Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize-Winning Graphic Novel Maus Banned by Tennessee School Board back in late January (via CBR):
Art Spiegelman himself has addressed the McMinn County School board's decision to remove Maus from its curriculum in an interview with CNBC. "I'm kind of baffled by this," Spiegelman said. "It's leaving me with my jaw open, like, 'What?'" he continued, going on to describe the board as "Orwellian."
Some of the school board quotes are tragic:
Why does the educational system promote this kind of stuff, it is not wise or healthy… I am not denying it was horrible, brutal and cruel," one board member said. "It's like when you're watching TV and a cuss word or nude scene comes on it would be the same movie without it. Well, this would be the same book without it… If I had a child in the eighth grade, this ain't happening. If I had to move him out and homeschool him or put him somewhere else, this is not happening. - Tony Allman, School Board Member
The Mcminn County School board in Tennessee just voted to ban a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) January 26, 2022
The vote was 10-0https://t.co/kpgjoLZQq9 pic.twitter.com/liMpSKJHYS
4 comments:
My understanding is that it was banned in ELEMENTARY and MIDDLE SCHOOL libraries. Not high school. I didn't let my middle schooler read it, until she was in high school. I felt the subject matter was presented excellently, but I did think the subject of his mother's suicide was a bit much for her age.
Tonebone, I appreciate you sharing your experience and thoughts. Personally, I aim divided on how I feel about this. On the one hand I am anti-book banning since its the first step in a direction I don't support, but on the other hand the whole purpose of a school board being made up of locals is for the school to reflect a communities values or beliefs. I am also a parent and one of the things I came to realize as a parent is that each child's tolerance for what they can handle is vastly different. My daughter found and still finds Star Wars to violent to watch. As a parent and a dork I was shocked by this :) But I have nieces that saw it when they were really young and loved it. My point being is that as a parent, who knows my child best, I feel like it should be my choice what my child is exposed to - not the school board or anyone else. On the other hand a school board should draw lines on what children are exposed to and what is age appropriate. So as you can see I'm divided. What I would have liked to see the school board do, and maybe they did, but is notify the parents of what they are planning, before it is done, and give everyone an opportunity to weigh in. But with all that being said what I really care about is being able to watch Star Wars with my daughter, which I can't! :( :)
It's not book-banning. Every elementary school library has rigid criteria for what they place in the library. You can't go into a middle school library and find The Joy of Sex. It's simply not age-appropriate. The library is used by students as young as 11. Maus is swirling in controversy only because it WAS placed in the middle school library, and after complaints, was removed. You said it should be your choice what your kid is exposed to... Exactly. If it's in the MS library, your child can read the book without your knowledge or consent. It has already been deemed appropriate, simply by its being available to them. And it was deemed appropriate by the school, not you. If a parent believes it is age-appropriate for their child, they can get it from the public library, with the support of the parent.
"Book banning, a form of censorship, occurs when private individuals, government officials, or organizations remove books from libraries, school reading lists, or bookstore shelves because they object to their content, ideas, or themes." So removing Maus is a type of book banning. Whether its a good thing or bad thing is debatable. That being said I support local school boards setting standards - its their job. So if a school board doesn't feel a book meets their criteria so be it. If the parents don't like it they can vote the school board out. However, if we removed every book a parent found objectionable that would be a sad empty library! Tonebone, I appreciate the discussion!
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