As Junior struggles to find his place in a school where the only other Indian is the mascot, he grapples with generational poverty and discrimination. I first read the story of Junior as he leaves his school on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington for an all-white school during Banned Books Week in middle school. 'The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,' by Sherman Alexie In the books' defense, we've written why they deserve a place in our schools, libraries and society: With that in mind, USA TODAY staff looked at challenged and banned books and chose those that are meaningful to them. For many, particularly children and young adults, school and public libraries are their only means to access literature. But that is only true for those with the financial resources to do that. Sure, there is the argument that we can bypass places such as public libraries and purchase a book. Even if it happens only once, it is one time too many. It is by the power of these officials, that a book can go from challenged to banned in a particular school district or public library. What happens when a book is challenged in school boards and public libraries? Titles can be removed from school curriculum or library shelves. Most public schools and libraries have boards comprised of elected officials or members appointed by elected officials. Holocaust Museum said, "Maus has played a vital role in educating students about the Holocaust through sharing detailed and personal experiences of victims and survivors."įor last September's Banned Books Week, USA TODAY staffers banded together to defend some of the most challenged books in America as compiled by the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom. The book was part of its eighth grade English and language arts curriculum.Īs news spread about the school board's decision, Spiegelman called the decision "absurd" and the U.S. 10 meeting minutes posted to the district website. The McMinn County School Board in eastern Tennessee voted 10-0 earlier this year to ban the book, citing concerns over "rough" language and a nude drawing of a woman, according to the Jan. 'It's embarrassing': 'Reading Rainbow' host LeVar Burton fires back at rise in banned books It was an honor wholly deserved by American cartoonist Art Spiegelman, who channeled his Polish-Jewish, Holocaust-surviving parents' experiences into the semi-autobiographical masterpiece in which Jews are represented as mice and Germans as cats. The serialized comic, completed and published in collected volumes in 1991, made literary history when in 1992 it became the first (and to date only) graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize. Now, book banners are coming for "Maus," a classic of holocaust literature. We value diverse perspectives, are open to new ideas and respect intellectual freedom. So it should come as no surprise that the thought of banning a book would make us riled. Watch Video: Central York High School students speak out against book banĪs journalists, it's our job to seek out the truth even when it's uncomfortable.
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