Art Spiegelman has gone public about the latest controversy over books deemed inappropriate for public schoolchildren.
Speaking to several media outlets on Thursday, the acclaimed graphic artist said he thinks the latest ban of his Pulitzer Prize-winning 1986 graphic novel “Maus” by a Tennessee school board is “absurd.”
Earlier this month, the McMinn County School Board in Tennessee voted 10-1 to ban the book over concerns about “rough” language and a nude drawing of a woman, according to meeting minutes posted to the district website. The book was part of its eighth-grade English language arts curriculum, and its removal — sparked by a discussion about how to best teach students about the Holocaust — has drawn international attention.