WASHINGTON: A school board in Tennessee has added to a surge in book bans by conservatives with an order to remove the award-winning 1986 graphic novel on the Holocaust, Maus, from local student libraries.
It was the most recent controversy over conservatives seeking to purge school libraries of books they find objectionable, with the focus on works that offer alternatives to traditional views of US history and culture, particularly from the viewpoints of African Americans, LGBTQ youths, and other minorities.
The ban by the McMinn County school authority though focused on the use of eight crude words like"damn" and"bitch" and one scene of nudity, which some parents said were inappropriate for schoolchildren. "It shows people hanging, it shows them killing kids; why does the educational system promote this kind of stuff, it is not wise or healthy," asked board member Tony Allman.Others defended the book. But they recognized the possible legal challenges over copyright and censorship that redacting the book could bring, and voted along with opponents to remove it from local school libraries altogether.
"Teaching about the Holocaust using books like Maus can inspire students to think critically about the past and their own roles and responsibilities today," it said in a statement.
Maus