US: Tennessee school bans Pulitzer Prize-winning Holocaust novel 'Maus'

A Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Maus: A Survivor’s Tale has been banned from classrooms by a school in the US state of Tennessee, as it has eight curse words. The graphic novel by Art Spiegelman depicts how the author's parents survived Auschwitz during the Holocaust through hand-drawn drawings of mice and cats. As per a report by the Guardian, ten board members of McMinn County school unanimously agreed to remove the novel from the eighth-grade curriculum, citing its usage of the curse words and illustrations of "naked photographs" of women. The book received the Pulitzer Prize in 1992.

The school's director of education, Lee Parkison stated that there is some raw, offensive language in this book. Parkison went on to add that before the book was banned, he had consulted with the attorney and that they thought the best approach to rectify or handle the content in this book was to redact it and remove the eight swear words and the image of the woman that was objected to, according to The Guardian report.

Spiegelman surprised at book ban

Tony Allman, who is a board member, stated that they don't need to facilitate or partly promote these things. Another member of the school board, Mike Cochran, called parts of the book totally unneeded. Cochran advocated revising the entire curriculum. He believes the book was made to "normalise sexuality," and obscene language. The decision comes as conservative groups around the country are attempting to prohibit books from school libraries, with a particular emphasis on works that explore race, LGBTQ concerns, or oppressed communities.

Meanwhile, two board members Julie Goodin, who is an instructional supervisor and former history teacher and Melasawn Knight, who is the federal programmes supervisor, supported the novel's inclusion in the curriculum. Melasawn Knight stated that any time anyone read something from history, people did hang from trees, commit suicide, and people were slain, over six million people were murdered, The Guardian reported. The British media house quoted Knight as saying that he believes the author portrays it because it is a true narrative about his father who lived through it.

On Wednesday, the author of Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, Spiegelman, claimed he was surprised at the outcome, CNBC reported. The 73-year-old author stated that he has met many young children who have benefited from his book. Spiegelman's Jewish parents were both deported to Nazi death camps.

(Image: @RyanHigginsRyan/Twitter)