Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Have You Been Banned?

Author Bill Martin, Jr., one of the world's favourite children's authors, joins the ranks of Robert Munsch, Shel Silverstein, Maurice Sendak, and Roald Dahl, as a challenged author.

According to "Name Confusion Gets Kid's Author Banned from Texas Curriculum," an article in the Dallas News, the Texas Board of Education removed Bill Martin from the grade three curriculum because they believed he had written books for adults that contain "very strong critiques of capitalism and the American system."

The book on Marxism, entitled Ethical Marxism, was actually written by Bill Martin, a philosophy professor from Chicago.

Pat Hardy, the member of the school board who made the motion to exclude Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do you See? received a warning about the author's supposed political tendencies from another member of the school board who had not read the book.

Michael Sampson, Martin's co-author on 30 children's books stated that Hardy's motion is "a new low in terms of the group that's supposed to represent education having such faulty research and making such a false leap without substantiating what they're doing."

My first thought upon reading this article was, "So what if he wrote 'very strong critiques of capitalism and the American system?'" Does that somehow negate the value of this children's book, used by many primary school teachers to teach colour? The reason for banning this book smacks of McCarthyism. The importance of reading the book being challenged is proven by this incident.

Check out the video of Bill Martin, Jr. reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear, then the spoof read by daddytypes.





There is still time to set your goal for the "Banned Book Challenge."

A Response to Brian re: The Shepherd's Granddaughter

Brian from Toronto, in the interest of full disclosure, are you the same Brian who wrote the original article in for the Jewish Tribune entitled, "Could This Book Turn Your Child Against Israel" and "An Open Letter to Ontario's Education Minister?"

Brian Henry, a parent and the writer of the article believes that although 'one book by itself is never going to make any child any sort of bigot. Along with other things though, yes, it could.' He add that schools should be 'a politics-free zone.'

What is your source for concluding, "Every school board in the province that has independently examined The Shepherd's Granddaughter has concluded that the book is problematic?" Are you the parent who is asking that this book be removed from the OLA Forest of Reading list and are filing a formal complaint?

May I ask if you have read the book? I will admit that I have not. I am awaiting an Inter-library loan and will read it. However, I am opposed to banning books on principle. Many of the same criticisms of The Shepherd's Granddaughter were leveled at Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak prior to having it removed from Toronto schools. I have read this book and found it to be balanced and fair.

Schools cannot be "a politics-free zone," in my opinion, if we are to raise healthy, well-rounded, critical thinkers. There is a huge difference between addressing controversial issues and promoting political agendas. The Toronto District School Board policy, which you cited states that controversy is part of life. You imply that some parties have a political agenda which they are promoting through "slipping" The Shepherd's Granddaughter into the Red Maple Award Program. I do not see what the author, the Ontario Library Association, or the Ontario schools would have to gain by promoting a political agenda through a novel for children.

As for making sure a book is "good" before encouraging children to read it, I searched a number of reviews. You are welcome to read them in their entirety. The links are included.

Quill and Quire is negative about the complexity of the subplots.

...this novel has enough material for a whole series of books, and it gets overwhelmed by a series of underdeveloped subplots...that fragment the narrative’s focus and undermine its realism.

However, this respected magazine also lauds the author for her attempt to foster peace.

The Shepherd’s Granddaughter is a well-intentioned, very earnest narrative that aims to foster international harmony by educating young readers.

The Jane Addams Peace Association chose The Shepherd's Granddaughter as an honor book for older children for the 56th Jane Addams Children's Book.

In 2009, the Canadian Library Association chose The Shepherd's Granddaughter as a Book of the Year for children, according to the School Library Journal.

This is an award winning book (USBBY Outstanding International Books selection, selected for the Cooperative Chidlren's Book Center - Choices, and a Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Award for Children finalist) with excellent reviews from SLJ and Kirkus....

Manitoba Library Association rates the book as "Highly Recommended," while also acknowledging that there are some complex issues covered in the book.

Anne Laurel Carter's new novel, The Shepherd's Granddaughter, is a hard-hitting, thought-provoking, troublesome book. The Shepherd's Granddaughter centres upon the issue of Israeli-Palestinian relations and the on-going conflict over land. As such, this is not a book to be treated lightly. It demands of its audience maturity and a willingness to give the book due consideration. At the same time, however, Carter's book is also simply a story well told.

The Canadian Children's Book News says this: "The story is well-developed, realistic and believable, without ever becoming heavy handed or showing bias" and "Overall, this novel is a swift and thought-provoking read, and one which will hopefully transform the readers’ view of this very difficult topic and open up discussion with middle grade students."

Kirkus included the book as one of the best Young Adult Fiction books for 2008.

It was chosen as a 2009 Notable Books for a Global Society.

