I just read a news article on how a school is deciding to ban the graphic novel Maus from its curriculum because of bad language and, er, nudity :/

I won't link the article here as it will just descend straight to PWEC

But I was wondering how famous is the novel anywhere else? I bought & read it in the UK, as an adult. One of only very few (3) graphic novels I ever bought (both the others are Alan Moore books).

Now, it's been perhaps 15 years since I read it, and I don't remember any swearing. I also don't remember any "nudity", in a book where all the characters are either mice or cats. But I do remember the heartbreaking details of the two-timeline story (one during the war, the other during the survivor's son's discovery of the story).

I guess I am surprised by two things: one, that a graphic novel is part of a curriculum, and two that in reading such a powerful story, that the swearing and mouse nudity was even ever a concern when stacked up against what is essentially a true story of death camps in WW2.

I vaguely remember seeing one of the graphic novels at my college library back in the 1990's. I immediately understood what the author was going for but it didn't pique my interest enough to continue reading other volumes.


I'd say that in the US "Maus" is known very little.

Never heard of it, but I'm going to read it now. Apparently it has been banned in Russia since 2015.

Huh, I wonder why? Thanks for that info because I'm curious to see if I can find out the reason for the ban.

edit: Found it. If you want to know the definition of "absurdity" this is it:

https://www.latimes.com/books/jacke...-maus-art-spiegelman-20150429-story.html

Why would anyone ban this? Link below to the back cover and the blurb:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81C9ffaBntL.jpg

Too broad of a law and people taking it too literally and not following the spirit of that anti nazi propaganda law.
That's my guess. If it were up to me I'd say keep Maus.

Zero tolerance rules lead directly to idiocy. Well known fact.

Yup and unfortunately "zero tolerance" laws and policies have become quite commonplace in US public schools and university campuses.

"Zero Tolerance" is a joke.What you think is intolerable I might find acceptable within normal moral values.Banning books like "Tom Sawyer" and "Little House on the Prairie " is a bit extreme

Zero tolerance leads to small children being excluded from school because they chewed their lunch sandwich into an L shaped gun. Or picked up an L shaped stick in the playground at recess. Idiocy.

My daughter was nearly expelled for saying, "Bang! You're dead!" while on the playground in second grade while making a gun shape with her fingers while playing cops and robbers...

I'm not making this up.

Hauled into the principal's office, phone calls and everything! We were raising a "horrible" daughter.

In another instance at the same school she was nearly expelled a second time for the wicked act of praying with another student.



She's not at that school anymore, thank heavens.

Ah Mr B. People who have forgotten what it's like to be a child should not be allowed to care for, educate, or otherwise reprimand children.

To be a child:

Excellent.

Wait a minute. I always thought a Maus was the name for the massive Panzerkampfwagen VIII. There were only two made and the Russians managed to take out the only one seen in combat.
It was an ironic name since Maus is high German for "mouse"

Is Maus appropriate reading for younger children?

I haven't read it yet (on order), but I wouldn't think it was appropriate for primary age children (UK - up to 11). I think it's being banned for US 8th grade children (13?). 13 doesn't seem too young to me.

Link here:

https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/...18370/Called_Meeting_Minutes_1-10-22.pdf

What's Maus about that?
This clearly has to be the Maus

HA HA.

The tiny little 'tank' (2nd picture) was called 'Goliath' which proves without doubt that the Germans had a sense of humour.