“History for many students is often a boring exercise in the classroom primarily due to many standardized and sanitized textbooks that strip away the interesting dramas and contradictions that constitute our histories. As a result, these textbooks tend to discourage critical reflection and thinking in their presentation. In contrast, a graphic novel like Maus can engage students’ attention and activate their imagination through the author’s use of multi modalities in presenting visually arresting narratives that feature the multilayered emotions and contradictions of the characters” (Chun, 147).

This passage got my attention, as someone going into teaching history, because of how accurate it is. Even though I’m passionate about studying history and am finishing up my history major, a lot of the assigned reading is very dry and boring. Particularly in high school, much of the textbook readings were boring to the average student. The way our public schools tend to structure the curriculum focuses on wars and centers around white men. We don’t typically focus on interesting personal stories, music, art, women, minorities, etc. The assigned readings felt repetitive and cyclical. I and other students at my school would have loved to learn history through graphic novels, and I’m sure it would have encouraged discussion in the classroom. I recall one history class I had in high school which I loved, but because of the dry reading material, class discussion was nearly nonexistent.