Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
And in South Carolina, School Committee votes to ban first of 97 books under review from Beaufort County school librariesRead more at: https://www.islandpacket.com/news/loc...
Studies are showing that educational gag orders are harming teachers and studentshttps://www.rand.org/pubs/research_re...
Utahans gathered at the state capitol to read-in protesting book bans. https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-n...
Author Shannon Hale went, bringing her 12 and 16 year old children. Some random person handed out pamphlets with quotes from the "obscene" books out of context and gave one to each of the children. She questions WHY if you think this material is inappropriate for children are you handing it out to children?
Her 12 year old was terrified of the creepy person. It wasn't an isolated incident and other people report attacks on their children as well.
A reply to her tweet has this baffling comment:
"In talking with other people, I have found that "graphic" doesn't not translate in the minds of people who hear graphic novel. They are used to being warned against graphic content and fail to realize a graphic novel just means that it is written like a comic book."
https://twitter.com/haleshannon/statu...
Also in the fighting back camp, a Boston University scholarDobbs, a Wheelock College of Education & Human Development assistant professor and director of its English Education for Equity & Justice program, is on the Standing Committee Against Censorship of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). She contributes to This Story Matters, an information database created by NCTE that gives teachers pedagogical justification for teaching hundreds of controversial books.
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2023/bu-s...
The Republican Women of Baltimore County (Maryland) want to ban Gender Queer: A Memoir (and also an adult novel, Lawn Boy) from school libraries, in spite of some members not having children in the public schools any longer. Mary McComas, Baltimore County Schools’ chief academic officer, replied to the activists later in the month, saying that “Gender Queer,” located in two high school libraries, would remain following a committee’s recommendation. She wrote that parents could request that their own children not have access to it.
Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger said his office reviewed “Gender Queer” in the spring.
The state laws he did review refer to an “actual” or “identifiable” child, meaning images of a fictional child would not constitute a crime, Shellenberger said. Maryland law specifically states the definition of an identifiable child does not include drawings, cartoons, sculptures or paintings.
“That’s not to say it’s right to be in the library,” Shellenberger said. “I only decide whether it’s criminal.”
https://www.baltimoresun.com/educatio...
Moms for Liberty is still trying to dumb down high school by banning classic adult novels that are on AP exams.Previously they banned 11 books from elementary and middle school libraries, including “Being Jazz,” “My Sister Daisy,” and “It Feels Good to Be Yourself,” which deal with gender issues.
However, they don't have a problem with say Romeo & Juliet.
https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/f...
QNPoohBear wrote: "However, they don't have a problem with say Romeo & Juliet"We had to watch in class the film version that has nudity (I believe Juliet at least was underage, also?). It was uncomfortable.
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We had to watch in class the film version that has nudity (I believe Juliet at least was underage, also?). It was unc..."
Yes, uncomfortable! But even worse is the fact that both Olivia Hussey (who played Juliet) and Leonard Whiting (who played Romeo) were basically forced and manipulated by the the director to play in the nude (and they were teenagers at the time and underage). Both are now suing the estate of Franco Zeffirelli and I hope they win.
Mir wrote: "We had to watch in class the film version that has nudity (I believe Juliet at least was underage, also?). It was uncomfortable.
"
Juliet was supposed to be 14. We watched it in school and the teacher stood in front of the TV and fast forwarded through that scene. We just laughed at him. Some of us had already seen the film. No one seemed to find it uncomfortable at the time.
Lots of news from the censors todayThe Orange Unified School District in California has shut down access to an entire e-library because ONE book for teens was mistakenly labeled as elementary.
https://boingboing.net/2023/01/31/una...
In Texas, the Spring Branch ISD has banned yet another author from visiting schools.
Frederick Joseph author of The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person, accused of teaching "critical race theory"
Joseph said he has heard from dozens of Spring Branch ISD parents who support the book. At the district's meeting on Jan. 24, two dozen parents urged the district to keep the book on shelves without any restrictions and criticized a decision they believe is not what's best for students.
"We ought to be about sharing ideas and experiences, even if we don't agree with them," Elmore said.
The board, which is elected by a majority of Spring Branch residents, sided with those who think the book is divisive and inappropriate.
