Knoxville comic store giving away free copies of banned book

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - A comic bookstore gave away free copies of a banned book on Saturday and Sunday.

Nirvana Comics announced Maus would be available for free over the weekend. It has been a year since the graphic novel was banned by the McMinn Co. School Board.

Previous coverage: Board defends removing “Maus” from McMinn Co. Schools Holocaust curriculum

The McMinn Co. School Board voted unanimously to remove Maus, a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel covering the Holocaust, from the district’s curriculum during a school board meeting on Jan. 10, 2022.

Maus is a graphic novel by American cartoonist Art Spiegelman that depicts interviews with his father about surviving the Holocaust as a Polish Jew. The novel uses animals to represent different countries in World War II, with people of the Jewish faith represented as mice and Germans as cats. Maus is the only Pulitzer-winning graphic novel.

According to minutes from the meeting, several school officials were concerned with some of the book’s content. Notably, the board took issue with eight vulgar words and a drawing of a naked woman.

Nirvana Comics is also accepting donations to fund the Free Little Library and outreach programs.

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