Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
Of course there's also bad news in Florida. "While Manatee County Commissioners talked about a number of issues during the commission workshop on Tuesday, commissioners spoke at length about what kind of books should be allowed on shelves, saying they have concerns about “woke” content.
“This is a very conservative county, pretty much a very conservative state,” said Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh, who represents District 5.
Baugh said the library system is too lax on what is allowed.
“I think we just need better guidelines, more appropriateness in picking out books and so forth. And if we should be pushing anything in our libraries, it should be the Constitution,” said Commissioner Baugh.
Commissioner James Satcher, who represents District 1, floated the idea of getting rid of the library’s affiliation with the American Library Association (ALA). The ALA’s website states the nonprofit is “the oldest and largest library association in the world.”
“I see no reason, if we are the first library in the country to say we don’t want to be part of the ALA, and we are open to an alternative that is truly neutral that would come forward, then I would be in favor of that,” Commissioner Satcher said. “If you’re going to decide to be a political website, if you look at their website, that is what they have decided.”
During the meeting, Acting County Administrator Lee Washington said there is no problem with Manatee County Libraries, however he agreed that more workshops should be held to discuss policies.
“I would like to offer a tone of calm and assurance to the board that we don’t have a problem in our libraries,” said Washington.
Nothing was decided at the meeting.
https://www.wfla.com/news/local-news/...
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Yes push the Constitution. First Amendment rights freedom of speech.
I am shocked and stunned they would consider separating from the ALA! I've never heard of that before. That would be a horrendous blow to freedom.
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I agree with parents ONLY being allowed to monitor what their own children are reading, but sadly many extremist and ignorant parents and politicians obviously think otherwise. But frankly, I also think that once someone becomes a teenager, like thirteen or fourteen years of age, parents should no longer have ANY SAY AT ALL regarding reading choices, period.
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"While Manatee County Commissioners talked about a number of issues during the commission workshop on Tuesday, commissioners spoke at length about what..."
Well, I guess for the book banners, freedom of expression and of speech only pertains to them and not to others, not to those wanting to read or reading books the haters deem offensive, really democratic, not.
Well good news from Penguin UK. They will be publishing two versions of Roald Dahl books from now on. A "classic" version which will be the original and unedited form and the revised version. Readers can decide which one they want for themselves. AP news and other news outlets
https://apnews.com/article/books-and-...
Now back to the regular old book banningKentucky SB 5 passed by senate would allow for parents to 'challenge' books in schools
"he Kentucky Senate overwhelmingly passed a measure Thursday that would give parents a pathway to challenge school instructional materials they consider unfit for children.
Senate Bill 5 aims to ensure the right for parental responses to books and other school materials containing explicit content."
The measure advancing Thursday would require school districts to create a process to challenge instructional materials that parents deem “harmful” to children.
"If I were to take this content and pass it out to kids on the street, it would be illegal... yet it's being allowed in our schools," said Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, who represents Oldham County.
Gender Queer: A Memoir
Under the measure, parents would submit a complaint to the school principal, who would decide whether the materials in dispute would remain, be removed or be restricted. Parents disagreeing with that decision could appeal to the local school board.
Parents disagreeing with the school board’s decision could choose to opt-out their children from exposure to the disputed material.
Kate Miller, with the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, said the bill amounted to “state-sponsored censorship,” apparently in response to books about sexual orientation or gender identity.
Louisville Democratic Party Sen. David Yates said he agreed there are materials too extreme for children. But he said the bill goes too far, applying to older teenagers and young children alike.
“Education is the way,” he said. “It removes the racism, the homophobia, the sexism. Education is the great denominator that moves us forward. And we’ve got to be really careful as we limit that.”
https://www.wlky.com/article/kentucky...
In Williamson County, TN, there was a small victory but not for the right reasons.“Speak,” “Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “The Field Guide to the North American Teenager" and “Where the Crawdads Sing were all challenged by one parent in the school district.
"A Committee for the Reconsideration of Library Books, which includes Willie Dickerson, an executive director of secondary education, board member Jay Galbreath and parent group leaders.
The committee met for almost 20 hours, not including the required committee member reading time. Their conclusion: “Without having clear guidance on how to determine the ‘level’ of objectionable content or age appropriateness that would dictate the removal of a book from the library per state law; the committee recommendation is that all four books…should not be removed from our high school libraries.”
The parent complainant also agreed with the committee's conclusion, Dickerson said."
Board members said they appreciated the committee's work — but not everyone agreed with the decision.
"I still feel we are going to get more and more complaints for (book) reconsideration,” said board member Dan Cash.
He said the reconsideration process is time-consuming and likely not a permanent solution.
"I personally feel the age of 18 is when we allow our children to vote. We allow them to buy cigarettes. We allow them to buy (adult) magazines at 18 years old. I think we are forgetting that in the school system sometimes,” Cash said. "I believe we need a rating scale for these books."
Board member Donna Clements disagreed with the committee's conclusion.
"I can't support some of this because there are a couple of books that have some (explicit content) (view spoiler) Clements said. "There are just some heavy, heavy things that we are putting on our children and our youth. We wonder why we have a mental health crisis.
"I would venture that we are putting too much on our kids."
Board member Eric Welch later said that some of the issues explored in the books could be beneficial to teens.
"The hard, awful truth is that some of our students will experience those in our lifetime,” Welch said. "We take away the ability to be armored in advance of it."
Welch also described a Tennessee law passed last year as a “dichotomy” allowing a state commission to ban books in school libraries while the state also works to improve student literacy.
"Maybe I am alone in that, but that just seems like an odd mix,” Welch said. "We need to improve literacy, but we need to get more books out of the library at the same time."
Board member Josh Brown agreed with Clements that the books’ subject matter is “heavy.”
“Ultimately it comes back to this board to make a decision based on this state law,” Brown said. “In the absence of guidance, it’s up to us to come up with something. I think we are kind of floundering a little bit, trying to figure out what that is.
“I am inclined to make a motion that these four books be subject to some kind of parental approval."
