invaded and persecuted the Jewish population during the holocaust.

     The graphic novel was voted to be banned in January from being taught in classrooms because “the book contains material that board members said was inappropriate for students,” says Jenny Gross, a reporter for New York Times.

     The ten-person board in McMinn County banned to remove the book from the eight-grade curriculum because, according to members of the board, the novel portrays Jews as mice and Nazis as cats as well as containing inappropriate curse words and a depiction of a naked character.

     Mr. Benjamin Scarborough read the book more recently, and agrees that “it is definitely not appropriate for very young children.” The history teacher also says “it portrays the horrors of the Holocaust through the story of the author’s father, as well as the agonizing effects that it had on his family afterward.”

     However, he adds “I think it could be an excellent teaching tool for high school students, particularly because it is a graphic novel.”

     The author of the novel says he was “baffled” by the decision to ban his novel, “this is disturbing imagery,” Spiegelman says, “but you know what? It’s disturbing history.”

     Mr. Robert Ott says he is “generally opposed to censorship,” and also adds “I chalk it up to a fear of words.” While Ott knows the book was banned because of language and nudity, he believes this is “ill-informed; if you see the graphic or the words challenged, you may agree that there is no reason to ban it.”

     After reading what was said in the meeting to ban his book, “Spiegelman said he got the impression that the board members were asking, ‘why can’t they teach a nicer Holocaust?’” Gross writes.

     The McMinn County Board of Education made a statement that the book was removed, also saying “One of the most important roles of an elected board of education is to reflect the values of the community it serves.”

     They also added that the book was too adult-oriented for eighth-graders.

     Mike Cochran, a member of the McMinn County School Board, said he objected to the language and depiction of nudity, and several board members said that they did not object to teaching the history of the Holocaust.

     “We don’t need this stuff to teach kids history,” Cochran says, “we can tell them exactly what happened, but we don’t need all the nakedness and all the other stuff.”

PQ: “This is disturbing imagery, but you know what? It’s disturbing history.” -Art Spiegelman