KISD reviewing ‘Maus’ Holocaust novels
Katy ISD is reviewing whether “Maus” and “Maus II,” graphic novels about the Holocaust, are appropriate for its school libraries, the district confirmed this week.
The Pulitzer-Prize winning book and its sequel by Art Spiegelman, which utilize black and white cartoons of anthropomorphized animals to depict the horrors of the Holocaust, are undergoing a committee review, which was prompted internally, KISD Media Relations Manager Maria Corrales DiPetta said. The district likely will have a decision on whether the books are appropriate for students early next week, she said.
DiPetta said she was not yet able to provide the reason the books are being reviewed.
“‘Maus’ and ‘Maus II’ are currently under an internal review by the district to ensure the books align with the appropriate grade levels,” DiPetta said in an email Friday. “Any book under an internal review remains accessible to students and in our libraries.”
DiPetta added that the district “offers a number of ways for our parents, students and staff to request an instructional resource, for which they may have a concern, to be reviewed for grade level and age appropriateness.”
“Maus,” first published in 1986, is based on interviews with Speigelman’s father about his own experience during the Holocaust as a Polish Jew. It uses cartoons of mice to depict Jews and cats to represent Nazis, making it an age-appropriate vehicle for youths to learn about the generational consequences of genocide, according to many literary reviews.
The books were thrust into a
national debate over book bans in schools across the nation earlier this year after a Tennessee school board decided to remove “Maus.” The McMinn County School Board voted to remove the book, which only was being used in the district’s eighth grade curriculum, because of its use of profanity, a depiction of a naked woman, as well as violence and suicide.
Katy ISD has removed 10 books since October for “pervasive vulgarity.” Three of those removals began with internal reviews, according to the district. Critics of the district’s recent moves to pull books say works covering issues of race and LGBTQ+ experiences are disproportionately being targeted.
“Maus” and “Maus II” were among hundreds of books a group of Katy ISD students organized to distribute to their peers last month as a reaction to recent book bans in the district.
Officials from the Anti-Defamation League say the review of the “Maus” series is “extremely troublesome” because the books have a proven record of successfully educating children about the Holocaust for decades. Calling the books into question now, at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise across the nation, is alarming , according to the organization.
“Holocaust education is proven to be an effective tool in promoting tolerance and acceptance,” said Mark B. Toubin, the Anti-Defamation League Southwest regional director. “That’s probably never been more important than it is now.”
Education about the genocide is essential, Toubin said, particularly in light of a national survey among young people in 2020 that found a “worrying lack” of of knowledge about the Holocaust.
“It’s the old adage that those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it,” he said. “The lessons of the Holocaust are certainly critical to the security and well-being of people all around the world.”
Anti-censorship activists say the review is worrisome because it was prompted internally and was not based on any parent complaints.
“It’s concerning trying to understand the reasons a district would take it upon themselves to review a book like ‘Maus,’ ” said Carolyn Foote, a former Texas librarian and co-founder of FReadom Fighters, an anti-censorship group. “You can’t help but wonder if there are political pressures being placed on the district or what would motivate this review.”
Foote said that self censorship within districts “creates a chilling impact on librarians and teachers” who may be wary of selecting works that cover issues such as genocide, race or LGBTQ+ matters because they fear retribution.
“It creates an atmosphere of uncertainty,” she said. “If a book about the Holocaust isn't OK to be in the library or in the curriculum, where are we drawing the line here?”
Critiques of Spiegelman’s books over use of profanity, images of nudity, violence and suicide, such as those cited by the Tennessee school board that banned the titles, are disingenuous, Foote and Toubin said.
“I think that any teaching vehicle has to be weighed on its totality,” said Toubin. “… Trying to pick out a handful of curse words and representations of nudity, which are necessary to explain how horrible the Holocaust was — (the push back) is not really about that.”
Foote said sheltering students, especially at the middle or high school level, from learning the full history of events does them a disservice by not allowing them to learn to think critically and to be “better citizens of the world.”
“Our students have already lived through two years of pandemic and now they are watching a war unfold in Europe,” she said. “I have every faith that students can grapple with hard moments in history.”
The review and recent book bans in the district are also fostering a sense of distrust in vulnerable Katy ISD students, Foote said.
“Students are passionate about justice,” she said. “With a lack of understanding about why books are being internally reviewed or what criteria are being used, it is hard for students to understand why this is happening. Ultimately, they are the ones who are being impacted when a book is not available.”