Board member Galbreath, who served on the reconsideration committee, said he believed only two books should be restricted: “Perks of Being a Wallflower” and “Where the Crawdads Sing.”
The motion the board ultimately considered was required parental permission for those two books.
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news...
The ACLU is fighting back"ACLU sues Missouri over book ban law that pushed school libraries to remove hundreds of titles
The suit, filed on behalf of the Missouri Association of School Librarians and the Missouri Library Association, asks the circuit court in Kansas City to find the law unconstitutional. The ACLU filed the lawsuit against Jean Peters Baker in her capacity as the Jackson County Prosecutor and on behalf of all county prosecutors in Missouri.
Under the law, the ACLU argues that school staff are forced to choose between students' First Amendment rights and prosecution.
“The law presents specific peril for school librarians, but also endangers the work and livelihoods of public and academic librarians who work with K-12 schools in various capacities,” Joe Kohlburn of the Missouri Library Association said in a statement. “Librarians have been undermined politically in this state for long enough, and the fear of prosecution is an ongoing issue for keeping qualified professionals in Missouri, as well as bringing new people into the profession."
In its lawsuit, the ACLU argues that the law violates educators’ due process rights because it uses vague language that invites government overreach and does not differentiate school employees' official capacity from their personal capacity — leaving them open to even more legal repercussions.
Federal and state law already prohibits providing obscene and pornographic materials to minors, according to the lawsuit. School districts in Missouri, it said, also have board-approved processes to choose appropriate library materials.
"Our school librarians are professionally trained to review all books that are placed on our shelves, and go along with the selection criteria that our school boards approved, ultimately, to curate a developmentally appropriate collection for each grade level that we work with," said Melissa Corey, president of the Missouri Association of School Librarians. "One of our major concerns is also not only looking at what's currently in our collection, but the potential for a chilling effect on what we would buy in the future."
The lawsuit states that the law prompted schools across Missouri to order hundreds of books removed from their shelves. Many of those books were written by or about minority or LGBTQ individuals, but also include many graphic novels, human anatomy books and Holocaust history books. The law has exceptions for art, anthropology and health, but librarians said they didn’t know where to draw the line."
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/2023-...
Interesting food for thought about The Rainbow Fish
How do you interpret the story? I think I only read it once and I didn't have an opinion either way. I'll look into it.
A grade-school teacher Mr. Vương (@teamvuong) feels Rainbow Fish had every right to keep his scales to himself. He thinks if the book had focused on Rainbow Fish's character flaw of being unable to be humble, the book would have worked better.
Mr. Vương explains that by saying "No" to the other fish, he draws a clear boundary, though it results in the other fish not wanting to spend time with him. Because of this, Mr. Vương maintains that the other fish stopped spending time with Rainbow Fish because he wouldn't give up his scales, not necessarily because of his stuck-up nature. When Rainbow Fish learns to share his scales with the other fish, he gains acceptance by giving up part of who he was.
Mr. Vương explains that he used the book with his own class in a lesson on the theme. While he didn't share his personal opinions, some of his students reached the same conclusion he did, while others in the class understood it as a message of selfishness. Mr. Vương said that the book led to a great classroom discussion on how relationships shouldn't be transactional and conditional, and you shouldn't have to change yourself to belong.
He maintained that he feels the author's intentions were good in spreading the message that sharing is important, but the execution of it could encourage misinterpretation. He explained, "This could be a problematic message because it might suggest that kids need to give up something that is important to them in order to feel like they belong when belonging is not something that has to be earned." He added that this could have real-life consequences, and continued, "Kids sometimes go to lengths to do things that will help them feel accepted by their peers, including causing harm to themselves and others."
He reiterated that he wasn't advocating for people to stop reading the book to children, but rather to use it as an opportunity to explore the various interpretations a reader might have in a discussion. He explained, "Instead of canceling the Rainbow Fish, I think we should read it through a critical lens, as we should for everything else. We are trying to build a generation of thinkers, not robots. I did really enjoy using this book to teach my students about thinking critically about themes of stories and using evidence to support what they believe."
Mr. Vương added that this book is useful in teaching about social-emotional learning (SEL) because "once students are able to identify the problematic interpretation, they can talk about WHY it is problematic and what this means in their lives."
https://www.buzzfeed.com/mayaogolini/...
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It would be so so so funny if the classic books sold and the changed ones did not sell.
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How do you interpret the story? I think I only read it once and I didn't have an opinion either..."
A book that has different interpretations possible is in my opinion much better than an "only one interpretation fits" book. I do not like The Rainbow Fish but I do like the fact that is engenders discussion and debate.
Manybooks wrote: "A book that has different interpretations possible is in my opinion much better than an "only one interpretation fits" book. I do not like The Rainbow Fish but I do like the fact that is engenders discussion and debate."Yes it sounds like this teacher is really teaching his students to think instead of repeat what they've been told is the correct answer. He's teaching 4th and 5th grade so they're a little old for a straightforward reading of this book anyway. I'll have to read it again and see what I think.
Hooray for the students of Washington County, Utah for standing up for their right to be heard. Four Desert Hills High School seniors introduced themselves to the Washington County School Board recently as a non-school student organization promoting “discussion” and “debate” on the recent removal of books considered “sensitive” in nature from school libraries.
Students Against Censorship is now an official organization and the innovation of four passionate students who feel the need to be heard.
These four students met with high school faculty at the monthly Washington County School District Board meeting in December after reading about books removed from local schools reported by St. George News.
While there, they expressed their frustrations about removing certain books that had played a considerable part in their life, helping them find their own self-identity and stating their voice in opposition to HB 374: Sensitive Materials in Schools.
During that meeting they only could express their voice through public comments, no action could be taken by the board especially pertaining to current state law. On Feb. 14, the students returned and took time during public comments to introduce themselves to the board as “Students Against Censorship.”
They said they did not want any of the current processes on “book banning” to immediately cease or “books banned” to immediately return to shelves, rather they want to be included in future discussion, and be allowed to debate civilly on the issues and actions pertaining to the removal of such materials which are defined “obscene” in nature by certain community, educational and state entities and leaders.