The Forest of Reading nomination was made in 2010.

Reach And Teach, an organization which is a "peace and social justice learning company dedicated to transforming the world through teachable moments," lists many other awards the book has received.

Craig Wiesner of Reach And Teach says:

This is a powerful book which deserves all the awards it has already won and more. Just as the holocaust stories of my childhood told me that people can do terrible things to each other, it also shows that people can do wonderful and heroic things for one another. Read it. Think about it. Discuss it. Argue about it. Devour it.

There is not one united Jewish voice calling for a ban on this book and although there are people calling only for its removal from the Forest of Reading list, there are also people with politic clout who vow to remove the book from school shelves. Sheila Ward, a trustee of the Toronto District School Board, has vowed to "move heaven and earth to have The Shepherd’s Granddaughter taken off the school library shelves.” She thinks she will be accused of censorship. Well, Ms. Ward, that would be censorship.

Tablet Magazine is a daily online magazine of Jewish news, ideas, and culture. Author Marjorie Ingall writes an article entitled: "Banned in Canada: Jewish groups protesting a pro-Palestinian book are missing the point." She concludes,

...being disingenuous and hyperbolically alarmist about the threats posed by novels—as opposed to the threats caused by shutting down all discussion—means we don’t get the chance to elucidate and debate. If The Shepherd’s Granddaughter can teach us anything, it’s that even educated people with a glorious literary tradition sometimes feel justified in banning books. And we’re all poorer for it.

In a follow-up entry, Ingall once more stresses the importance of keeping the opportunities for education open.

When we get shrill and hyperbolic and demonize any book—just as when we go all Reefer Madness about drug education or insist that every act of premarital sex leads to AIDS, pregnancy, warts, and demon babies with gills—we’re missing an opportunity for education. If the kid reads a book like The Shepherd’s Granddaughter and doesn’t become a suicide bomber, we’ve proven ourselves to be clueless and untrustworthy as authority figures. We’ve closed the door to open, honest discussion.

Ingall offers something of great value -- a list of books which represent a good perspective on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

I will fight for your right to keep this book from your own children but I cannot support keeping this book from all children. It is the right of every parent to decide what they will allow their children to read. Its numerous awards tell me that a wide cross-section of people have seen value in this book. Trust readers (even children).

The "Banned Book Challenge" runs for just a few more weeks. How many challenged or banned books can you read before June 1?

All is not Happy in Boneville

A challenge to a graphic novel series written for children is ironic because it is so close to Free Comic Book Day. A recent story in the Minnesota Sun explains that parent Ramona DeLay was shocked that Jeff Smith's popular "Bone" graphic novel series has illustrations related to drinking, smoking, and gambling, activities the DARE program taught him not to do. She had filed a request to have the materials reconsidered for inclusion in the library. She objected to the book's portrayal of gambling, alcohol and tobacco use, and "sexual situations between characters" and indicated that she wanted the book "withdrawn from all students."

An interview with author Jeff Smith was held by Publishers Weekly.

JS: [Laughs] I'm laughing because it doesn't seem like you could really find those things. To a degree. In general, the characters in Bone are all adults and there are not a lot of strange activities like that, but there are storylines, some of the unsavory characters will try to pull scams, try to rig bets and things, and it always goes wrong. So no one is rewarded for doing any unsavory behavior in Bone, and it's difficult for me to see how anyone could think Bone would encourage kids to do unsavory things. Also, none of the main characters do these things. My conclusion is that some people aren't smart enough to read comic books.

He explains why his character was smoking.

The smoking in Bone, it's kind of like a time capsule thing. I started Bone in 1991. In 1988 there was a big movie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and there was a baby smoking a cigar [in that movie]. So a cigar to me was like a Groucho Marx vaudeville prop, it was an anachronism. When I created the dragon, it was not the evil it is now. When I quit smoking in the middle of Bone, the cigarette just disappeared from the dragon's mouth.

According to a Wikipedia article, "Bone has received numerous awards, among them ten Eisner Awards and eleven Harvey Awards. In 2005, Time chose the 1,342 page compilation as one of the 10 best English language, graphic novels ever written."

The review board has voted 10 to 1 to allow the series to remain, according to Boneville.com.

Why not celebrate Free Comic Book day by adding a challenged comic book or graphic novel to the Banned Book Challenge? How many challenged books can you complete in one month?

Should Schools be "a politics-free zone?"

In a story reminiscent of the challenge to Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak -- a challenge which has been covered extensively on this blog, the Vancouver Sun reports that The Shepherd's Granddaughter has "sparked outrage in the Jewish community." Some school trustees are demanding the book be removed from reading lists and libraries.

