A Tennessee school board pulled a graphic novel about the Holocaust from its curriculum, citing language and nudity concerns.
The McMinn County Board of Education announced Thursday that Maus, a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel that depicts its characters as animals, had been removed from its eighth grade English curriculum over concerns about its “use of profanity and nudity” and depiction of “violence and suicide,” according to a statement.
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“We do not diminish the value of Maus as an impactful and meaningful piece of literature, nor do we dispute the importance of teaching our children the historical and moral lessons and realities of the Holocaust,” the statement read. “We have asked our administrators to find other works that accomplish the same educational goals in a more appropriate fashion.”
The board voted unanimously to pull the book from the curriculum and look for a replacement during a Jan. 10 meeting.
“The values of the county are understood. 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,” Director of Schools Lee Parkison said, addressing the board.
Parkison also discussed the possibility of redacting some of the profanity and the drawing of a nude woman within the limits of copyright rules, but the board ultimately decided that it would be unfeasible.
“Some of this vulgar and inappropriate behavior can be whited out, but because of copyright, it is like b-i-t-c-h. They can only white out the i-t-c-h, just like the g-d word — they have to leave g-d. Is that correct?” board member Tony Allman asked, to which someone responded in the affirmative.
Maus was written and illustrated by American cartoonist Art Spiegelman and follows his parents’ experiences in 1940s Poland to their internment at Auschwitz. In the graphic novel, Jews are depicted as mice, Nazis as cats, and other animals for different groups.
In response to the board’s decision, Spiegelman told CNN that they are “focused on some bad words.”
“I can’t believe the word ‘damn’ would get the book jettisoned out of the school on its own,” he said.
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1/ 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.
— US Holocaust Museum (@HolocaustMuseum) January 27, 2022
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum also responded on Twitter, saying Maus plays a “vital role in educating about the Holocaust” and it and others like it could be used to “inspire students to think critically about the past and their own roles and responsibilities today.”