“I want to speak of action,” Laub said. “Rather the action we hope to inspire. We do not conspire as antagonists, but we want to act as allies for a common goal.”
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The organization has caused a wave of mutual spirit, resulting in 81 students joining the organization across multiple states, and still growing in membership as of Feb. 17.
One of their biggest opposing views is how they define “harmful to minors” which is found in HB 374, Utah Code 76-10-1201. The code says that the definition should be “(i) taken as a whole…”.
“It is not being taken as a whole,” Hays said. “For the most part, HB 374 is a good bill, but the way it is being implemented is not.”
Another reason against the removal of literature is the “real life” aspect of the subject matter in the books. They all said banning books does the opposite of protecting and helping youth.
They also stated that proponent groups like Utah Parents United are overreaching and forcing their beliefs on other members of the community, which is against the constitutional rights given by our forefathers, they stated."
https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/arc...
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Four Desert Hills High School seniors introduced themselves to the Washington County School Board r..."
I am glad students are fighting back, but the best way to fight back is to simply and publicly rebel against the school boards, teachers, politicians and also their parents.
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What's old is new again. I just learned about the 1980s censorship fight against music. I don't remember this at all but it sounds like Moms for Liberty and books!In 1985, four overprotective parents known as the "Washington Wives" set out to increase censorship in music.
The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) wanted to prevent children from hearing music that they deemed to have violent, drug-related or sexual themes by labelling albums with parental advisory stickers.
The husbands of the women who founded the PMRC’s were all connected to politics in one form or another and even included Tipper Gore, wife of the Senator and future Vice President Al Gore, who argued "As parents and as consumers, we have the right and the power to pressure the entertainment industry to respond to our needs. Americans, after all, should insist that every corporate giant – whether it produces chemicals or records – accept responsibility for what it produces."
"Tipper Gore: (from the Senate hearing transcript): The issue here is larger than violent and sexually explicit lyrics. It is one of ideas and ideal freedoms and responsibility in our society. Clearly there is a tension here, and in a free society there always will be. We are simply asking that these corporate and artistic rights be exercised with responsibility, with sensitivity, and some measure of self-restraint, especially since young minds are at stake."
One of the actions taken by the PMRC was to compile a list of fifteen songs in popular music which they labelled as the ‘Filthy Fifteen’ with each song then being labelled objectionable because of the category its lyrical content falls into.
The exact same stuff they're now complaining about in books...
Three musical icons of the day: John Denver, Frank Zappa and Twisted Sister frontman, Dee Snider, went to Congress to testify against censorship.
Snider announced he was raised Christian, married, didn't smoke, drink or do drugs and his band's songs NEVER included anything that went against his Christian values and their song lyrics and videos didn't promote sexism. He claimed Tipper Gore reaching the conclusion on his song was dirty was solely in her own brain rather than the lyrical content.
Frank Zappa stated :"Taken as a whole, the complete list of PMRC demands reads like an instruction manual for some sinister kind of toilet-training program to house-break all composers and performers because of the lyrics of a few. Ladies, how dare you?"
John Denver called out censorship as Nazism: John Denver (Senate hearing transcript): "The suppression of the people of a society begins in my mind with the censorship of the written or spoken word. It was so in Nazi Germany. It is so in many places today where those in power are afraid of the consequences of an informed and educated people."
Dee Snider's speech is worth reading in full, but especially the final portion:
"The beauty of literature, poetry, and music is that they leave room for the audience to put its own imagination, experiences, and dreams into the words. The examples I cited earlier showed clear evidence of Twisted Sister's music being completely misinterpreted and unfairly judged by supposedly well-informed adults.
We cannot allow this to continue. There is no authority who has the right or the necessary insight to make these judgments, not myself, not the Federal Government, not some recording industry committee, not the PTA, not the RIAA, and certainly not the PMRC."
https://joesapt.net/superlink/shrg99-...
The PMRC achieved an agreement with the RIAA introducing Parental Advisory stickers but refused a ratings system or a ban on explicit album cover artwork.
Read more about it in Far Out Magazine UK
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/twisted-...
loudersound.com
https://www.loudersound.com/features/...
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In 1985, four overprotective par..."
I never liked John Denver's music all that much as a teenager (I was totally into the Beatles) but when Denver openly equated the music censorship that was happening in the USA as being akin to Nazism, I not only was openly cheering and agreeing with this, I also spent ALL the babysitting money I had been saving on John Denver albums.
Good news from Glen Ridge, NJ:Members of the “Citizens Defending Education” group in Glen Ridge failed to ban the following six books from the Glen Ridge Public Library:
1. All Boys Aren't Blue - George M. Johnson
2. Here and Queer - Rowan Ellis
3. This Book is Gay - Juno Dawson
4. It's Not the Stork - Robie H. Harris
5. It's Perfectly Normal - Robie H. Harris
6. You Know, Sex - Cory Silverberg
EveryLibrary supported this campaign through the tools on the Fight for the First Platform. The Fight for the First platform allowed local organizers to launch a petition and send mass communications to their petition signers to help them organize. Besides the digital tools at Fight For the First,
EveryLibrary supported the campaign with $500 in digital ads to put the petition in front of local community members and EveryLibrary offered pro-bono consulting with the campaign leadership.
Almost 3,000 Americans signed the petition against the book bans, including more than 1500 Glen Ridge residents protecting resources in their local library.
The local campaign team ran one of the strongest field campaigns we’ve seen and drove over 750 community members to the board meeting to stand against book bans with t-shirts, speeches at the meeting, and signs decrying the banning of books.
“More than 750 supporters showed up to fill the Ridgewood Ave School Auditorium to hear 50 Glen Ridge friends, neighbors, parents, and students speak, sharing their personal perspectives on how representation in the library matters, how these 6 books matter, and how libraries are the one location where we all can find ourselves, whoever you are and whatever your interests.” – Glen Ridge United Against Book Bans
The Board of Trustees unanimously supported keeping all six books on the shelves that were targeted by book banners.
