A fundraising campaign seeking to provide students with free copies of Art Spiegelman's Maus has more than tripled and nearly quadrupled its $20,000 goal, having made just over $77,000 at the time of writing.
Nirvana Comics -- a comic book shop based in Knoxville, Tennessee -- launched the GoFundMe campaign on Jan. 28, with the goal of providing as many students as possible with copies of Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel, which uses postmodernist illustrations to tell the story of the Holocaust. The campaign was launched in response to the news that the McMinn County Board of Education in Tennessee had unanimously voted to ban Maus from its 8th grade curriculum (which broke on Jan. 26), claiming the book to be age-inappropriate.
As of Jan. 30, Nirvana Comics' campaign has raised $77,054 and counting from approximately 2,400 donations, smashing its initial goal of $20,000. Students, whether they're local to Tennessee or from anywhere in the United States, can reach out to Nirvana Comics in order to reserve a copy on either Facebook or Instagram.
"We are proud to carry Maus at Nirvana Comics Knoxville!" the comic shop wrote in the initial campaign text. "Art Spiegelman's masterpiece is one of the most important, impactful and influential graphic novels of all time. We believe it is a must read for everyone. All funds will be used to purchase Maus for students local and across the US!" Nirvana comics explains that it is setting aside 10 percent of the funds to "satisfy any tax liabilities," with any leftover money being used to "donate other books to school libraries."
Nirvana Comics posted an update after reaching its goal, in which it thanked donors. "You've helped provide copies not only to local students but to students around the US... We thought this would be a local support to help a magnificent piece of literature stay in the hands of students in the McMinn county. But… this has become a global priority!"
The McMinn County Board of Education's decision to remove Maus from its curriculum has earned widespread condemnation. "Maus has played a vital role in educating about the Holocaust through sharing detailed and personal experiences of victims and survivors," the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum wrote in a statement. "Teaching about the Holocaust using books like Maus can inspire students to think critically about the past and their own roles and responsibilities today."
In his own response, Spiegelman himself called the board's decision "Orwellian." "It's leaving me with my jaw open, like, 'What?'" he told CNBC. "I've met so many young people who... have learned things from my book." Spiegelman continued, "I also understand that Tennessee is obviously demented. There's something going on very, very haywire there."
Knoxville's Nirvana Comics isn't alone in making sure young readers get to experience what Maus has to teach. Ryan Higgins -- owner of Comics Conspiracy in Sunnyvale, California -- recently pledged to donate 100 copies of Maus to McMinn residents. "Already a few dozen kids and parents have replied, and we'll have copies going to them shortly," Higgins told CBR on Jan 27.
Despite the backlash, the McMinn County Board of Education doubled down on its decision to remove Maus. "The McMinn County Board of Education voted to remove the graphic novel Maus from McMinn County Schools because of its unnecessary use of profanity and nudity and its depiction of violence and suicide," it said in a statement. "Taken as a whole, the Board felt this work was simply too adult-oriented for use in our schools."
Source: GoFundMe