"The book incited racism, hate speech, and promotes (critical race theory) and division under misleading circumstances," Lindsay McConn, who spoke against the book, said.
According to district policy, "Library materials subject to restricted access shall be moved to a restricted access area; however, the titles of the library materials shall remain viewable," and "If a committee decides that the book is restricted access, then written parental/legal guardian permission shall be required."
https://abc13.com/spring-branch-isd-s...
"Arkansas Gov. Sanders hands out Ben Carson’s Christian-propaganda kids book in Helena public school.Gov. Sarah Sanders, who signed an executive order on her first day of office banning “indoctrination” in schools, earlier this week visited Helena-West Helena’s J.F. Wahl Elementary School, where she handed out Ben Carson’s “Why America Matters,” a Moms for Liberty-endorsed picture book that promotes the mission of Carson’s American Cornerstone Institute, which celebrates faith, liberty, community and life."
https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/20...
Also according to Vice, Moms for Liberty wants to replace books they've banned with anti-LGBTQ propaganda
"I just think it’s ironic that they’re now trying to get propaganda into our school libraries by way of donating them and circumventing the processes in place that are meant to protect our children from propaganda,” Katie Paris, founder of Red, Wine & Blue, a nonprofit made up of suburban women advocating for progressive political causes told Motherboard.
Formed in 2021, Moms for Liberty has offered a $500 bounty for anyone who catches a teacher teaching so-called “critical race theory,” or “CRT,” a collection of scholarship that is often used as an alarmist shorthand for any historical discussions of racist discrimination in American schools. The group has also tried to ban books about Martin Luther King Jr. and has promoted an author who opposes desegregation and claimed that slavery “is not a racial problem.”
https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjbg9...
How is this not "indoctrination" or divisive yet books celebrating diversity, equity and inclusion are? Are Muslim, Jewish, atheist, queer students not supposed to just hide and go away? That's not realistic and incredibly hurtful and hateful.
In Florida, LGBTQ+ activists fight back against hateful laws.
"Florida Pride event featured drag queen story time for kids, 'banned book nook' for teens
Two Florida communities and the Florida division of The Cleveland Clinic sponsored a "family friendly" Pride festival over the weekend, including a teen section featuring a "drag queen talk" and "banned book nook."
"The event was hosted by a drag queen and included a "kids zone," which held a drag queen story hour event. A "drag queen talk and Q&A" and a "banned book nook" displaying books banned throughout Florida schools were also part of the Pride event's activities for teens."
"We have added a Banned Book Nook for the opportunity to see and read books that have been banned from Florida schools," Jameer Baptiste, the Pride event's marketing and publicity director, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "This is our response to all the aggression going on, the anti-LGBTQ movement you see in ... Florida, especially with [Gov.] Ron DeSantis."
The theme of the event was "Welcome Home," intended to convey "there are safe spaces" in the community for queer folks, Baptiste added to the South Florida outlet.
https://cbs12.com/news/local/florida-...
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We had to watch in class the film version that has nudity (I believe Juliet at least was underage, also?). It was uncomfortable.
"
Juliet was supposed to be 14. We watched it in schoo..."
The movie did not actually bother me, but it does bother me that supposedly, both stars were originally told that they would not have to act unclothed and were then forced and manipulated to disrobe.
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In my opinion, what is happening in Florida is exactly like what Adolf Hitler did with the universities in Nazi Germany, and honestly, I am disgusted, and really, Florida should be considered a Nazi state and a dictatorship. And if college and university professors, librarians etc. do NOT fight back, in my opinion, they are basically enablers at best.
Manybooks wrote: "The movie did not actually bother me, but it does bother me that supposedly, both stars were originally told that they would not have to act unclothed and were then forced and manipulated to disrobe..."
I had not heard that and it wasn't known even on the DVD. That's terrible because the movie is so beautiful. I haven't seen it since high school though and I might feel differently about it now, being an adult but at the time, I really liked it. Not so much the Leonardo DiCaprio version but if teachers want to show that and parents don't want their kids to see it, all they have to do is opt out or kids can speak up and leave. If I found something uncomfortable, I would make an excuse to go to the bathroom and stay there for as long as I could without getting into trouble. My sister's class had parents sign a permission slip to watch "Glory." I don't remember any teachers asking permission to teach the great dead white man canon of books though. We read a lot of those classics on the banned and challenged lists.