EveryLibrary
http://www.everylibrary.org/
Still more bad news though... school board members and superintendents are being fired in Florida, Orange County California, North Carolina, Douglas County, Colo. and other schools that have supported social emotional learning. It's all over the news. In Maine, a 6th grader protests AGAINST "lurid" content in the library and claims the librarian pushed "pr0n" on him. He checked out Nick and Charlie, a teen romance. When Knox checked out “Nick and Charlie,” the librarian told him that if he liked it, she had similar ones she could lend him, he told the school board. The age advisory on this book is 14-years of age and older.
Kid's dad claims “A lot of parents just don’t know what’s going on in the school,” Adam Zajac, told The Maine Wire. “What I don’t understand is how we have books in the middle school library that adults would be fired for having at work, or potentially prosecuted for sharing with children given their p__graphic content. It’s smut, really.”
Parents are still protesting Gender Queer: A Memoir
Parents want age-appropriate limitations on access to these books — if they’re to be in the library at all. But most members of the school board disagree, and some community members think the board is taking steps to limit the involvement of parents in public meetings.
“We’re not looking to ban books, we’re just trying to make sure they aren’t all out front and center in the libraries like they are now,” said Maria Clark, a grandmother of nine students in the RSU-14 system told The Maine Wire.
Clark said parents have begun the process of requesting these books be put in a reserve section to be available on request, but notes it is a time-intensive one. “We’re not trying to ban books, we’re just concerned that they are being used not as reference but rather advocacy materials,” she said.
https://www.themainewire.com/2023/02/...
Trigger warnings in this article. Don't read the tweet.Even in New York, parents are upset about certain books. This one seems innocuous enough. I'm not sure why there's a board book in middle school but if it helps kids understand who they are, then why not?
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"A parent in Dutchess County, New York is asking a local school why cartoon books about gender identity are available in her child’s middle school library.
Kristi Rollman was so surprised when her son told her about the inappropriate book at Union Vale Middle School that she asked her son to send her photos of the book, Being You: A First Conversation About Gender by Megan Madison.
Rollman said that as a parent she has a right to know how such books are selected and demanded to know why books like this are available to her son.
Rollman even offered to provide books that have nothing to do with sexual orientation if the school’s library was short on books. She understands there to be “numerous” books on gender in the library.
On Monday, Rollman told The Lion that the superintendent has responded to her email, saying he is looking into the book."
https://readlion.com/2023/02/20/carto...
Meridan, Idaho: One public library about to be closed because the library had Gender Queer: A Memoir, in the children's section."The Ada County Board of Commissioners set a hearing date for the dissolution of the Meridian Library District.
This comes after a group of Meridian residents, called the Concerned Citizens of Meridian, filed a petition to commissioners seeking to dissolve the district because they believe the library is placing p____graphic books in the children’s section.
The group gathered 119 signatures for the petition, and at an Ada County Commission meeting last week, commissioners approved 93 of the signatures, which meets the 50-signature threshold required by law for the motion to move forward.
Tuesday morning, commissioners set a public hearing for the dissolution of the Meridian Library District for Monday, March 20 at 6 p.m. Only residents living within the district can testify and submit documents. Any residents submitting documents must do so at least five days before the hearing so commissioners can look them over."
https://boisedev.com/news/2023/02/28/...
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Manybooks wrote: "And by the way, there would not be so much need for books about gender, puberty etc. if ALL parents did their jobs and provided sufficient enlightenment to and for their children and at a reasonabl..."Yes in an ideal world but you should hear the backlash against a sex ed bill proposing to teach consent -as in consent at an age appropriate level: who can touch you where, why, bodily autonomy and moving up to sex ed.
In the case of LGBTQ sex ed, there really hasn't been much and parents aren't equipped to explain it to their kids. They need books and not random people on the street/internet explaining things to them.
Today's chilling news comes from Indiana where the state Senate has passed a bill to ban "bad" books. Cue the usual arguments. What constitutes "bad"? Who decides? “We’re talking about ‘inappropriate material.’ Nobody in this chamber is probably going to agree as to the specific line for which appropriate is,” argued Ind. Sen. Rodney Pol, (D-District 4).
Sen. Andrea Hunley (D-Indianapolis) wondered about the appropriateness of the book “The Middle Passage.” It’s about the Atlantic slave trade and has charcoal drawings that show a bare breast and a forced kiss. “I would argue about taking it in full context. I think if we look at this book as a whole, it has value,” she said. “But again, a parent may not see it that way. A parent may see this as truly obscene.”
Sen. Pol warned that the law would lead to book banning crusades. “So, if I’m a parent with a lot of time on my hands and I’ve got a political axe to grind, you know, I stand against any, any book that has written by somebody that supports the opposing party or supports a cause that I don’t believe in, what’s to stop me from filing every single complaint I can,” he said.
The measure would also strip a protection from criminal prosecution under the state obscenity law that is now afforded to educators when materials that are harmful to minors end up in the hands of minors.
It applies only to school libraries and sets up a procedure school officials must follow to handle parent book complaints.
The bill now moves to the House, where it will be co-sponsored by Rep. Jake Teshka of South Bend."
https://www.wndu.com/2023/02/28/india...
Good news of a sort from Midland County Public Library (TX)County commissioners said they do not have any policies in place that would ban donated titles based on content.
They have yet to discuss banning "obscene" books from the children's section.
https://www.mrt.com/news/local/articl...
In Conn., Republican legislators quizzed librarians on the availability of potentially controversial books and pornography during a Friday hearing on a wide-ranging bill to improve health services for kids, which included a provision designed to support libraries that carry books banned elsewhere.much of Friday’s testimony centered around controversial books on the shelves of public libraries. That’s because the legislation also includes a provision that provides incentive grants for so-called “sanctuary libraries.”
The bill defines sanctuary libraries as a town’s central library that carries and makes available any books that have been challenged, banned or censored by people and organizations.
Douglas Lord, president of the Connecticut Library Association, told the committee that library content decisions needed to be made by librarians rather than people interested in challenging books.
