The inclination to prohibit books in schools appears to stem from adults wanting to shield children from content that they deem distressing or offensive. Unfortunately, these adults often fail to recognize the educational and artistic value of the books, focusing only on harsh language or gruesome imagery. They fail to understand that such elements can serve as a means to convey the harsh realities depicted in these books. This is precisely what happened with Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel series, “Maus.” Recently, a Tennessee school board removed the series from an eighth-grade language arts curriculum, citing inappropriate language and nudity.
The case of “Maus” is part of a distressing trend of book bans in schools that primarily target works addressing the history of oppression. Just during this school year alone, school districts across the United States have banned numerous anti-racist educational materials, as well as acclaimed books that tackle themes of racism and imperialism. For instance, Ijeoma Oluo’s “So You Want to Talk About Race” was initially pulled by a Pennsylvania school board, along with other diversity-related resources, for allegedly being too divisive. However, the decision was later reversed. Similarly, Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison’s book “The Bluest Eye,” which explores the impact of racism on a young Black girl, has recently been removed from school shelves in Missouri and Florida. The latter state also banned Morrison’s book “Beloved.” These book bans effectively hinder young people’s ability to learn about both historical and ongoing injustices.
For decades, Holocaust literature and survivor testimonies have been incorporated into U.S. classrooms and education policies with the goal of ensuring that we never forget. “Maus” is not the only Holocaust-related book that has become embroiled in recent debates on curriculum materials. In October, a school district administrator in Texas invoked a law requiring teachers to present opposing viewpoints on widely debated and currently controversial issues. This resulted in teachers having to present opposing views about the Holocaust in their classrooms. Books like Lois Lowry’s “Number the Stars” and Anne Frank’s “The Diary of a Young Girl” have also faced accusations of being inappropriate in the past, citing reasons such as language and sexual content. However, it is truly disheartening that anyone would suggest that there could be a valid opposing view of the Holocaust.
During the Tennessee debate surrounding “Maus,” one school board member questioned why the educational system would promote content depicting hangings and the killing of children. This sentiment is often echoed by those who wish to shield young people from the horrors of history. However, it is important to acknowledge that children, particularly children of color and ethnic minorities, were not spared from these horrors when they actually took place. Furthermore, sanitizing history in an attempt to protect children assumes, falsely, that today’s students are unaffected by oppression, imprisonment, death, or racial and ethnic profiling. Tennessee itself has been embroiled in controversies in recent years, such as incarcerating children as young as 7 and disrupting the lives of undocumented youth.
By denying young people access to knowledge of the past through book bans, we jeopardize the possibility of a more just future. In Texas, legislators have recently argued that coursework and extracurricular activities should remain separate from any form of political activism or public policy advocacy. This narrow perspective views the purpose of public education as promoting so-called neutrality, rather than nurturing informed participants in democracy.
“Maus” and many other banned books that grapple with the history of oppression effectively convey how personal prejudices can turn into oppressive laws. Ironically, by banning books that make them uncomfortable, adults are themselves weaponizing their prejudices, ultimately harming the students who are deprived of these important literary works.
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