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It was a story on the CBC a few weeks ago and really bothered me because as you have mentioned the movie was so beautiful (and I had a huge crush on Leonard Whiting after watching Romeo and Juliet).
As disturbing as reading this thread is, I want to thank those of you who are posting especially with the info on specific books banned. As a result of this thread I just started The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person by Frederick Joseph and I'm just absolutely loving it. I especially appreciate all the humor in it.
Maybe I'm naive but I hope if more people read banned books we can somehow improve this situation.
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Calico wrote: "As disturbing as reading this thread is, I want to thank those of you who are posting especially with the info on specific books banned. As a result of this thread I just started [book:The Black ..."
Good for you! Yes the irony of book banning is... the stories are important to learn from and banning them means we can't move forward, learn from one another.
The author is vowing to keep telling stories.
I'm making my way through the fiction lists at the moment and anything else I can find that probably won't be ordered or would be banned from school libraries.
Well, the AP board has changed directions and tweaked the course so it sidesteps Gov. DeSantis's criticisms. However, it does still seem to include opportunities for discussing critical race theory and other topics for a student to study on their own. Sounds like a lame compromise to me.https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02...
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Not standing up against DeSantis is cowardice ...
"Most Texans want ‘content ratings’ on school library books and diverse classes, poll findsThe University of Houston poll – which surveyed 1,200 adults online in January – found 71% of respondents support requiring book publishers to include a content rating based on whether the title is appropriate for young children or older students."
"The university’s poll found that nine of out 10 Republicans were in favor of the idea, compared to roughly half of Democrats.
The poll has a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points.
Support was strong — at nearly 80% — among Texans with a minor child."
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/educa...
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My thoughts:
I really, really disapprove of book ratings. Who decides what is "age appropriate" and why? That is way too much of a slippery slope.
What about sex ed books and books about puberty? I started puberty pretty early as many girls do these days. Should books about puberty be rated for tweens or adults? What about books with kids who have same sex parents? There's nothing obscene in that, just a kid with TWO loving parents the same as any other kid with two loving parents. Not every kid is so fortunate to have TWO parents or even loving parents.
Let the librarians do their jobs they were trained for and if you don't want your kid to read it, then take it away from them/don't let them check it out and explain why! YOU be the bad guy who tells a kid NO you can't read a book you think looks good.
Currently reading, almost done A Place at the Table
This is really good and interesting. Yes people are racist and anti-Semitic. Read the book and learn from it "there are no 'People Like Us' only people." My only real complaints are that it takes too long to discuss the nuances of both girls' religions. How they dress is a personal choice for their families. A little more nuances of how there are Pakistanis who speak with "beautiful" (English) accents and sip tea and others, like Sara's mom, who don't speak English as a first language and speak with a heavy accent. Just as there are Jews like Elizabeth's family who don't allow piercings and don't keep kosher and Jews who do piercings and Jews who keep kosher. I would also have preferred Micah to be Latino-Jewish and not Latino AND Jewish. Showcasing the Jewish diaspora is important. Not all Jews come from Europe or Israel.
The characters are all pretty well-rounded though other than those few minor quibbles. The girls did a bad bad thing and didn't fess up right away so some parents might complain about that. Mostly though it emphases a child's obedience to her parents' (Sara). It also shows how adult problems affect children too and sometimes kids take it upon themselves to fix the adult problems in ways they understand which doesn't always translate to filial obedience.
Next up: Flying the Dragon
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Is there one large database of all the banned and challenged books anywhere? I keep finding small lists but I am seeking banned books to read for the monthly picture book challenges here. And thank you again - I greatly enjoyed reading The Black Friend: On How to Be a Better White Person. It really was just like having a thoughtful discussion with a friend about race.
Calico wrote: "Is there one large database of all the banned and challenged books anywhere? I keep finding small lists but I am seeking banned books to read for the monthly picture book challenges here. And tha..."
Yes I linked to it in the lists thread but it only goes to June 2022 so I keep updating our lists as challenges happen.