The Shepherd's Granddaughter, a children's novel about a Palestinian teen growing up outside of a Palestinian village in the West Bank in the midst of the Middle East conflict, was written by Canadian author Anne Laurel Carter. The book is told through the child Amani's voice. As with Three Wishes, the controversy came long after the publication of the book and was highlighted by its nomination by the Ontario Library Assocation for the Red Maple Award, a program intended to foster reading skills for students, in this case for grades seven and eight.

Critics feel the novel — told from the Palestinian viewpoint with characters' opinions about the conflict ranging from peaceful resistance to militancy, with Amani choosing non-violence — could result in discrimination.

The Jewish Tribune recently wrote an article entitled, "Could This Book Turn Your Child Against Israel" which cites hurtful comments made toward Jews on Goodreads.com. Brian Henry, a parent and the writer of the article believes that although "one book by itself is never going to make any child any sort of bigot. Along with other things though, yes, it could." He add that schools should be "a politics-free zone."

B'nai Brith Canada believes the book "demonizes" Israelis and portrays Palestinians as innocent.

At least one Toronto trustee wants The Shepherd's Granddaughter gone from schools. James Pasternak, a trustee with the Toronto District School Board was quoted by CanWest as saying,

The book is really inappropriate to be presented in this way, in a school setting. It doesn't present a balanced or fair reflection of that conflict zone. It's a biased book that borders on political propaganda.

Sheila Ward, also a Toronto trustee has said she expects people will accuse her of censorship but that she would "move heaven and Earth to have The Shepherd's Granddaughter taken off the school library shelves." She added, "If it means I will not support hate-provoking literature with no redeeming qualities, I am delighted to be called a censor."

The board has received a formal complaint and a vote will take place following a 60-day review.

Anne Laurel Carter, author of The Shepherd's Granddaughter believes that anyone who dismisses the book as hateful misses the point of the book.

The author states,

I appreciate that it's very a sensitive, complex situation but I'm telling a viewpoint that has a right to be told. I did a lot of research to tell the story, and went (to the Middle East) many times, and I have been sympathetic to both sides. As everybody does, I would like to see peace in the Middle East.

Groundwood Books, the publisher has sent a letter to the Toronto School Board asking members to stand up for the book. She says that the book includes "very, very sympathetic Israeli characters," as well as diverse Palestinian ones.

Read The Shepherd's Granddaughter as part of the Banned Book Challenge, or check out lists of challenged books on the right sidebar.

Final Word on Vamos a Cuba

According to School Library Journal, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear arguments to overturn a decision by the Miami-Dade School District that took Vamos a Cuba off of public school library shelves. This means that the decision of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stands.

Opponents of the book described it as factually inaccurate because it "paints too rosy a picture of life in the communist nation."

The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this week declined to take up the case of the controversial book by Alta Schreier, letting stand a 2–1 decision earlier this year by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that the school board's decision to remove the book was not censorship in violation of the First Amendment. Instead, the Atlanta-based appeals court said the school board was seeking to remove the book because it contained substantial factual inaccuracies. Vamos a Cuba is one of a series of books on various countries in the world written for children aged four to eight.

Canadian National Anthem Banned

The National Post posted a recent story on the banning of the national anthem from a New Brunswick school

Erik Millett, the principal of Belleisle Elementary School in Springfield removed the anthem citing concerns from a number of parents but without asking for input from the local parent school support committee. The decision went without notice until Susan Boyd, a parent of a Grade 5 student, was surprised when she heard her daughter say that she need to practise the anthem before performing it for a Canada Day celebration last year "because she was not sure if she'd remember the words." The singing of O Canada was removed from the daily opening but was still being sung at monthly assemblies. It became a personal issue for Boyd, whose nephew died in Kandahar in 2007 while serving in the military. For her, the national anthem is a way of honouring him and all Canadian soldiers overseas.

The issue has renewed debate about political correctness in schools as the principal removed the singing of the anthem as a way of accommodating parents who, because of religious reasons, did not want their children taking part in the opening routine.

Millett asked, "Is it right or is it fair for children who are not allowed to sing the anthem to be forced to?" adding, "Different families have different beliefs.... It's not up to me as a school administrator to subject kids to something their parents don't want them exposed to. I have to protect the minority rights as well as the majority rights."

The CBC followed up on this story from a different point of view.

Kelly Cooper, the vice-chair of the Parent School Support Committee, believes that the controversay has caused divisions within the community and has unfairly subjected the school and its principal to hostility. She would rather have her children miss out on the singing of the anthem each day than to have other students feel excluded.

Stated Cooper, "We all have our reasons to sing or not sing the anthem. But for me this is about how do we treat the people who are different in our community. How do we treat the people who disagree with us? Do we respect them, listen to their point of view, or does the majority say, 'We're the majority, too bad for you and we've got rights.' That doesn't make me feel very comfortable."