Lord said challenged books are often related to LGBTQ issues or books involving Black, indigenous and people of color.
“Librarians generally, and the Connecticut Library Association, affirms the dignity of all people,” Lord said. “That’s part of what we do as librarians: we see people for who they are. Federal courts have, again and again, affirmed the rights of individuals to make their own choices in public libraries that use public funding.”
Several of the committee’s Republican members were concerned that children may see or be able to borrow explicit material from a public library, especially if that library was incentivized not to ban content.
Rep. Gale Mastrofrancesco, R-Wolcott, asked Fairfield Town Librarian Scott Jarzombek what library policy would prevent a child from borrowing a book with sexually explicit material. Jarzombek said residents had to be at least 12 years-old to come to the library without supervision but otherwise could borrow books with a library card.
arzombek said there were materials at public libraries that he would not feel comfortable with his children reading. The same could be said about the magazine rack at supermarkets and the aisles of local malls, he said. Still, he cautioned against removing those materials.
“Parents must be provided options and the resources they select and be free to decide what is appropriate for their children, including subjects not everyone is comfortable with,” Jarzombek said. “My concern is when we start removing those items, we’re removing resources that parents can use and are comfortable with to help educate their children,” he added later.
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2023/02/27/l...
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"The Ada County Board of Commissioners set a hearin..."
I am soooo upset about this! I mean, I'm upset about all of it, but this just brings it vividly to life as it's so close to us. I asked at our local library how they are doing with all this going on in a neighboring district and I could tell the librarian was touched that I asked and said they were doing "okay" but said they were not really allowed to discuss any of it personally. I am really concerned. We use the library not only for pleasure and personal education but as a huge resource to supplement our homeschool curriculum and I don't know what I would do if it closed besides which it is just utterly appalling that anyone would think of shuttering a library! I hope it will not come to that. We are not part of the Meridian district but get lots of books sent over from them!
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YES! Thank you for saying so and isn't this just the heart of the matter with all of this! *gurrrr!*
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YES! Thank you for saying so and isn't this just the heart of the matter with all o..."
Yes, but of course some parents think no one should enlighten children ...
Kathryn wrote: "" I could tell the librarian was touched that I asked and said they were doing "okay" but said they were not really allowed to discuss any of it personally."
That would alarm me. I asked at my local library how they choose books in these crazy times, knowing the library won't close due to parental involvement. (The parents use the library to learn English and literacy, get tax forms, take their kids to the movies for free, etc.)
Kathryn wrote: "I am really concerned. We use the library not only for pleasure and personal education but as a huge resource to supplement our homeschool curriculum and I don't know what I would do if it closed besides which it is just utterly appalling that anyone would think of shuttering a library! I hope it will not come to that. We are not part of the Meridian district but get lots of books sent over from them!"
That's very scary to have that happen so close to home. Is there a a Senator or Representative you can contact?
I'll keep collecting banned books to send to anyone who wants them. I bought American girl make a difference because I saw it was low inventory and American Girl may be quietly retiring anything that smacks of social justice. I plan to donate the book somewhere.
My dad is a pediatrician and he has seen in increase in helicopter parents since he started working full-time in the 80s. They drive him crazy because they won't let the kid speak for themselves. I'm sure some of them don't let their kids think for themselves. My sister is a school psychologist and she didn't even know about book banning until I told her. In none of these hearings or review committees have the psychologists been brought in to explain what is age appropriate and necessary for healthy development! Why not let the professionals speak and hear what they have to say if they're not going to trust librarians and teachers?
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" I could tell the librarian was touched that I asked and said they were doing "okay" but said they were not really allowed to discuss any of it personally."
That would alarm me. ..."
I guess there is no way your father could tell the parents to leave even if the kids wanted them to leave?
And I (a college and university instructor) have also gotten a few emails from parents of my adult students regarding workload and that I should not be using this or this type of reading material (or handout) due to supposed violence, sexuality etc. I simply reply that this is college/university and the students are adults (which I can do in Canada but might not be able to do in certain US states).
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" I could tell the librarian was touched that I asked and said they were doing "okay" but said they were not really allowed to discuss any of it personally."
That would alarm me. ..."
I've definitely been feeling alarmed. Thank you again for your work continuing to spread the word about the matters!
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I tell you one thing, if I were (as a person of German origin) teaching something like history, even if parents complained, there is NO WAY I would allow any student to not attend class when teaching about the Holocaust and I would also not allow students to voice anti Holocaust and pro Nazi sentiments (I would discuss the Holocaust in class, but I would rather go to jail than allow any Holocaust denial and/or parents demanding that their children not be reading books on the Holocaust).
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Unfortunately, having books with diverse characters on display seems to be already enough in some states to bring out the book banners. And this would actually not be all that much of an issue if politicians did not so often cater to the book banners and also often agreed with them.
Kathryn wrote: "I was at least slightly cheered that our local branch did have numerous books on display featuring Black characters (I think most/all Black authors, too) probably for Black History Month. I also saw “We Are the Water Protectors” propped up clearly and another book about climate change. I’m glad to see them out and just hope it doesn’t make the library a target for future shuttering..."
Just watch for LGBTQ+ books on display because that's what gets the censors going under the purview of "obscenity".
In Hillsborough (Tampa) Florida, A Hillsborough County commissioner wants parents to know what their kids are reading at the public library.
Commissioner Michael Owen also wants the adults to have the opportunity to block their youngsters from having access to materials in the adult section of the library or “checking out controversial books dealing with sexuality.”
“These should be safe spaces for parents to trust their children are not getting fed garbage, basically,” Owen said.
He also called for the county’s 30-branch library system to drop its affiliation with the American Library Association. That nonprofit organization began in 1876 and promotes libraries and library education internationally.
Owen, however, said the association has morphed from a library resource to an activist organization.
“The (American Library Association) has clearly gone radical,” Owen told the rest of the commission Wednesday."
Conveniently, he read a statement from the new ALA president that removed "white supremacy" from her comment.