Look for PEN America's Index of School Book Bans
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
I also made Listopia lists for Central York, PA
Picture books are banned generally if they contain any whiff of LGBTQ+ content, non-traditional gender roles, sexism and/or racism. Just about every recent book in the Native American, African-American and AAPI threads plus Outstanding Women has been challenged, sometimes for unknown reasons.
TONS of news today and most of it bad. Scary news in Florida where right-wing extremist book banners who may not/probably don't have children in the school district are recruiting "parents" and "kids" (in quotes) to infiltrate school libraries and make a stink about books they find objectionable. These people don't have to be legit parents or students.
Book banners are not reading the book and just copying/pasting from Moms for Liberty/Mama Bears, etc. review sites. Methacton school district in Pennsylvania is one such district.
Moms For Liberty in Broward County, Florida, have demanded several more books be removed from school shelves. Many are books used in AP classes.
major corporations support a bigoted book banning legislator in North Dakota.
https://bookriot.com/the-book-banners...
Reportedly... Gov. DeSantis in Florida sends volunteer army to snatch books from students' hands..."The Manatee Patriots, a right-wing group in Florida's Manatee County, recently put out a recruitment call for "woke busters" to be the "eyes and ears and boots on the ground in the schools" to stop educators from "filling the libraries with these books." It did not take much digging to discover that the "woke busters" have extremely broad ideas about what constitutes "inappropriate" reading material. Their parent group, Manatee Patriots, recently celebrated what they claim was a successful effort to force a public library to take down a display celebrating LGBTQ history. They objected to the library's alliance with a local youth group that serves LGBTQ teens, claiming it's "the first stage of Grooming" and "Pr0n" for the group to offer information to kids about safer sex. "
They flagged Michelle Obama's memoir and a history of Barack Obama's presidency, The House on Mango Street, The Hate U Give, The Prince and the Dressmaker, Monday's Not Coming
https://www.salon.com/2023/02/03/call...
At noon Tuesday, Feb. 7, the Sarasota County School Board is set to hear an appeal on a failed book challenge against Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and Youoptional reading library book.
https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/n...
In Essex, NJ The Glen Ridge Public Library board of trustees is expected to hear an appeal on Feb. 8 from a borough-based group that is seeking to have six LGBTQ+ themed books removed from PUBLIC library shelves.
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson; Here and Queer by Rowan Ellis; This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson; It’s Not the Stork and It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris; and, You Know, Sex by Cory Silverberg.
Good news:
The Truth About Alice stays in schools in FPC and Matanzas Committees (Florida)
https://flaglerlive.com/185813/truth-...
OK maybe news:
The Florida Speaker of the House agrees there is a process to banning books and it should be followed but he'll look into it.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/educati...
At noon Tuesday, Feb. 7, the Sarasota County School Board is set to hear an appeal on a failed book challenge against Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and Youoptional reading library book.
https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/n...
In Essex, NJ The Glen Ridge Public Library board of trustees is expected to hear an appeal on Feb. 8 from a borough-based group that is seeking to have six LGBTQ+ themed books removed from PUBLIC library shelves.
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson; Here and Queer by Rowan Ellis; This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson; It’s Not the Stork and It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris; and, You Know, Sex by Cory Silverberg.
Good news:
The Truth About Alice stays in schools in FPC and Matanzas Committees (Florida)
https://flaglerlive.com/185813/truth-...
OK maybe news:
The Florida Speaker of the House agrees there is a process to banning books and it should be followed but he'll look into it.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/educati...
Red, Wine and Blue, the anti-Moms for Liberty group, is hosting several online event on how to fight censorshipSweep Salon: Moms on a Mission - Fighting Extremism in Florida Schools
Date: Tuesday, February 7th
Time: 7:30 pm ET
Florida schools have become ground zero for right-wing extremism. Books are being banned, AP African-American history courses rejected and attacks on the rights of LBGTQ+ students are increasing. And we know these policies won't stay in Florida! Can you expect to see them in a community near you? What can you do? Knowledge is power -- so let's learn from the badass moms in Florida who are fighting this extremist agenda. Join us to hear from Jen Cousins and Raegan Miller, two Florida moms who are battling the chaos and working to protect all students.