The principal told CBC News that his decision to stop the daily singing of the anthem was blown out of proportion and that the issue raises the question of what it means to be patriotic.

"There are many ways to demonstrate one's patriotism or one's love for a country," he said. "The anthem is one, flying a flag is another, volunteering in your community is another. I would argue that teachers and staff at my school, caring for children to make sure they don't go hungry or don't go cold or have all they need to learn, that is being patriotic.

"I think really it has nothing to do with the decision that my staff and I arrived at. It has everything to do with one person having a very driven agenda and misrepresenting what the school did in the media and the media reproducing the myth, that mythology to a point that people in this country were whipped into a hysteria."

The school board ordered that the anthem be reinstated and higher levels of government are debating the issue.

As we come to the end of Freedom to Read week, the Pelham Public Library challenges you to take the Banned Book Challenge. This challenge will run from February to June 2009.

Trashy and Inappropriate Awarding-winning Book Removed Temporarily

According to Oregon News, a complaint from a parent has led to the temporary removal of "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," by Sherman Alexie from schools in Crook County School District. A parent complained that the book was "trashy" and "inappropriate." "I don't think it should be for anybody," he said. "I think it's trash. I don't think a 50-year-old ought to read it." Hank Moss seemed to be concerned about a reference to masturbation but Jeff Landaker, chairman of the Crook County school board, was more concerned about the "graphic language and the graphic pictures."

"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" is the winner of a National Book Award.

Extraordinary Evil

Barbara Coloroso continues to receive support for her book Extraordinary Evil: A Brief History of Genocide which was pulled from a Grade 11 course by the Toronto District School Board. Members of the Turkish community had challenged the book and its portrayal of the Armenian genocide. Quill and Quire's Blog published an open letter from Penguin Canada, Coloroso's publisher.

Dear Mr. Connelly,

As the publisher of Barbara Coloroso’s Extraordinary Evil: A Brief History of Genocide, we regret the Toronto District School Board’s decision to drop the book from its list of resources for a Grade 11 course called Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity. Board documents describe Ms. Coloroso as a “renowned educator” and the book’s inclusion in the reading list in the first place attests to its value as a legitimate contribution to the study of genocide. Dropping the book from the list is apparently based on vociferous objections by segments of the Turkish Canadian population who reject the “genocide” designation to describe the atrocities committed against Armenians in 1915, and who dispute Ms Coloroso’s credentials as an historian. In fact, Ms Coloroso has never claimed to be an historian and in the Introduction to her book, she emphasizes that she is writing “as an educator, a parent, and a former nun. All three of these influence and colour this text.”

We suggest that the Board follow the philosophy outlined in the April 29th Review Committee Report, which states “Grade 11 students can appreciate – and, more importantly, should appreciate – that history is a contested area without suggesting that everything is relative. … Genuine historical controversies do belong in a high school curriculum and can be beneficial in giving students an in-depth understanding of complex events and in teaching students critical thinking.” While we laud the Board’s decision to implement such a course, and to continue to include the Armenian genocide as part of that course, we urge you to reinstate Ms. Coloroso’s book onto the course reading list. Many voices have been recorded on the tragedies of various genocides, the voices of historians, eyewitnesses, novelists, human rights groups, social scientists, journalists and even Canadian generals. Ms Coloroso’s voice should be among them.

Sincerely,

David Davidar
President and Publisher
Penguin Group Canada

The Writer's Union also weighed in with a letter to the Toronto District School Board.

Dear Trustees and staff of the TDSB,

The Writers' Union of Canada strongly endorses Barbara Coloroso’s appeal of your decision to remove her work, Extraordinary Evil, a Brief History of Genocide from your reading list. We are surprised that, as educators, you are somewhat slow at learning lessons. Have you already forgotten the outrage created amongst parents, educators, librarians and writers when Three Wishes was removed from the Silver Birch award list, following a complaint from the Canadian Jewish Congress? You even ignored a committee recommendation to retain Three Wishes on a limited basis.

You claim your reason for banning the book is that Ms. Coloroso is not a professional historian. This feels like a thinly disguised attempt to hide the truth that you have been pressured into banning her book by a politically motivated interest group. Ms. Coloroso is a highly respected and well-established professional writer and public speaker on social justice and child raising; her books are published around the world. Her book on genocide is meticulously researched and extremely appropriate for a course such as yours on the Holocaust.

It is completely unacceptable for those responsible for educating the citizens of tomorrow to remove valuable titles every time an interest group brings forth a complaint. If so, your library shelves would be bare indeed. As several Letters to the Editor emphasized in May 19th’s Globe and Mail, books should be judged on their contribution to the discussion of issues such as genocide.

We encourage you to restore Extraordinary Evil, a Brief History of Genocide to your reading list, and make a more concerted effort in the future to put the interests of your students ahead of the political agendas of narrow interest groups.

