What we know about the removal of Holocaust book 'Maus' by a Tennessee school board

On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, debate continued on how to best teach students about the largest mass murder in history.

After a Tennessee school board unanimously voted to remove Holocaust book "Maus" from its curriculum, elected officials, parent groups and national organizations reacted to the ban on social media.

Here's what we know about McMinn County School Board's decision.

Who wrote 'Maus'?

Comic artist Art Spiegelman's original version of "Maus" ran in his comic anthology RAW in 1980. The novel was adapted into a book in 1986 and Spiegelman won a Pulitzer for the book in 1992.

What is 'Maus' about?

This cover image released by Pantheon shows "Maus" a graphic novel by Art Spiegelman. A Tennessee school district has voted to ban the Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel about the Holocaust due to "inappropriate language" and an illustration of a nude woman. (Pantheon via AP)
This cover image released by Pantheon shows "Maus" a graphic novel by Art Spiegelman. A Tennessee school district has voted to ban the Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel about the Holocaust due to "inappropriate language" and an illustration of a nude woman. (Pantheon via AP)

The graphic novel follows Spiegelman's Jewish parents through their internment in Auschwitz in 1940s Poland. In the book, Nazis are portrayed as cats and Jewish people are shown as mice.

"I made it when there was no such thing as a graphic novel," Spiegelman told The Tennessean Thursday. "I was doing that to teach myself and share with others."

"It's a book that breaks through in a way that others can't," he said. "It allows an entry point for people. I just don't want it to be boxed in as only about the Holocaust or only about the Jews."

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Why was 'Maus' removed by the McMinn County School Board?

The McMinn County School Board voted 10-0 to ban the book citing concerns over "rough" language and a nude drawing of a woman, according to meeting minutes posted to the district website.

The board decided to vote on the removal of "Maus" after members and instructional supervisors discussed the book's content. They considered if it was age appropriate, if it reflected the values of the district and the community and how to best teach students about the Holocaust.

After widespread national reaction to news of the removal, the McMinn County School Board released the following statement:

One of the most important roles of an elected board of education is to reflect the values of the community it serves. The McMinn County Board of Education voted to remove the graphic novel Maus from McMinn County Schools because of its unnecessary use of profanity and nudity and its depiction of violence and suicide. Taken as a whole, the Board felt this work was simply too adult-oriented for use in our schools.

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. To the contrary, we have asked our administrators to find other works that accomplish the same educational goals in a more age-appropriate fashion. The atrocities of the Holocaust were shameful beyond description, and we all have an obligation to ensure that younger generations learn of its horrors to ensure that such an event is never repeated.

We simply do not believe that this work is an appropriate text for our students to study.

What grade was 'Maus' taught in?

The book was part of McMinn County Schools' eighth-grade English language arts curriculum.

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Where is McMinn County?

McMinn County is located in Southeast Tennessee. The county has a population 53,276, according to the U.S. Census.

Who is on the McMinn County School Board?

Here's who's on the board and what district they represent.

  • Sharon Brown: Chairman - District 5

  • Quinten Howard: Vice Chairman - District 1

  • Jonthan Pierce: Member - District 1

  • Denise Cunningham: Member - District 2

  • Mike Lowry: Member - District 2

  • Donna Casteel: Member - District 3

  • Mike Cochran: Member - District 3

  • Tony Allman: Member - District 4

  • Bill Irvin: Member - District 4

  • Rob Shamblin: Member - District 5

What did McMinn County School Board members say about the book?

Board member Tony Allman said he was concerned about scenes in the book where mice were hung from trees and children were killed. The book also depicts suicide.

"Why does the educational system promote this kind of stuff?" he said. "It is not wise or healthy."

Instructional supervisor and former history teacher Julie Goodin shared a different sentiment. Goodin said she believes the book represents the brutality of the Holocaust.

"There is nothing pretty about the Holocaust and for me this was a great way to depict a horrific time in history," she said.

Instructional supervisor Melasawn Knight pointed out that she taught several books with vulgar language and violence as a teacher, including "Bridge to Terabithia," "The Whipping Boy" and "To Kill a Mockingbird."

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When was 'Maus' removed?

The McMinn County School Board unanimously voted to ban the book in a Jan. 10 meeting.

What did author Art Spiegelman say about the removal of 'Maus'?

FILE - Artist and author Art Spiegelman gets some help with his lunch from Francoise Mouly, of Random House, Inc., during a signing of Spiegelman's new book "In the Shadow of No Towers" at the Book Expo America convention, Saturday, June 5, 2004, in Chicago.  A Tennessee school district has voted to ban a Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel about the Holocaust due to "inappropriate language" and an illustration of a nude woman. That's according to minutes from the McMinn County School Board meeting on Jan. 10, 2022.  Board members voted to remove "Maus," a graphic novel by Art Spiegelman. (AP Photo/Brian Kersey, File)

Spiegelman thinks the board's decision was "absurd" and that the words in question are several mentions of "God d---" and the word "b----." He said the nude drawing depicts his mother's suicide, which includes a "dot for a nipple" and a bathtub filled with blood.

He sees the board's decision as part of a much larger picture of often polarizing debates over things like critical race theory, oppression and slavery.

"This is not about left versus right," he said. "This is about a culture war that's gotten totally out of control."

What parents are saying about the removal of the book 'Maus'

News of the removal of "Maus" from McMinn County School's eighth-grade curriculum sparked many debates, support and backlash.

ParentsTogether, a family advocacy group with more than 3 million members nationwide, issued a statement calling for a reversal of the decision.

"It is critical that we reflect upon the Holocaust with honesty and clarity, including in the ways we teach our children about one of history’s biggest evils," Campaign Director of ParentsTogether Pulin Modi said in the statement.

“The decision by the McMinn County School Board is consistent with a disturbing trend of politicians and other officials attempting to whitewash history."

Reporter Rachel Wegner contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Book 'Maus' banned: Why McMinn County schools removed the novel