Newsday.com: 11.23.07 by Jennifer Barrios
A tiny Westhampton Beach bookstore has become the frontline in a battle over the written word.
Terry Lucas, owner of The Open Book on Main Street, has fortified her shop with handmade signs, the protests spelled out in glittery letters.
"We have fREADom," one poster reads. "Reading=good. Censorship=bad," another sparkles.
The decorations, made by local students, are in response to an effort by several parents to remove two books from Westhampton Beach High School's ninth-grade reading list over what the parents say is inappropriate sexual content.
"The Tenth Circle," by Jodi Picoult, and "Cradle and All," by James Patterson, currently sit on the list of more than 300 books from which ninth-graders must choose to read for course credit.
Several weeks ago, a group of parents, led by Georgia Joyce, of Remsenburg, filed a complaint with the district over the two books, said Westhampton Beach Superintendent Lynn Schwartz.
Terry Lucas, owner of The Open Book on Main Street, has fortified her shop with handmade signs, the protests spelled out in glittery letters.
"We have fREADom," one poster reads. "Reading=good. Censorship=bad," another sparkles.
The decorations, made by local students, are in response to an effort by several parents to remove two books from Westhampton Beach High School's ninth-grade reading list over what the parents say is inappropriate sexual content.
"The Tenth Circle," by Jodi Picoult, and "Cradle and All," by James Patterson, currently sit on the list of more than 300 books from which ninth-graders must choose to read for course credit.
Several weeks ago, a group of parents, led by Georgia Joyce, of Remsenburg, filed a complaint with the district over the two books, said Westhampton Beach Superintendent Lynn Schwartz.
The following books on Westhampton Beach's ninth-grade reading list also appear on the American Library Association's list of most frequently challenged books of 1990-2000:
14. "The Giver," by Lois Lowry
23. "Go Ask Alice," by Anonymous
24. "Fallen Angels," by Walter Dean Myers
52. "Brave New World," by Aldous Huxley
59. "Ordinary People," by Judith Guest
74. "Jack," by A.M. Homes
92. "Running Loose," by Chris Crutcher
94. "The Drowning of Stephan Jones," by Bette Greene
READ ON
Ontario Catholic school board pulls fantasy book following complaint about atheist author
International Herald Tribune: Nov 22, 07 – Associated Press
BURLINGTON, Ontario: The award-winning fantasy novel "The Golden Compass" was pulled from an Ontario Catholic school district's library shelves over a complaint about the author referring to himself as an atheist.
The public Catholic school board in Ontario's Halton region, which oversees 43 elementary and secondary schools, also pulled two other books in Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy as a precaution.
"We have a policy and procedure whereby individual parents, staff, students or community members can apply to have material reviewed. That's what happened in this case," Rick MacDonald, the Halton board's superintendent of curriculum services, said Wednesday. READ ON
Woman: Library violates city code Anti-obscenity activist files official complaint with cops
Sun Journal: Nov 20, 2007 by Daniel Hartill
LEWISTON - JoAn Karkos, due in court next month to answer a theft charge over a controversial sex-ed book she refused to return to the Lewiston Public Library, now wants the library to answer her allegation of obscenity.
Karkos, 64, gave Lewiston police a one-page complaint Monday charging that the library violated the city's obscenity ordinance when it placed "It's Perfectly Normal" on its shelves.
"No. 1, I want awareness," Karkos said in a phone interview. "People are simply not aware of what this book means. And when they find out, they don't want it to exist at all and they certainly don't want it in their libraries and their schools." READ ON
Karkos, 64, gave Lewiston police a one-page complaint Monday charging that the library violated the city's obscenity ordinance when it placed "It's Perfectly Normal" on its shelves.
"No. 1, I want awareness," Karkos said in a phone interview. "People are simply not aware of what this book means. And when they find out, they don't want it to exist at all and they certainly don't want it in their libraries and their schools." READ ON
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2 comments:
Read "NATIONAL HOGWASH WEEK" for some balance.
Censorship,like charity,
should begin at home;
but, unlike charity,
should end there.
Clare Booth Luce
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