She stated: "So many of us find ourselves at the ends of our worlds. The consequences of decades of unchecked climate change, class war, white supremacy and imperialism have led us here.
“If we want a world that includes public goods like the library, we must organize our collective power and wield it. The American Library Association offers us a set of tools that can harness our energies and build those capacities.”
Owen claims that since the ALA president identifies as a "Marxist" the library shouldn't be affiliated with "that" and " it has nothing to do with LGBT or race or white supremacy.’’
Chairperson Ken Hagan cut off Commissioner Pat Kemp as she tried to respond to Owen, saying the subject hadn’t been publicly noticed and would be discussed at a future meeting.
“The library was a sanctuary for me,” said Kemp who told other commissioners she checked out a lot of materials as a child that were considered adult books.
"Owen asked the staff to report back to the commission on: the county’s status as a member of the American Library Association; what is required to disassociate from the group and what, if any, program benefits the county library would be forfeiting if it dropped its membership. Separately, he asked for a report on whether minors can check out materials from the library’s adult section and whether parents can have an opt-out provision for their children’s library cards to prevent juvenile access to adult materials."
https://www.tampabay.com/news/hillsbo...
Who the heck cares if the president of the ALA has affiliated as a Marxist? The ALA is the ALA. Non-profit, non-partisan. They support freedom to read. Some kids need access to these books to feel seen, safe, learn about themselves or the world around them. Many of the banned adult books are in high school honors and AP English classes, college classes and some are considered classics. If they can't get these books in school and their parents can't afford to or won't buy them, where else are they supposed to go but the public library?
In national news, the House I thought the whole broo-haha over book banning was because states are in charge of education? I also thought Republicans were in favor of small government? This sounds like big government to me.
Story:
House Republicans introduce ‘Parents Bill of Rights’ aimed at oversight in education
"H.R. 5, also known as the “Parents Bill of Rights Act,” would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require schools to provide parents with a list of books and reading materials available in the school library as well as posting curriculum publicly.
The proposed legislation also affirms parents’ rights to address school boards and receive information about violent activity in their child’s school."
The bill has 73 GOP co-sponsors, she said.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy championed the new bill, calling it “milestone” legislation, though it faces an uncertain future in the Democratic-led Senate.
The proposed measure was swiftly denounced by Becky Pringle, the president of the National Education Association, who said McCarthy is trying to stoke racial and social division.
“Parents and voters agree that elected leaders should be focused on getting students the individualized support they need, keeping guns out of schools, and addressing educator shortages. But sadly, McCarthy would rather empower politicians who want to ban books and drive passionate educators out of the profession, instead of doing what is right for our students and public schools. Students, parents, and educators deserve better,” Pringle said in a statement."
CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/02/politi...
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I thought the whole broo-haha over book banning was because states are in charge of education? I also thought Republicans were in favor of small government? This sound..."
Fiscal, in other words, REAL and traditional conservatives, yes, they indeed are for smaller governments and less government interference, but many Social Conservatives totally embrace forcing one type of "morality" on everyone and the government being in charge of education, reading choices and the like. In other words, many Social Conservatives are fiscally right wing perhaps but with regard to their politics are collectivists and for me, collectivism means Stalinism and the Iron Curtain.
More from Idaho- good news this time.Librarians or parents? Idaho House bills differ on ‘harmful’ materials responsibility
— Idaho legislative committee on Wednesday rejected a bill that would have made schools and libraries liable to lawsuits for distributing material deemed “harmful” to children.
The committee also delayed action on another bill, supported by a librarian trade group, that would direct library oversight boards to create policies clearly labeling shelves and material suitable for children.
Lawmakers rejected House Bill 139 — sponsored by Rep. Jaron Crane, R-Nampa, and the Idaho Family Policy Center, a religious lobbying group — which would have allowed parents to sue schools and libraries if employees gave their child “harmful” material or if the institution failed to take “reasonable steps to restrict access” to “harmful” material for minors.
....
Committee members, including six Republicans, cited concerns over the severity of the damages, vagueness regarding how exceptions would be interpreted, and apprehension with usurping locally elected library boards’ control over their material.
“Who decides whether it’s literary value or not?” said Rep. Greg Lanting, R-Twin Falls. “Who decides for sure what’s obscene material? Do we have to take everything to a judge to get a final decision?”
Public testimony was divided over the bill. Several parents who supported the measure said they were frustrated by their local library board’s refusal to remove books that parents considered obscene.
Gregory Taylor, a teacher librarian at Boise’s Hillsdale Junior High School, said a librarian’s job is helping people find books relevant to their everyday lives.
“No one standard could ever match all needs and tastes,” Taylor told the committee. “Responsible parents know what their children are reading, and they take the time to make those thoughtful decisions about which books their kids read. Let other families make their own choices.”
The committee also held a public hearing on House Bill 227, which would direct public school and library leaders to establish standards restricting minors’ access to “harmful” material.
Under the bill, sponsored by Rep. Jack Nelsen, R-Jerome, schools and libraries would be required to have a process through which parents can challenge library books they find objectionable during a public meeting.
It would also require that parents who consent to their children obtaining a library card acknowledge that it’s their responsibility to oversee materials their child accesses at the library.
“I think of it as parental responsibility, which in my book is right where it should be,” Nelsen said.
https://www.eastidahonews.com/2023/03...
More censorship in Greenville, South CarolinaThe Greenville County Library System is considering the permanent removal of 24 books, many of which are children's picture books with LGBTQ+ themes.
Some of the books currently being reviewed were first targeted by the Greenville County GOP, which conflated children's picture books and parenting books that included images of sex.
One library expert cautioned the implementation of unnecessary book bans, saying it can erode the public's trust in its libraries.
The fate of the 24 books remains unclear more than three months after they were initially placed under review, as the public awaits a decision from the library's board of trustees.