As Chair of the Writers' Union of Canada, I will be contacting board executive Gerry Connely this week to further discuss this issue, as we remain distressed and unsatisfied by the board's reasons for excluding a book that is a valuable contribution to the discussion of man's inhumanity to man.

Sincerely,

Susan Swan
Chair, The Writers’ Union of Canada

Read an interview with Barbara Coloroso.

18-year-old Seeks Election to Bring Unique Voice to Book Controversy in Howell

Following the huge controversy over a number of books being challenged in Howell County, MI, Phil Nichols, an 18-year-old student sought a seat on the Board of Education.

Nichols, who was 17 at the time of the deadline for filing, and too young to run, was written in by 174 people. Although he came in last of six candidates, he found the experience very positive for a write-in ballot. He plans to study political science and get a degree in teaching and hopes to go into public service, according to a story by WoodTV.

While the idea to run for the Howell school bard started as half-serious idea, the controversy over a number of books being challenged at Howell High School by the Livingston Organization for Values in Education (LOVE) was instrumental in helping him to think seriously about running for the school board. Nichols is opposed to the banning of books at the school but believed that he would be able to bring a unique perspective to the table.

Muzzle Award

The 2007 Jefferson Muzzle Award was presented to a number of people and organizations in the US, including the Miami-Dade School Board for its banning of a children's book entitled "A Visit to Cuba" after a parent complained it showed the communist state in too positive a light.

The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression has awarded over one hundred and sixty Jefferson Muzzles in the past sixteen years. According to their web site:

Announced on or near April 13 — the anniversary of the birth of Thomas Jefferson — the Jefferson Muzzles are awarded as a means to draw national attention to abridgments of free speech and press and, at the same time, foster an appreciation for those tenets of the First Amendment.

Here is the full 2007 Muzzle Award List:

1. REP. PETER KING, R-N.Y., for advocating a criminal investigation of The New York Times after it reported on government surveillance of international financial transactions.

2. THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION, for broadening the scope of broadcast material that constitutes indecency and targeting profanity.

3. THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, for its surveillance of anti-war organizations.

4. THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION, for changing and censoring reports and studies of government scientists.

5. THE OHIO GENERAL ASSEMBLY, for passing a bill requiring state employees to sign a form declaring one has no ties to terrorist groups and gives no financial or material assistance to groups on the State Department's terrorist list.

6. KENTUCKY REPUBLICAN GOV. ERNIE FLETCHER, for blocking access to liberal-leaning Web sites from state-owned computers, while still permitting access to conservative sites.

7. MAINE'S BUREAU OF LIQUOR ENFORCEMENT, for banning the sale of three beers because of label illustrations.

8. THE EAST ST. LOUIS (ILL.) CITY COUNCIL, for forcing a public access show supportive of an incumbent mayor's political opponent off the air.

9. THE PHILADELPHIA HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION, for filing a discrimination complaint against a cheese steak shop owner after he posted a bumper sticker at his business that stated, "This is America: When ordering 'Speak English.' "

10. THE NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION, for its policy on school mascots and team logos.

11. THE CHARLES A. BEARD MEMORIAL SCHOOL BOARD IN KNIGHTSTOWN, IND., for expelling four students who created a video that featured evil stuffed animals' unsuccessful attempt to kill a teacher.

12. WATSON CHAPEL SCHOOL DISTRICT IN ARKANSAS, for suspending about 20 students who protested the district's dress code by wearing black armbands.

13. MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD, for banning a children's book titled "A Visit to Cuba" after a parent complained it wasn't critical enough of the communist state.

14. TIE: BEN DAVIS HIGH SCHOOL IN INDIANAPOLIS, PRINCETON HIGH SCHOOL IN CINCINNATI AND WYOMING VALLEY WEST HIGH SCHOOL IN KINGSTON, PA., for censoring the content of high school publications.

Visit the archives for past years' Muzzle Award winners.

Dealing with Challenges

Freedom to Read Poster 1996


Take the "Banned Book Challenge."


When the censors come:

Download a form to let Freedom to Read know about challenges in your library or school. While you are on the Freedom to Read site, check their list of banned or challenged books.

Diane R. Chen at Deep Thinking deals with a challenge in her school.

Cooperative Children's Book Center, University of Wisconsin confidentially assists Wisconsin librarians and teachers when they are facing potential or actual book challenges. However, they publish a list of Steps to Take when confronted by a challenge. Read the story of how University of Wisconsin is helping educators.

The ALA (American Library Association) has information on Fighting Censorship.

The really brave can find a lesson plan using banned or challenged materials in the classroom. Curriculum Services Canada offers a novel approach to teaching art. Art History Goes Graphic offers a unique approach to the study of art history through the use of graphic novels.