Be a Social Media Queen - How to Influence Online
Date: Thursday, February 9th
Time: 7:30 pm ET
Ready to defeat right-wing extremism and bring commonsense back to our communities? Sharing information and inspiring people to action is how we bring change -- want to widen your reach? Become a Social Media Queen -- learn how to be an effective online influencer with your friends and beyond. You've got the power -- let's do it!
Troublemaker Training: Book Ban Edition
Date: Thursday, February 16th
Time: 7:30 pm ET
Ready to stand up to right-extremists causing chaos at our school boards? Want to defeat calls for book bans in your schools? How do you effectively get people to join together? What tactics can you use to impact issues in your community? Join us to discuss -- and make your voices heard in your community!!
Tell DeSantis & the Florida Board of Education:
Drop the Black History Ban
The day after our nation celebrated the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Ron DeSantis banned teaching Advanced Placement African American Studies, sending a clear message that Florida does not value the history of its Black students.
Whitewashing history affects all students from Florida, depriving them the chance to take this course, learn this history, and make them less competitive to colleges.
Join us in action - send a message to the Florida Board of Education and Gov. Ron DeSantis to stop undermining public education and to drop the Black History Ban!
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"The Manatee Patriots, a right-wing group in Florida's Manatee County, recently put out a recrui..."
If someone were to snatch a book from my hands, I would fight back physically and totally in kind (and I would not care if the lowlife were supported by some brainless politician).
Thanks for that spreadsheet QNPoohBear!
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So in Germany, ALL students are required to learn about the Holocaust, WWII and that Germany was totally to blame for WWII and the Holocaust, but in many US sates, the racist past, slavery etc. is seemingly off limits (and there were actually moves afoot to force teachers to also teach Holocaust denial in class, DISGUSTING).
And it is also shameful that out of 49 US states, 39 of them are (according to the post I downloaded) into book banning and thus in my opinion only 10 states that are reasonable and embrace actual democracy.
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https://ed.stanford.edu/news/stanford...
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So in Germany, ALL students are required to le..."
I am glad students are angry and that many also want to fight back. But they also need to fight against helicopter parents and special interest groups, not just schools and politicians.
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Yes, the Winnetou novels are totally 19th century Noble Savage and pretty ridiculous in many ways. But I loved these stories as a kid and they did not turn me into a racist, duhhhh.
Cancel culture on the left is as ignorant as right wing book banners and the two camps of extremists deserve each other and should both be muzzled.
Pasco County Florida to replace K-5 classroom libraries, a nod to Florida’s new book rulesSome teachers are not happy about the move, which gives them less flexibility in choosing books for their students.
To make the process run smoothly, the Pasco district — which removed media specialists from its schools a decade ago — decided to compile a list of approved books and deliver a set to each elementary classroom by August.
In the meantime, teachers may keep in place the books they have for students to read.
Deer Park Elementary third-grade teacher Magen Wilson said she cried upon learning the direction the state law is sending the district.
“Books are incredibly powerful and empowering. They are a safe space to learn about uncomfortable things and provide a safe escape for people of all ages,” Wilson told the Tampa Bay Times via email. “I feel like children are now being robbed of those needed experiences.”
She said throughout her 14 years teaching, she’s put together a set of books in which her students can find themselves, so they can feel the literature includes them. Creating a cookie-cutter selection doesn’t allow for the variety of situations that teachers see, she said.
“I’m also worried about this situation continuing the narrative that educators can’t be trusted,” Wilson added. “We put a lot of thought and care into choosing books for our students. My library changes every year based on the make-up of the class that I have. Educators are professionals and we need to be treated as such.”
Mitchell said the district does not want to take away teachers’ ability to choose books for their classrooms, even as it works to comply with the state rules.
Teachers may add to the district-provided collections any titles that appear in the district’s overall database of approved books, Mitchell said. They will be able to submit others to the district media specialists for review and addition to the database.
A group of parents, students and teachers is being put together to help determine which books meet academic needs and interest levels. The district also is working with the University of South Florida to expedite any reviews.
the district has no intent to allow a single parent complaint to cause the immediate removal of any book, as happened recently when Pinellas County banned Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” at all high schools. Pasco requires that complainants file a written challenge and go through a process that considers the needs of all children.