The full list of books scrutinized by the county GOP includes:
"Adventures with My Daddies"
"Daddy & Dada"
"Feminist Baby Finds Her Voice"
"Generation Brave: The Gen Z Kids Who Are Changing the World"
"Heather Has Two Mommies"
"It's Perfectly Normal"
"It's So Amazing: A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families"
"Love, Violet"
"Pride Puppy"
"Sex Is A Funny Word"
"Stella Brings The Family"
"Teo's Tutu"
"You Don't Have To Be Everything: Poems for Girls Becoming Themselves"
A copy of each of the 24 books currently on the chopping block has been temporarily removed from circulation, as part of a review process by the library system's board of trustees.
The board's potential book ban has sparked outrage among LGBTQ+ advocates, library experts and even current library system employees who fear the board of trustees is targeting queer-themed materials for politically-charged reasons and undermining the very purpose of a library in the process.
By considering this book ban, employees and experts say the board of trustees has platformed conservative ideologies and injected the national culture wars currently dominating the political landscape into Greenville's library system.
The problem, though, is that there is no sexually explicit content in the children’s section of any Greenville County library branch. The Greenville County library system already has a policy prohibiting that type of content from the children's section.
But the county GOP, in its efforts to drum up support for its claims, created a video condemning the library for promoting inappropriate content to children.
Many of the books scrutinized by the county GOP were children's picture books with LGBTQ+ themes.
Some of the parenting books targeted by the GOP include illustrations of (view spoiler), but they are not located in the children’s section of the library, and they require a full-access library card to check out.
Three library employees, who spoke with The News on the condition of anonymity, said they have experienced an increase in harassment from patrons since the GOP passed its resolution.
One employee said she'd been called a pedophile and a groomer both in person and over the phone.
The library board’s materials committee met last November and voted to temporarily remove a copy of each of the 24 books it planned to review from circulation, according to the committee’s meeting minutes.
The copies were removed from circulation so the committee could evaluate each book and schedule a follow-up meeting, according to the minutes.
But more than three months later, that follow-up meeting has yet to take place.
The materials committee does not hold regularly scheduled meetings and has not met again since its decision to temporarily pull the books last November.
And while the books' fate remains in limbo, it is library patrons, especially young ones, who will suffer.
"[Reading] is how our children build empathy," Pelayo-Lozada said. "This is how our children see the humanity in one another and understand that just because somebody doesn't look or have the same exact lifestyle as them that they are no less human than they are."
It has not been made public when the materials committee will next meet or what will become of the two dozen titles currently facing permanent removal.
https://www.greenvilleonline.com/stor...
I read Stella Brings the Family. ZERO obscene content and in no way shape or form can these dirty-minded people come up with an excuse to ban this book from the children's section. Stella has two dads... PLUS uncles, aunts, grandparents and other people who love her. She has to decide who to bring to school for Mother's Day. She makes the decision to bring the whole family. Hooray! Isn't that nice? The final thought is: Who will the boy with two moms bring to school for Father's Day? NO pictures of kissing, touching, feeling, or any other adult content. ZERO. Adding the others to my TBR list.
People truly don't want books banned. It's only the right-wing special interest groups. More on them later."More than 200 people gathered outside the Bismarck Veterans Memorial Library Thursday evening in protest of legislation aimed at keeping certain books off library shelves.
It may have been quiet outside the Bismarck Veterans Memorial Library, but the people who gathered here for a “read-in” are hoping their presence and silence speaks volumes.
“Well, I just don’t think it’s right that government, church, individual or group should be allowed to tell me what I can and cannot read or what books I have access to,” said Penny Lind of Bismarck.
This quiet but passionate crowd wants lawmakers at the capitol to know exactly how they feel about two bills aimed at taking what some consider inappropriate books off of library shelves.
The idea of a read-in to draw attention to the cause only made sense to event planners.
“So, a read-in, I mean there’s a lot of tradition you think of sit-ins you think of different ways that people can show their unhappiness with things that might be going on in their government and policies. So, a read-in just felt perfect for a library,” said Beth Schatz Kaylor, who organized the event.
Kaylor said she knows there are many people around the state who support their stance as more read-ins are planned at libraries around the region. She said she hopes this event helps representatives understand these bills would cause ripple effects they may not be aware of."
https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/03/03/cit...
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Disturbing news. Texas is on par to become worse than Florida. This is BLANTANT homophobia/attack on the LGBTQ+ community."Texas GOP Wants to Ban Books With Gay Characters From School Libraries
No LGBTQ characters at all would be allowed.
Texas SB1443 would ban from school libraries any books that have characters who are of the same sex in a relationship. It also bans trans characters.
It bans website access with the above too.
Texas Republicans want to ban public school libraries from having books that feature same-sex couples and transgender characters, part of the GOP’s increasing attacks on LGBTQ people across the United States.
The bill, introduced Thursday, prohibits books that include “any type of romantic or sexual attraction between individuals of the same sex; transvestism; gender dysphoria; [or] transgenderism.” It also bans library websites from referring to pages that discuss these topics, as well as any drag performances in the libraries."
https://twitter.com/ErinInTheMorn/sta...
https://newrepublic.com/post/170947/a...
This bill would ban classics such as
Huckleberry Finn
The Iliad
Shakespeare
Lord of the Rings
Jane Eyre
Harry Potter
Moby Dick
etc. etc.
https://twitter.com/ErinInTheMorn/sta...
In North Dakota librarians could risk jail time over ND book ban bills targeting sexual material."ome librarians, like Christine Kujawa, the director at Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library, are preparing for possible jail time, which Senate Bill 2360 provides if the future law is broken.
The bill, which passed 38-9 and now moves to the House, prohibits the display of sexually explicit material in places where minors are allowed, including depictions or written descriptions of nudity "to exploit sex, lust or perversion."
The bill would impose a Class B misdemeanor as a penalty, which carries a maximum punishment of 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine.
Supporters say the Senate bill, along with the similar House Bill 1205 , are needed to protect youth from pornography.
“I certainly don’t want to go to jail for doing my job, but I am not going to censor either,” Kujawa said.
House Bill 1205 would prohibit public libraries from “maintaining explicit sexual material,” which under the bill includes (view spoiler) and other acts.