Book Moot has advice on avoiding book challenges. Excerpts of the post are below.

Too often in the past year I have read reports of districts ignoring their own reconsideration policies to quiet one hysterical voice. I have also seen heartening stories where district policies are followed to the letter.

Librarians CAN innoculate themselves to a small degree to book challenges.
1. Do your students look forward to their time in the library?
2. Do you interact with your students?
3. Do you get to know their interests and reading strengths?
4. Would they recognize you in the hall?
5. Do parents hear about your "very cool" library program?

Or are you an "in-the-office" librarian, toiling away on MARC records, focusing on the administrative aspects of the job with little personal contact with the kids?

RULE #1 of book challenges--It is NEVER just about the book. Book challenges always include one or more of the following ingredients:
1. anger with someone at the school
2. parental guilt about not being there for their child in some way or fashion
3. a bid for attention and/or a desire to be someone of consequence and power

Finally, remember, it is all about "the Right Book for the Right Reader at the Right Time."

Doug Johnson of The Blue Skunk Blog advises, "Don't defend any book." Excerpts from his post follow.

I find it upsetting that so many professional librarians seem to have lost the basic understandings of selection, reconsideration, in loco parentis, and intellectual freedom.

The main objection I have to the conversations [about banning Lucky] has been that we are trying to defend a single book rather than defending a fair and open process for selecting and retaining any instructional material in our schools.

As I remember from li-berry school, this is how professionals deal with the selection of and potential censorship of instructional materials:

1. They assure that the district has a board adopted selection/reconsideration policy. Oh, and they've read it.
2. They select all materials based on the stated selection criteria in the policy.
3. They select only materials based on authoritative and reliable review sources.
4. If they are asked to remove an item selected from the instructional program, they do not defend the material, but insist that the board adopted reconsideration policy and procedures be followed. This policy should require that a standing reconsideration committee be appointed at the beginning of each school year. When requested by the committee, they will provide the rationale and resources used for selection of the item under reconsideration.
5. Once a resource is selected, they do not restrict its use by any student. Professionals cannot act in the place of parents (in loco parentis) to restrict access to materials to individuals.

His final advice is to know your selection policy, select from authoritative reviews, and insist on due process if a book is challenged.

Award-Winning Novel Back on Peel Region Shelves

According to the Toronto Radio station, AM 640, a Peel Catholic School Board Committee has reviewed Snow Falling on Cedars by David Gutterson following a letter of complaint from a parent over sexually explicit material. It will be allowed back on the shelves.


Freedom to Read Poster 1986
Take the Banned Book Challenge. Check back for details next week.

A Challenging Year in Review 2006

Bookslut has an article on titles from 2006 which have been challenged. Read the article by Chris Zammarelli for full details of what happened with these challenges.

The Well by Mildred Taylor
"...removed from an elementary school reading list for Black History Month in Absecon, NJ because of a racial epithet used in the book...."

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The mother of a high school freshman in Annapolis, MD asked that it be banned because of its mature themes.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The superintendent of the Judson School District Board, San Antonio, TX ordered the book taken out of the advanced English curriculum when a parent complained it contained sexual and anti-Christian content.

Vamos a Cuba by Alta Schreier
Cuban exiles requested Miami-Dade School Board, FL ban this children's book because it portrayed an unrealistic portrait of life in Cuba. School board member Frank Balanos had the book pulled from classroom shelves, although the book stayed in the library.

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Laura Mallory spent much of 2006 trying to get Harry Potter banned from Gwinnett (GA) County Public Schools because of its theme of witchcraft.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Parents of students at Apalachee High School in GA had an edition of Lord of the Flies removed because it contained an essay by E.L. Epstein that commented on the rape-like nature of the pig-slaying scene.

Beloved by Toni Morrison and eight other titles
Board member Leslie Pinney in Arlington Heights, IL called for such titles as Toni Morrison's Beloved and Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five to be banned because of their obscene content.

Sex Kittens and Horn Dawgs Fall in Love by Maryrose Wood and nine other titles
The Hernando County (FL) County School Board removed 10 titles from the library's book order, including Sex Kittens and Horn Dawgs Fall in Love by Maryrose Wood and The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. School board member Sandra Nicholson requested the titles removed because they contained offensive language.

The Learning Tree by Gordon Parks
Fleet Belle of the Mobile County (AL) school board requested The Learning Tree be removed from LeFlore High School summer reading list because of its offensive language and sexual content.

The Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein and Felice Picano
The Nampa (ID) Public Library Board voted to retain The Joy of Gay Sex, but ordered the book and 60 other books about sex be placed on the top shelves on the library.