At the same time, the district has removed access to the Pasco County public library system through students’ online district portal. It did so after hearing parents detail how children could access adult-oriented materials through the system.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/educati...
Manybooks wrote: "https://www.dw.com/en/publishers-with...Yes, the Winnetou novels are totally 19th century Noble Savage and pretty ridiculous in many ways...."
The Noble Savage myth feels offensive and inaccurate for many Native Americans but I can see the point in favor of keeping the stories published in Germany so at least there's an awareness of Native Americans who are not the "savages" often portrayed in old westerns.
I agree about cancel culture. It's ridiculous and between the far left and far right, there won't be ANY books left and only repeated superhero movies. Those they keep redoing through the modern/post-modern lens.
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Yes, the Winnetou novels are totally 19th century Noble Savage and pretty ridicu..."
Yes, and let's face it, as the extremes, the far right and the far left are like horrid conjoined twins with lots of power and sadly also lots of support and clout.
Haymarket Books, a Chicago publisher, is offering free Black History Month books to teens.e-books for free to download:
“From Black Lives Matter to Black Liberation” by Keeanga Yamahtta, which explores why the Black Lives Matter movement is necessary;
“Black Lives Matter at School: An Uprising for Educational Justice,” edited by Jesse Hagopian and Denisha Jones, which details how the Black Lives Matter movement has challenged institutional racism
“1919” by Eve L. Ewing, a collection of poems depicting the Chicago race riots of 1919.
(from thehill.com)
An in-depth look at how Moms for Liberty is lying about books.https://bookriot.com/moms-for-liberty...
The research shows that parents are notified in advance about which books the class will be reading and given an opt-out. Students are given a choice of several options and only one of which may be the one Moms for Liberty say is being pushed on their children.
The Proud Boys crash Drag King story hour in New York and discover... it's boring. Just a guy dressed up in costume reading books to children. https://www.businessinsider.com/proud...
Great news from Glen Ridge, NJ!Glen Ridge Public Library votes to keep 6 LGBTQ+ books after request to remove them!
The censors are everywhere these days even in Maine.
"Parents and residents of eastern Hancock County appealed Tuesday night to their local school board to take action concerning two LGBTQ books in the library of the local grade 6-12 school. Gender Queer: A Memoir and Queer: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens
"The materials committee for RSU 24 recommended in January that the books be kept in the guidance counselor’s office, but the board is not expected to decide whether to accept that recommendation until it meets in March.
The committee recommended that the guidance counselor offer to discuss the contents of the books with any student who asks to see them. Students would be able to check the books out of the guidance counselor’s office, but would need parental permission for “Gender Queer,” which is a graphic novel that contains explicit sexual images."
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/...
Florida is still banning books. The Florida Department of Ed. approved 350 books. Yes 350! Ironically, they approved Farenheit 451! and even more ironically, they approved Animal Farm. Guess they missed the part about it being an allegory of the Soviet Union.Diverse books include only
Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl's Courage Changed Music
I am Hellen Keller
I am Jackie Robinson
The Sky Painter: Louis Guertes, Bird Artist
The Very First Americans
Two Ways to Count to Ten: A Liberian Folktale
My Name Is Celia: The Life Of Celia Cruz / Me Llamo Celia: La Vida de Celia Cruz
Mango, Abuela and Me
Susan B. Anthony Fighter for Equality and Freedom
Wanted Dead or Alive The True Story of Harriet Tubman
If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad
Frederick Douglass Fights for Freedom
Miracle on 133rd Street
Pablo Nerudo : Poet of the People
The Real McCoy: The Life of an African-American Inventor
The Whipping Boy
Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker's
Esperanza Rising
Fort Mose: And the Story of the Man Who Built the First Free Black Settlement in Colonial America
Abuelita's Heart
Call Me Maria
Farewell to Manzanar
I am Malala
Island of the Blue Dolphins
The Trail of Tears
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court
“Speech to National Council of Negro Women” (2001)
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
“On Women's Right to Vote”
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
“Ain't I a Woman?”
Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl
Long Walk to Freedom
“Choice: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”
“Danger of a Single Story”
“I Have a Dream”
“Industrial Education for the Negro”
Things Fall Apart
“Letter from Birmingham Jail”
“The Talented Tenth”
"Address to William" Chief Techumseh
"“What to the Slave Is The Fourth of July?"
A Raisin in the Sun
"Up from Slavery" Booker T. Washington
Are Women People?
Night (Elie Weisel?)
The poetry of Langston Hughes (shh don't tell them he was queer)
The poetry of Phillis Wheatley
even fewer are #OwnVoices
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XYEk...
https://www.firstcoastnews.com/articl...
St. Johns County Florida school district just removed 23 books from library shelves after review.More are under review.
https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2...
More insanity tomorrow...
This idea makes no sense. Librarians know what they're doing and where to look for book reviews. Trust them and don't make so much work for yourselves. Also, stop making school boards a political position and don'y ally yourselves with extremist groups. At this rate, the students won't have any books to read all year. ___________
The Central Bucks School District is buying books to consider banning them from libraries
District administrators said in a written statement to WHYY News on Tuesday that they initially checked out the books from district libraries so that review committees could read them to ensure that students are not exposed to “age-inappropriate sexualized content.” Those books have “since been returned” to the libraries.
Now “as part of the review process, the district will purchase additional copies of the books as needed,” district administrators said. District administrators did not answer WHYY News’ questions about how many books the district is buying and the cost of those books.
The district formed one reconsideration committee for each of the five books, according to a district email to librarians dated Dec. 1, 2022.
Four of the books center LGBTQ characters and stories: “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe, “This Book is Gay” by Juno Dawson, “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison, and “Beyond Magenta” by Susan Kuklin. The list also includes “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” by Jesse Andrews.
Lucabaugh said the review committees are made up of the library coordinator, school librarians, administrators, teachers, and the K-12 language arts supervisor. The district’s policy says a committee will review each book and produce a “findings report” for the school board. The Republican-majority school board will make the final decision on whether to keep the book in libraries.
The library book policy does not require the committees to review the books in their entirety, evaluate their “literary merit,” nor consult with specific professional reviews and journals such as Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal to determine suitability for readers.
It defines in some detail what would be considered “inappropriate” content, including definitions of “visually implied depictions of sexual acts” and “implied nudity.”
https://whyy.org/articles/central-buc...
The censors are in San Diego too.Community members are calling on the Oceanside Unified School District to remove certain books from school libraries saying they are age-inappropriate. Many of the books surround LGBTQ topics.
Oceanside Superintendent Dr. Julie Vitale [said] there is a process in which instructional materials can be formally challenged by staff, district residents and parents or guardians of students in the district.
“Of the 11 books on the list, four were in our library previous to this board being seated and one goes back as far as 2010. We do have a board policy that outlines the process for a request for reconsideration of instructional materials,” Vitale said.
Many of the people calling for the removal of the books were criticized for not living in the area or not having children belonging to the district.
https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-n...
Mod
https://original.newsbreak.com/@alpha...
And just to be clear, I actually do NOT really agree with the student's attitude, but I find the way this was approached ridiculous and totally against his freedom of expression.
Manybooks wrote: "And sorry, this Canadian story about a Catholic high school student who was suspended (and later also arrested for protesting against his suspension) for saying that he believes there are only two ..."That's weird. That's the total opposite of what I would expect a Catholic school to do.
This piece is interesting.
https://popular.info/p/this-book-is-c...
It ruminated on how the book Best Man by Richard Peck is considered pr0n under Florida law yet Common Sense Media, a non-partisan, independent non-profit reviewer of media, gave the book its lowest rating for "Sex, Romance, & Nudity," meaning that reviewers found nothing objectionable.
"Some talk among the kids about dating, but nothing serious or sexually charged. A gay relationship between two adults figures into the plot. Archer makes a few references to his pregnant teacher and her sonograms. Archer's mom jokes with him about finding him in a cabbage patch, but they skirt the talk of where babies really come from."
Overall, Common Sense Media found that Best Man "stood out for "positive messages" and "positive role models." Moreover, the "content is tame overall.
Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Out of the Blue (other topics)The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink (other topics)
My Rainbow (other topics)
Butt or Face? Volume 3: Super Gross Butts (other topics)
The Day the Books Disappeared (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jodi Picoult (other topics)Sarah J. Maas (other topics)
Ellen Hopkins (other topics)
Jodi Picoult (other topics)
Scott Stuart (other topics)
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Willard school board bans book, suggests governor create rating system to restrict access
Willard parent Megan Patrick said she plans to challenge 23 additional books in the high school library.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl a YA book has been removed from the high school
In November, the board voted to require parent permission for students to check out How It All Blew Up
A review committee decided to remove Oryx and Crake a 2003 book by Margaret Atwood.
"In response, board president Kip Baker urged parents to instead direct their energy at state-level changes by advocating that Gov. Mike Parson create a rating system for books, similar to the one used for movies.
Kip Baker
"We need to be advocating that books have restrictions or have ... truly age-appropriate (levels) on them. I encourage all of you, get ahold of the governor," Baker said in the meeting.
"Somewhere it's got to start. I'd just as soon Missouri be the one that lay the law down and says let's do it, let's get some proper restrictions."
All the books were challenged by parent Lizzie Nothum, who ran unsuccessfully for the board in 2022. She spoke at the Jan. 19 meeting about the danger of pornography and students' ability to access social media through district-issued devices.
"I am not about book banning. I am not about trying to villainize the librarians or the teachers," Nothum said, later adding: "The books, we need to provide educational, uplifting, wholesome things. I just want you guys to elevate your standards instead of giving into the way of the world."
"'Megan Patrick, a parent, said she has researched books available in the Willard High School library and presented Principal Kevin Morrison and the librarian a list of questionable titles.
Patrick said she knows the board has "better things to focus your time on" but will not stop until standards are set. "My hope is that together we can come up with some sort of a standard, a line if you will that we will not cross when it comes to our children."
"We're living in a bizarre time when parents, teachers and school administrators cannot agree that vulgar profanity, [obscene content] (view spoiler)[explicit depictions of sex, molestation, bestiality (hide spoiler)] and more are deemed just fine for minors to read," she said.
In comments to the board, parent Janine Clark-Berry said she does not want another parent telling her child what they cannot read.
"When a book is banned, it is the same as someone imposing their values on my child and that is unacceptable in America," she said.
Clark-Berry said parents have to become engaged with what their children are reading and with their schools.
She is not opposed to a rating system that notifies the student, and the parent, about what content is going to be available in a specific book.
Courtney Sly, a parent, said there is a lot of inflammatory language being used to describe books. "The truth is none of these books are pornographic."
"While a picture of a naked woman might be obscene. A picture of the Venus de Milo is not obscene. If you have the mindset of 'fill-in-the-blank is always obscene' or 'any mention of sex is pornographic,' then we are going to have trouble seeing eye-to-eye on some things, which honestly is OK," Sly said. "The actual root of this problem is that by having different opinions, we can't trust one another."
Sly said parents who seek to ban books are saying that their way of parenting is the best or only way.
"Restricting books is literally creating an obstacle for students to access books and for what? What should happen if there is a book that you don't like, you stop reading it. You choose a different book," she said.
"If we can't trust high school students with that kind of responsibility then how do we trust them with anything — with jobs and cars and phones and hunting rifles but not with books? We profess to be making life-ready graduates capable of making decisions, seeking guidance and being prepared for the world, not just sheltered."
School board member David Menditto said students interested in the book can search for it elsewhere, just not at school. He called the removal "one step in the right direction."
"It is important that we set standards for our kids of what Willard, of what the community stands for," he said. "It is a dark time right now for our kids."
Gooch said she does not "see any value" in having the book in a school library. But, she noted the ability of a parent or school to protect a child only goes so far.
"There is going to be other things that face our kids that we're not going to be able to ban," she said.
Matthew Young , the board vice president, read the book and did not see "any educational value" in the story. He said going forward, the district needs to set standards for what is acceptable or not.
Board member Ron Crighton said the "burden" of deciding what books a student can access ought to rest with parents, not the district. "We are asked to do more social work all the time, and everything, toward these children, and it's overwhelming."
He said his vote for removal was based on inappropriate dialogue found in the book. He said students would get in trouble for using the same "foul language" in school.
https://www.news-leader.com/story/new...