Opponents call the regulatory move an overreach and censorship. The bill passed behind a 65-28 vote, and moves to the Senate for a vote.
Valley City Barnes County Public Library Director Anita Tulp said she’s uncertain why legislators are targeting libraries when nearly all children have easy access to smartphones.
“I certainly don’t want to go to jail. I do want to stand up for what I believe in, and I don’t want to go to jail and be blamed for something that I don’t believe I did wrong," she said. "But if I need to fight it, I will fight it."
Tim Dirks, the Fargo Public Library director, said he doesn’t fear for himself, as he has “tremendous support from city administration,” but he is afraid for librarians in smaller or rural communities.
Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human” which is available in some libraries, is “225 pages of despicable filth,” according to House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson.
About 200 demonstrators attended a silent "read-in" protest outside the Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library on Thursday, March 2. Kujawa flipped through Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451," a novel that depicts a dystopian world in which books are outlawed.
Mobile shelves in Fargo are stocked with books and an accompanying sign that says: “Read ‘em before they’re gone” and “Warning, these and other items may be censored pending current North Dakota legislation."
Managers in Valley City are appealing to the public for input, holding open house events and posting on social media.
The North Dakota Library Association also condemned the bills, saying such laws should be considered censorship, saying they are a danger to a free and democratic society.
“They have brought forth calls for the censorship of books and other resources that relate to the lives of those who are gay, queer, or transgender or that tell the stories of persons of color," NDLA said in a news release. "By claiming that these works are immoral and subversive, they attempt to sway elected and non-elected officials to abandon constitutional principles and individual rights."
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Karen Krenz, from Williston, represented Moms for Liberty and testified on a separate Senate bill, which would have banned the display of any nude or partially nude material where minors can frequent and would have provided a penalty.
Krenz said she found five books in Williston to be questionable.
Rep. Bernie Satrom, R-Jamestown, said before the House that some North Dakota libraries have lost focus on representing their communities with appropriate literature.
“It is interesting that the library computers have filters on them to protect children, but the library shelves do not,” he said.
State librarian Mary Soucie testified to the Senate that reading materials are filtered through a state-run program called Stage Net to 48 out of 83 public libraries across the state.
“Here in North Dakota, filters are largely embraced by the library community,” said Soucie, who has been a librarian for more than 30 years.
Donna Rice Hughes, CEO and president of Enough is Enough a non-profit organization based in Virginia, testified during the hearing of Senate Bill 2360 that many libraries are not in compliance with federal obscenity laws in filtering [the p word].
“This is why it’s so critically important for states like North Dakota to stand up,” Hughes said.
Kujawa claimed the bills contain “vague and open-ended language, which leaves the door open for unintended consequences and room for interpretation.”
She said the bills are an embarrassment to the state, and if they become law, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of books could be gone from library shelves and databases.
The bills would most likely be challenged in court, Dirks noted, citing the legislation as an attack on the First Amendment.
“The potential collateral impact of the legislation is so broad, it would impact any number in our collection,” he said, adding that more than 300,000 books would have to be culled.
Language in the House bill would require every public library to report back to the state that they don't have any offensive material.
“It’s troubling as far as First Amendment issues; it’s also an egregious overreach by the state,” Dirks said, adding that users who want access need to make their voices heard.
"Ultimately, this legislation will be taking resources away from the community," he said.
https://www.inforum.com/news/north-da...
Also in Montana, parents in Bozeman are up in arms about The Marrow ThievesIt was published in 2017 and has been in the district's board-approved curriculum for a few years now.
Some parents recently voiced their concerns of it being a reading option for ninth graders at Monday's school board meeting.
The back of the book describes the story and says this.
“It takes place in a world nearly destroyed by global warming, the indigenous people of America are being hunted for their bone marrow, which carries the key to recover something the rest of the the population lost”.
“Parents truly want what's best for their kids, and we allow parents to make those individual decisions. There are a variety of topics, controversial topics that particularly happen at the high school level, and we have a diverse community, we have a diverse country, and we are trying to create an educational atmosphere where students are challenged,” Bozeman School District Superintendent Casey Bertram said.
Bertram says if there are any pieces of the curriculum that parents want to opt out of, they acknowledge that and can offer alternative titles.
https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/boo...
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Manybooks wrote: "So I guess the next move by politicians and school boards in Texas, Florida and other book banning states freaking out about same sex relationships in books would be to start arresting trans or hom..."They'd have a fight on their hands if they tried but Tennessee has just barred drag shows which will include drag queen story times.
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I am hoping that any such attempts will not pass and cause major unrest. And I also hope that in Tennessee, people will just have drag queen shows and drag queen story hours in their own homes instead (but who knows, even that might in fact be illegal, but even if it is illegal, people should still do it).
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)
More...
Roberto Clemente can stay in libraries. Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates
The district said it acquired the book in 2021 along with nearly 180 others in Perfection Learning’s Essential Voices Collection “to increase (its) diversity of writers, characters, topics and viewpoints in our classroom libraries.”
“Since (Duvall County Public Schools Superintendent) Dr. (Diana) Greene arrived in 2018, the district has invested more than $1 million in classroom books from diverse authors and about diverse groups of people. Our goal was — and continues to be — to put books in the hands of children in which they can see themselves and learn from a broad array of perspectives,” district spokespeople Tracy Pierce and Laureen Ricks wrote in a news release.
“What that now means is that we have thousands of titles that we must review to ensure our teachers do not unintentionally violate Florida Statutes,” Pierce and Ricks wrote.
Of the Essential Voices book titles, the district said it sent 105 to classrooms last fall and returned 47 others that it said it didn’t order or weren’t appropriate for elementary-aged children. Another 27 titles, including Winter’s Clemente book and a book about the late slugger Hank Aaron, were held back for further review.
In addition to placing the Essential Voices books about Clemente and Aaron on school shelves, Pierce and Ricks wrote that the district “already had multiple titles in classroom libraries and media centers about these individuals, as well as dozens of books about Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and other icons of the Civil Rights movement.”
https://triblive.com/sports/pirates/r...