WISE — Brian Marcus started checking on “Maus” this week after the news from McMinn County, Tennessee.
Carlie and Lloyd Tomlinson had read Art Spiegelman’s book long before it became the subject of controversy after the McMinn County School Board on Jan. 10 voted 10-0 to ban the four-decade-old graphic novel from the school division’s curriculum on the Holocaust.
The vote came just over two weeks before National Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Marcus, owner of Cavalier Comics in Wise, said Friday he heard on the news about “Maus” being banned by a school district in Tennessee and searched the internet for more details.
“I was reading the minutes on the meeting and trying to get up to date on it, kind of shaking my head over them saying they didn’t believe it was age appropriate with the language and the nudity in it,” Marcus said. “They wanted to redact it and censor it pretty much and in the end they decided, well, we’re just going to take it out of the curriculum and not do it anymore.”
The Tomlinsons, owners of Appalachian Books in Norton, started a banned book club Friday in reaction to the school board’s action.
“After reading up on it, they banned it for what I consider was a stupid reason all things considered — an image of a nude woman and several words that were considered to be foul,” Lloyd said.
“You know what else is foul?” Carlie asked. “The Holocaust. If you’re reading ‘Maus’ and the language is what upsets you, you really need to get your priorities in line.”
“It’s a Pulitzer Prize winning piece of work,” Marcus said, pointing to Spiegelman’s telling of his father’s experiences as a Holocaust survivor.
“The kids nowadays are exposed to a lot worse than this,” said Marcus, “and this is something that the teachers should have an option to teach in the classroom. It blows my mind that stuff like this is still happening.”
Marcus said “Maus” is not a regular part of his inventory, but he checked with distributors in anticipation of public interest.
“No one has them in stock anywhere,” Marcus said. “You’re just doing the opposite by banning this book. People will want to go out and it read it now.”
If demand for graphic novels like “Watchmen” and works tied to the Marvel cinematic universe are an indicator, Marcus said it could be a few weeks to a month before publishers begin a new print of “Maus.”
Lloyd said Appalachian Books has not seen much public interest this week about “Maus.” He pointed to the 2021 controversy over Theodore Seuss’ estate’s decision to stop publishing some of his children’s books over concerns about social insensitivity.
“We did have a lot of people asking for those specific books, which is another underlying irony in this whole culture war thing,” said Lloyd.
“Bookstores are a bastion of free thought and the exchange of ideas,” Carlie added, “and banned books go completely against that.”
A new display in Appalachian Books highlights book-banning with a shelf of volumes that have either been banned in various U.S. school systems or became political fodder. George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” and works by Toni Morrison share space with the Harry Potter series, Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man,” Stephen King’s “The Stand,” “The Hunger Games,” “Twilight” and works by Margaret Atwood, Paulo Coelho and others.
Carlie said the store’s first banned book club will launch Feb. 11 with a virtual meeting at 6 p.m., followed by an in-person session Feb. 12 at 2 p.m.
“It’s a bring-your-own-book club for the first meeting,” she noted. “We wanted to get everyone together as soon as possible, so everyone is encouraged to bring or discuss what your favorite banned book is, the things you liked about it and the things you learned about it. All of us will decide on a book to read for the March club meeting.”
Lloyd said the “Maus” controversy is a reminder of the importance of being involved in local politics.
“Choices like these do have an impact,” he added. “I would urge anybody angry about the banning of ‘Maus’ to think critically about why the books that get banned or challenged are targeted specifically and start showing up to your town council or school board meetings. Get on the agenda and make your voice heard.”
“If you’re that concerned about what your child’s reading in the curriculum, read what’s banned,” Carlie said. “Read what they’re reading. Get involved.”
