school system removes book from curriculum

[PantheaMarlon]

The largest school district in Idaho has banned from its curriculum an award-winning book about the struggles of a Native American teenager after complaints by parents that the novel was rife with profanity, racial epithets and anti-Christian rhetoric.



The school board in Meridian, Idaho, voted 2-1 this week to keep the book, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," off a supplemental reading list for 10th graders, meaning it will not be part of the curriculum at the high school, said school board clerk Trish Duncan.

The 2007 Sherman Alexie novel, which won the 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, is still available in the school's library, she said.

The school board's decision to seek an alternative book to convey "the cultural messages" of Alexie's work came after complaints from parents that the book contained sexually charged material inappropriate for their children, was peppered with pejorative terms for women, people of various races and those with learning disabilities and mocked Christian beliefs.

The book is described by publisher Little, Brown as a "heartbreaking, funny and beautifully written" tale about the experiences of a young Native American who leaves his troubled school on an Indian reservation in Washington state to attend an all-white high school in a nearby farming community.

Bonnie Stiles, mother of four students in Meridian schools, said she pushed for the removal from the high school curriculum after reading the book and counting 133 profane or offensive words in its 230 pages.

"There's obscene material throughout, degrading slang words like the one used to describe a certain part of a woman's anatomy and an offensive depiction of (Jesus Christ)," she said.

Gretchen Caserotti, director of public libraries in Meridian, spoke in favor of not placing restrictions on that or other books during a recent public meeting about the Alexie novel.

"Teen fiction is often a reflection and extension of adolescents' realities. We believe books are a powerful and safe place for kids to see outside themselves and explore a world that is increasingly diverse and complex," she said.

An ironic outcropping of the controversy is that the book is now in high demand in local public libraries, said Caserotti.

The novel was ranked second on a list of 10 books that were most frequently challenged or banned in 2012, according to the American Library Association.

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

Cussing

[Steam Punk Adept]

PantheaMarlon

"There's obscene material throughout, degrading slang words like the one used to describe a certain part of a woman's anatomy and an offensive depiction of (Jesus Christ)," she said.

Ermahgawd!
Dis book speaks unfavorably about Christians and Whites, BAN IT WITH FIRE!
Oh noes! They mention sexuality! Dis book be the devil! BAN IT WITH FIRE!!!

See this is why literature, especially in America, has gone to s**t since the mid-1900. Dumb ******** want to ban anything with any kind of historic relevance because it distorts their rose-tinted vision of reality and shows that maybe, just maybe, their ancestors weren't as nice as they keep pretending they were.

[Serafiella]

PantheaMarlon

The school board in Meridian, Idaho, voted 2-1 this week to keep the book, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," off a supplemental reading list for 10th graders, meaning it will not be part of the curriculum at the high school, said school board clerk Trish Duncan.

If you don't believe your 10th grade child can handle some profanity and differing opinions on religion without turning into some sort of demon spawn, you clearly haven't raised them right. emotion_facepalm Many high school books are meant to bring about discussion and deeper questions than those that can be given to small children. These people are almost adults, and thus these books teach them about a more 'adult' world in a safer manner than, say, touring the bad parts of a large city on a field trip for the 'experience.'

Also, if profanity and sexually suggestive content isn't okay, why isn't Shakespeare banned more often? Oh, that's right, because he's famous and that's "art" emotion_awesome
I still remember the time our teacher was playing an old VHS of Romeo & Juliet that was supposed to skip over the sex scene, and instead skipped to it, and the poor short woman had to grab someone's notebook and stand on tiptoe to cover the tv screen.

Shelter children too much, and you'll doom them, not protect them.

Interesting article, thank you!

[Yuki_Windira]

>>; Oh come on,we read books with plenty of profanity ,and some racial slurs, in highschool(and middle school too I think) and none of us gave a s**t...

=-=; Honestly,people these days...

[King Shining Heaven]

What exactly was in this book that it was deemed so controversial?

[Ringoringa]

Me, reading this article: "Well, I don't give a crap about the depictions of Jesus, but I can sort of see why you wouldn't want your kids reading profa- wait, these are TENTH GRADERS?"

Most kids are watching porn and masturbating by then. (I hate to say it, but it's true.) In what alternate universe is this too much for them?

[Kaiser Khorosho]

Yeah, cuz 10th graders these days aren't profane or sexually active...oh wait. sweatdrop

[desiderium]

I haven't read the book, so I cannot comment on its literary merits. However, teachers will generally offer an alternative assignment for students whose parents don't want them reading an assigned book. Parents should be able to make this call for THEIR child, but not for the children of others.

[Eveille]

Oh, you mean it discussed the real world in the terms that that world uses? Oh noes. ******** parents, ******** s**t up again and again and again with their hypersensitivity. If your kid is in 10th grade, they already knew everything in that book, and likely a lot more.

[Mitsuki Horenake]

So apparently we're babying highschool teenagers now? Fantastic. I'm pretty sure teenagers are able to read books like this without being idiots.

[Miss Mitten the Kitten]

Oh my god, it's not like half the kids are even going to pay attention to the reading anyway.

[CosmicJazzKitten]

Christians should know that many Native American children were/are abducted from their families and Christianized. Not many people are happy about that s**t since it destroyed families and cultures in the interest of "civilizing" them. Also, teenagers struggle with sexuality and sexualness. They curse too. Digging a hole and burying it won't make it go away. Neither will banning books or burning them. neutral

[Faustine Liem]

Ella-Maie

I still remember the time our teacher was playing an old VHS of Romeo & Juliet that was supposed to skip over the sex scene, and instead skipped to it, and the poor short woman had to grab someone's notebook and stand on tiptoe to cover the tv screen.

Oh god, that reminds me of when my eighth grade class watched dances with wolves for history since it was partially filmed near my home town. There is this sex scene in it, and our teacher mr. Sky. ((slakolisky or something)) Put up this piece of cardboard to block the screen outright telling us "this is a sex scene I'm not allowed to show you" and muting the volume. He sat there and occasionally moved the board making all of us idiot kids giggle with delight whenever he didn't take it down. This is also the teacher who turned on news footage of 9/11 when it was happening against the orders of the school board.... he was pretty cool.

[inu no bakax]

In the words of my friend living in America:

I'm glad they banned that book. I read it in high school and even then thought it was terrible, not only a shitty book but not a good one for kids to be required to read in high school. I'm glad they've finally taken it out.