The McMinn County School Board voted to ban the graphic novel “Maus” on Jan. 10, a move that has sparked controversy.
The school board cited the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel’s use of profanity and an image of a nude female mouse (meant to depict Polish Jews who survived the Holocaust) as its reasons for banning the books. But with the ban coming at a time when many school systems are discussing bans on books teaching about slavery and racism in America, many are questioning the school board’s motives.
The board’s actions have since garnered responses from the literary community, including famed graphic novel author Neil Gaiman.
“There’s only one kind of people who would vote to ban Maus, whatever they are calling themselves these days,” Gaiman wrote in a tweet on Jan. 26.
Winthrop Associate English professor Casey Cothran discusses her own feelings about the ban, citing that books about the Holocaust should not be banned for historical reasons.
“I think it is crucial for modern people to learn about it, as well as the other genocides that have occurred (and continue to occur) in human history,” Cothran said. “By studying the most shameful moments in our history, we can examine the causes that lead to the destruction of civil societies; we can see how deeply horrific dehumanization is.”
“I worry that the banning of ‘Maus’ is part of a growing trend in this country,” said Winthrop associate history professor Gregory Bell. “The idea seems to be to block people from participating in particular activities or studying a particular point of view.”
Winthrop students who also studied “Maus” gave their own opinions about the importance of learning about this book.
“The book depicted Germans as cats and Jews as mice to make the concepts easier for younger readers to understand,” said sophomore political science major Michael Suter. “So I don’t think that’s a justifiable reason to ban it.”
The banning especially came as a particularly big shock to the novel’s author Art Spiegelman.
“I’m kind of baffled by this,” Spiegelman said in an interview with CNBC. “I’ve met so many young people who … have learned things from my book. I also understand that Tennessee is obviously demented. There’s something going on very, very haywire there.”
Since the controversy has started, the McMinn County Board of Education has doubled down on the decision saying that “Maus” was removed because of its “unnecessary use of profanity and nudity and its depiction of violence and suicide.”
One member of the McMinn School Board, Tony Allman, is recorded in the minutes from the Jan. 10 board meeting as having said: “I understand that on TV and maybe at home these kids hear worse, but we are talking about things that if a student went down the hallway and said this, our disciplinary policy says they can be disciplined, and rightfully so. And we are teaching this and going against policy?”
Many fear that this will only be the start of a new trend of book banning in America, with Spiegelman referring to the ban as “Orwellian.”
“In my mind, the practice of banning books often has been and continues to be used as a political tool,” Bell said. “In Tennessee, this ban appears, at least to me, to be a political concern and not a question of morality.”
“Book challengers, like book supporters, do have the right to free speech; nevertheless, even when parents argue that certain books should not be taught in a classroom because they believe that they violate community standards, I think books should never be removed from libraries,” Cothran said. “I think it is important for librarians, teachers, students and community members to always stand up and speak out about our freedom to read.”