And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Some people in Shiloh, IL and Charlotte, NC objected to this children's book about two male penguins raising a baby penguin because, well, it's about two male penguins raising a baby penguin. It's based on the true story of two male penguins at the Central Park Zoo.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape? by Peter Hedges
The superintendent of Carroll (IA) Schools pulled Peter Hedges's What's Eating Gilbert Grape? from a class about books made into movies because a parent complained about an oral sex scene in the book.

Take the Banned Book Challenge. Watch for details to be posted here next week.
Freedom to Read Poster 1985

Peel School Board Committee to Review Award-Winning Novel

The Toronto Star reported that the award-winning novel Snow Falling on Cedars has been pulled from the Peel Catholic School Board, Ontario's high school library shelves following a parent's complaint about its sexual content. The novel describes a married couple's first sexual encounter and an encounter between two youths. According to the CBC, an anonymous letter of complaint was received and school board spokesman Bruce Campbell stated that the board believes it came from a parent.

So many challenges are received from parents who haven't actually read the book in question but this is the first time I have heard of a school board taking such a knee-jerk approach to an anonymous letter. If this parent is so concerned, why were they not concerned enough to sign a name?

The novel by David Guterson was part of the grade 11 curriculum and explores issues such as racism towards Japanese-Americans following World War II. Officials have removed the book until it can be reviewed by a board committee. The school board's policy with regard to challenged books states that complaints about books and resources that aren't resolved at the local level must be reviewed by a committee consisting of library services and religious education co-ordinators, two trustees, a parent and the superintendent of schools. The policy is used rarely and no one at the board can remember the last time it was used.

Shari Graydon, an author of two children's books on media literacy is quoted as saying,

Removing thoughtful fiction from the school library is like taking mashed potatoes out of the cafeteria when the problem is french fries at McDonald's.

A representative of Random House in Canada, publisher of the book, hadn't heard any complaints about the book in Canada. However, it has been challenged in the U.S. for its sexual content and also for its violence and exploration of racial issues.

LOVE Banning Books

Two more books are being challenged by parents of Howell Public High School students. In this entry and this entry, there is information about The Freedom Writers Diary which faced a challenge from parents and a community group called "LOVE" (Livingston Organization for Values in Education) because of profanity. Today the Daily Press and Argus reports that Black Boy by Richard Wright and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison which are both taught in Grade 11 may be removed from the curriculum because of graphic sexual content and profanity. A decision as to whether they would left in the classroom was delayed because the school board did not have the necessary number of votes to either approve or table the curriculum. The two books have been on the curriculum for years but a change from semesters to year-long classes opened the opportunity for debate on the books being used.

The newspaper reports that the majority of the speakers were in favor of allowing the continued use of the books and that they were loudly applauded by the crowd of about 150 people. The curriculum was approved by a group of teachers from the particular school, a district-wide subject-specific content committee, a district-wide curriculum and assessment committee, among others, before being presented to the school board.

The curriculum was approved by the school board with voting on the books themselves to be voted on at the February meeting.

The The Merriam-Webster Encylopedia of Literature describes Black Boy as follows:

Autobiography by Richard Wright, published in 1945 and considered to be one of his finest works. The book is sometimes considered a fictionalized autobiography or an autobiographical novel because of its use of novelistic techniques. Black Boy describes vividly Wright's often harsh, hardscrabble boyhood and youth in rural Mississippi and in Memphis, Tenn. When the work was first published, many white critics viewed Black Boy primarily as an attack on racist Southern white society. From the 1960s the work came to be understood as the story of Wright's coming of age and development as a writer whose race, though a primary component of his life, was but one of many that formed him as an artist.

Random House describes the book as follows:

The Bluest Eye, published in 1970, is the first novel written by Toni Morrison, winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature.

It is the story of eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove--a black girl in an America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others--who prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so that people will look at her, so that her world will be different. This is the story of the nightmare at the heart of her yearning and the tragedy of its fulfillment.

February 5, 2007
"Communications Guru," editor of Conservative Media weighs in on challenges in Howell, MI, his community.The Conservative Media: School district appears to be caving to book burners

So Far So Good for "So Far from the Bamboo Grove"

Kudos to Perry Davis, Superintendent of the Dover-Sherborn School Board for finding a better way.

The Dover-Sherborn Community Newspaper, in Massachusetts, reports that the Dover-Sherborn Regional School committee has reversed its decision to remove So Far from the Bamboo Grove from the grade six curriculum.

Opponents of the book leveled criticisms that the book was biased in its look at the occupation of Korea by Japan and alleged atrocities committed against the occupying Japanese.

