Better yet, ask the parent if SHE has read the book!!
I find that parents often fixate on a single word or passage that they
consider "objectionable," with no sense of its context in the full
story. Once they read the entire story, their minds become enlightened
a bit.
Of course, if the objection is coming from an unreasonable person who
refuses to read the entire book, it's back to the drawing board, perhaps
with a review of your censorship policy and the prescribed steps the
parent needs to take to further her concerns.
I will never forget the fundamentalist who demanded the removal of a
GEOGRAPHY book in my library ten years ago. The title? THE VIRGIN
ISLANDS. Her argument was that "virgin" is a sexually-charged word that
K-6 students should not be exposed to.
Aaaaaiiiieeeee.... what planet do these kinds of people come
from!!!???? Never a dull moment in a school library! :)
William McLoughlin
Library Media Specialist
Brookside School
Worthington, Ohio
wmcloughlin@worthington.k12.oh.us
>>> "Branham, Joy" <jbranham@K12K.COM> - 9/7/2007 8:50 AM >>>
First of all, read the book! But I noticed that you said that "I do
know the
series is well regarded." I would take issue with that. SOME of the
books are well regarded. Please remember that they are written by
different authors. I do know that the Native American site Oyate
regards Ann Turner's The Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow and Ann Rinaldi's
My Heart Is On the Ground as two books to be avoided. I have a few of
the Dear America books in my library, but I make a point of reading
them
first because I know that there are pitfalls to this series. You're
right that history is rarely politically correct. I would say that in
the Dear America series, most of the mistakes seem to be in glossing
over events in the past to make them palatable to modern
sensibilities.
That's a huge mistake, in my opinion. Children don't need to wallow
in
the muck, but they don't need to be misled into thinking that our
history has been all sweetness and light either.
Joy Branham, Librarian
Kennedy Elementary School
Kingsport, Tennessee 37665
jbranham@k12k.com
-----Original Message-----
From: School Library Media & Network Communications
[mailto:LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Marci Mathers
Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2007 10:51 PM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Dear America
I have parent angry over what she claims to be "inappropriate"
material
in a
library book, specifically a book in the Dear America series "When
Will
this
Cruel War End?"
The parent objects to the writer refering to African slaves as feeble
minded. I should mention that the student-reader in question is in
the
3rd
grade, but was able to pass the "five-finger" test, so I didn't see a
problem with letting her taking the book.
I have not read this particular book, so I do not know if this
reference
has
been taken out of context, if the writer undergoes some sort of
Epiphany
to
come to a more "correct" way of thinking, or something else. I do
know
the
series is well regarded.
History is sometimes ugly. It is almost never politically correct. I
did
not purchase this book, it came from Follett as part of our opening day
collection, but the librarian in me says let it stay! I need some
advice
from the more seasoned members of this group to arm myself for what is
coming.
By the way, no, our district does NOT have a challenged book policy. I
would hate to start pulling books off the shelves because one or two
parents
have a bee in their bonnets. I could eventually end up with a naked
library!
Now what?
Marci Mathers, MLIS
Media Specialist
Mountain Vista K-8 School
Coolidge, AZ
mediamarci@hotmail.com
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