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Date: |
Feb. 18, 2022 |
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TDD: |
791-2639 |
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WARD 2 COUNCIL MEMBER PAUL CUNNINGHAM DONATES HOLOCAUST GRAPHIC NOVELS TO TUCSON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Ward 2 Council Member Paul Cunningham will be donating copies of the graphic novels "Maus" and "Maus II" by Art Spiegelman to area high schools.
The acclaimed graphic novels have recently been in the news after a local school board in Tennessee removed them from the curriculum.
“Maus tells the story of the Holocaust in an accessible way,” said Cunningham. “It’s important for young people to be able to have the opportunity to read these books.”
At the time of its publication, "Maus" won both the Eisner and Harvey awards, the most prestigious awards given to comics and graphic novels. It also earned a Pulitzer for Spiegelman. The current controversy has focused new attention on the book, earning it a number one spot on Amazon’s best seller list decades after it was first published.
“If there are people who find parts of it objectionable, I don’t know what to tell them,” added Cunningham, a middle school teacher. “It’s a telling of the biggest atrocity of the 20th century. It isn’t a bedtime story to make people feel comfortable.”
Cunningham noted that "Maus" was required reading in a course on the Holocaust when he was a student at the University of Arizona. He also grew up knowing Holocaust survivors.
“I met dozens of Holocaust survivors over the years; they entrusted my generation to never forget,” he said. “I promised them I wouldn't. I am keeping that promise.”
Cunningham ordered 10 copies each of "Maus" and "Maus II" from local comic book dealer Charlie Harris. He will be donating them to TUSD high schools.
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