A synopsis, according to The Glenco Literature Library, which also includes a study guide,

Although she is Japanese, eleven-year-old Yoko Kawashima has lived all her life in Korea. So Far from the Bamboo Grove follows the experiences of young Yoko as World War II comes to an end and Korea is engulfed in turmoil as Koreans revolt to take back their homeland. Yoko and her family are forced to leave their tranquil home in Korea and to flee back to Japan in this story of heartbreak, cruelty, survival, and courage.

According to Davis, there were a number of issues to address including:

"...concern for the banning or censorship of a book...support for the use of the book and its author because of the positive experience of the students when coming to understand a personal struggle to survive; concern for the content of the book and questioning the maturity of students in the sixth grade to understand issues of rape and war; concern that the book is not balanced in its reporting of events at the end of World War II and the occupation of Korea by Japan.

The decision was made to keep the book in the curriculum but to bring balance to the unit on survival through the use of additional texts to provide background.

Gilbert Grape Ban Stomped on Temporarily

In a previous post, the controversy surrounding the removal of What's Eating Gilbert Grape was aired. Last night, a committee of students, parents and staff at Carroll High School had a small majority of 5-3 pass a proposal to keep the book in the library and classrooms. However, that may not be the final say when Carroll's school board meets later in January to put the issue to rest.

It is facing a challenge due to one sexually explicit passage that a parent objects to.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Yesterday, J. K. Rowling announced the title of book seven of the Harry Potter series. This series has met with many challenges, the latest in Georgia where Laura Mallory, a Christian parent has lost the fight to ban the book from Gwinnett County.

Check out La Shawn Barber's Corner to hear another Christian's point of view concerning Harry Potter.

Who's Banning Gilbert Grape?

What's Eating Gilbert Grape has been removed from a Carroll, IL High School class, according to a story in the local news. School Board Superintendent Rob Cordes pulled the book from the literature-to-film class following parents' concerns over an oral sex scene in the book. He had not read the book. Critics of the pulling of Gilbert Grape are upset that one person was able to have the power to ban the book without a hearing in the court of public opinion. A committee will be reviewing the book. However, for now the book remains out of the classroom.

At the school board meeting, one parent held up copies of both the book and a Penthouse magazine to make a comparison. Mr. and Mrs. Huckas who object to the use of the book wrote in a letter to the school district, "We would not want to fill our minds with such garbage. It promotes immorality, adultery, fornication and self-indulgence." They had not read the book. The parents also want the district to consider removing more books from both the library and the curriculum.

Students from local high schools along with alumni have formed "Un-ban Gilbert Grape! Censorship Is Wrong," an organized group on the Web network Facebook. Several of the high school's students have created T-shirts that have free-speech quotations such as, "Censorship feeds the dirty mind more than the four-letter word" and "Think for yourself and let others do the same" and "books won't stay banned and ideas won't go to jail."

What's Eating Gilbert Grape, a novel by Peter Hedges, is about a young man's experiences with his troubled family in a small Iowa town. One of its main characters is mentally challenged. One student is quoted as saying that the characters in the book are "going through a lot of the same things our classmates are going through. They're stuck in a small environment, everyone knows them." He added that the book is the only one he can recall reading in the class written by an Iowa author. Carroll High School teacher-librarian Kelly Fischbach says the book deserves to be judged in its entirety, not for a few sentences. She calls it a 'great book' that connects with rural Iowa teens.

Apparently parents were already notified of its content before it was used in class and had to sign a permission slip for their child to read it. Students or parents who object to their child reading the book are able to be assigned alternative assignments.

Photo from Daily Times Herald

Newspeak - Book not "Banned" but "Pulled"

George Orwell's 1984, made use of the term Newspeak. Newspeak limited the vocabulary of the society and also removed any words that might lead to free thought, free speech, or any other rebellious ideas from the vocabulary of the people.

Newspeak was brought to mind when I read this story. According to the Daily Press & Argus, Howell Public Schools administrators are not 'banning' a book, but 'pulling' it. Well, that's a relief!

Deputy Superintendent Lynn Parrish, Deputy Superintendent stated that The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and The World Around Them is being reviewed by a committee. It contains controversial material which includes drug use, sex, and profanity.

However, one needs to hear the whole story of the Freedom Writers before making a call that their story should not be told.

In their own words,

The Freedom Writers Diary is the amazing true story of strength, courage, and achievement in the face of adversity. In the fall of 1994, in Room 203 at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California, an idealistic twenty-four-year-old teacher named Erin Gruwell faced her first group of students, dubbed by the administration as "unteachable, at-risk" teenagers. The class was a diverse mix of African-American, Latino, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Caucasian students, many of whom had grown up in rough neighborhoods in Long Beach. In the first few weeks of class, the students made it clear that they were not interested in what their teacher had to say, and made bets about how long she would last in their classroom.

Read more about the teacher hero who helped them see how they could turn their lives around.



This inspiring story has been made into a movie which is due to be released in January 2007.