Ahira's Hangar

Again, she must live in a wildly different school system then the one I live in.
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bumpity, bump

Some newer news about book bannings. A school board wants to have some books removed from their schools's libraries, B. Kingslover's The Bean Trees and Bryce Courtnay's The Power of One are two that IMO are exceptions to the usual group. A Chicago area School Board wants removed from class curriculums Freaknomics by Lovitt and Dubner and Botany of Desire by Pollan.

I have a question to parents on the board, or Danlo since he's a recent entry into the pedagogic community. What exactly are the motivations behind removal of these books from either class curriculums or school libraries? taraswizard
Allan Rosewarne N9SQT/WDX6HQV
Chicago area
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One book my school board, now, probably wants banned is Rio Grande Stories. The short-story in question is Another Espanola Joke. Some background: The beautiful Espanola Valley inbetween Santa Fe and Taos is nestled on the Rio Grande on a very fertile spot in the Sangre de Cristos Mountians, near the famous "miracle" church in Chimayo. Espanola had the rare fortune of escaping most of the huge purge of Spanish land grants when the (primarily) white U. S. Government made New Mexico a territory. It's, probably, the most populus, per capita, hispanic town in the state. Unfortunately it is also known as the "lowrider" and "brown herion" capital of the state and many well known state-wide jokes have been made about it.

The story was designed to dispell the jokes and instill pride in the resident's modern culture and heritage. It was writen by a hispanic and it's main character is a young hispanic boy who gains a rich undertanding of his community and roots. It does have some "off-color" jokes in it, but they are there to illustrate very important points. In fact it even tells the story of one mayor who lobbied the NM Legislature to have these jokes outlawed statewide. The book was recommended to me by my mentor in my student/teaching program and has the label of the Albq. Public School District Library on the back.

After I read the story to the class my hispanic Educational Assistant ran to admistration and I came very, very close to being fired, not just from the school, from the entire district! I explained everything to them, just as I have to you-yet they put a major complaint against me in my permanent record and I never saw the book again. The EA flatly called me a racist--and I am now looking for a way to sue her for character deffamation and to petiton the district to clear my record.

I am the last person on earth you'd want to call a racist--everybody who knows me understands this--I highly doubt that anything like this would have happened to a hispanic teacher reading the same story...(please forgive me if that last line sounded in any way racist...) *****
Before, you are wise; after, you are wise. In between you are otherwise.
Fravashi saying (from the formularies of Osho the Fool) <i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 5/26/06 1:09 pm
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Sounds like political correctedness run amok. There was a huge controversy in the NYC area within the last few years about a white teacher reading a book about African American hair to her class (I think the book's title was something like Nappy Hair) and some of the parents in the neighborhood strenuously objecting.

Ah, yes, after googling here we go:
www.adversity.net/special/nappy_hair.htm ******************************************************

Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
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There were, at least, 6 hispanic kids in the class of 10 that day-no public controversy was raised, not one kid or their parents ever complained.

I think I caught some PC backlash after the teacher in Colorado got suspended for using the "N" word two months before. From what I've heard he was simply talking to the class about dispelling the sad state of racism and stereotypes, after a black student said something derogatory to a fellow student he said something like, "...and how would you like it if someone called you a "N"?..."

*****
Before, you are wise; after, you are wise. In between you are otherwise.
Fravashi saying (from the formularies of Osho the Fool) <i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 5/30/06 8:27 am
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It really does sound like you got caught in PC run amok. ******************************************************

Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
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Many times this falls into two distinct, but not mutually exclusive area, school curriculums and school libraries, and OTOH public libraries. Two points to remember, school districts and public libraries are governmental entities; therefore, the exclusion of certain texts does fall under the official and accepted definitions of censorship, and this is not the case where a bookstore might not carry a certain book it is not censorship, book stores are private for profit entities and are not public nor governmental.

Regarding public libraries, resources are not limitless, public libraries have a 'acquisition and collection policy' detailing what items and texts are to be added to the library's inventory. Public libraries have boards of trustees, their meetings are public and the before mentioned policy is subject to the board's review, oversight and approval. Almost all this discussion applies to school situations.

I don't think this previous discussion has a point.

taraswizard
Allan Rosewarne N9SQT/WDX6HQV
Chicago area
W/T forever, always
Plan C - http://planc.bravepages.com/main.html
Buff_fans_Chicago http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/buffy_fans_chicago/
live journal http://taras-wizard.livejournal.com<i></i>

Since Banned Book Week is coming around in September, I have made up my mind to read Catcher in the Rye this year. I have never read that one, and we do have a copy sitting around in the house. I have heard that is is really hard to get into if you are past a certain age, but I will give it a try.

edited to add:
If I simply cannot get into that book, I will reread To Kill a Mockingbird ,which is a wonderful story. My sons both consider it one of the best things they have ever had to read for high school, and when it was assigned this year for the younegr one he read it three times because he liked it so much.

Anyone who wants that particular book to be banned should be given a wedgie!

Seems to me book bannings are just a few steps away from book burnings. The sort of activity that illustrates how idiotic human beings can be, and reminds me of one of my favorite Einstein quotes: "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

That being said, I'm not a fan of Catcher in the Rye. It's a grossly overrated work, in my opinion. We covered the book in high school, and even then I wasn't impressed. Why this novel is considered a required read in English class is beyond me. Give me Orwell, or Shakespeare, or Donaldson for that matter. But J.D. Salinger? His reputation seems to rest solely on Catcher in the Rye, but I think his writing is pedestrian. Which could be why I don't remember much of the book, because there wasn't much in it worth remembering. I do recall that the protagonist, Holden Caufield(?), annoyed me. I suppose we were meant to identify with the character, since he was also someone of our age - a teenager with troubles. Same deal with S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, another piece of teenage melodrama I endured in class. What my teachers didn't realize was that, a few years before, I had already discovered an "outsider" in fiction that I identified with: Thomas Covenant. As an outcast of society, Covenant was far more compelling than some twit like Caufield. And Donaldson's writing was far more compelling than Salinger's.

But heaven forbid that fantasy literature should ever be studied seriously in our schools.

That's my rant for the night. Enjoy the book if you can, duchess. If you do, then you utterly surpass me.

Well, I did get a term in high school English where I got to read:
Brave New World
1984
Lord of the Flies
Animal Farm
Farenheit 451

Also some Shakepeare such as The Tempest and Midsummer Night's Dream are most definately fantasy, as are such classics as The Odyssey and many works about King Arthur.

So sometimes they get it right.

Also, the local community college does has a three semester hour class in the English lit department dedicated to science fiction novels. I have been tempted many times to audit the class (heaven knows I do not need the credit hours). And some universities have classes dedicated to Tolkien.

I dunno about Catcher in the Rye. I will give it a try, knowing that people say it is very hard to get into once you are past your teen years. But I will keep Mockingbird right there as a backup.

Ha, I call it a horror.

--A

My banned book celebration for the year started with the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Yes - there are racial slurs and swear words in it. But guess what - some people talk that way.

I read the first three chapters of Catcher in the Rye and do not know if I will continue. Nothing in it is particularly objectionable - but the protagonist's whining is really irritating.

Also in the pile to read or reread this year:
Lord of the Flies
To Kill a Mockingbird
Beloved

Always thought Catcher in particular, and Steinbeck in general, were over-rated.

--A