[CALIBK12] Novel about suicide pulled after mother seesfourth-grader's pick

Fri Nov 21 08:02:13 PST 2008

Good morning,

Many of the points you make regarding this particular book are sound.  It can be reasonably argued that it is not appropriate for an elementary school  library.  Many of us make mistakes in selection.  I use reviews but frequently buy books that I later pull because I feel they're not appropriate for my population. I have no problems with students telling me if a book makes them feel uncomfortable; I have no problem discussing books on our shelves with parents. We all in the school library world understand that we have to balance absolute freedom of selection with the population and values of the communities in which we work.

But, I disagree that this particular incident in not about censorship for several reasons. 
First, this parent, if the press is to be believed, made no attempt to contact the library staff on the site before immediately emailing a board member.  To me, this smacks of "Gotcha" tactics, and a cynical person might conclude that she was more interested in making a political issue about this rather than solving the problem in relation to her son's exposure to this book.  Second, the parent generously "volunteered" to take a look at the entire library collection and screen all of the books for appropriateness.  Perhaps her motives are pure and she just wants to help the library staff out.  But, to me, this suggests she has a different agenda than merely making sure that this particular book is removed.  Clearly, she does not trust trained and/or credentialed library staff to review their collection in light of their adopted policy--which I think any conscientious staff member would want to do at this point.  Finally, while this particular
 district has a history of making substantial financial and personnel commitments to their libraries, several years ago, in an incident well-covered in the local press, a principal removed Chato's Kitchen--which most of us would agree is entirely appropriate for elementary school students--from the library at his school based on the complaint of one parent, in direct violation of adopted policy.  Taken as a whole, one could conclude that a culture of censorship is developing or has developed here, in which parents or non-library staff trump the judgment of people hired to do that job.

Again, I believe the outcry over this issue on this board is not so much this one book by Eve Bunting, but the way in which it was handled by the parent and others in the district who chose to make a political issue out of it, rather than accepting the fact that honest mistakes get made and the individuals who make them should have a chance to either defend their choices or correct them.

Diane Cross, LMT
Hanford High School
120 E. Grangeville Blvd.
Hanford, CA 93230
(559)583-5902 x4022
dcross at hjuhsd.k12.ca.us

--- On Thu, 11/20/08, ladewig <shatz at verizon.net> wrote:

From: ladewig <shatz at verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [CALIBK12] Novel about suicide pulled after mother seesfourth-grader's pick
To: "CALIB POST" <calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu>
Date: Thursday, November 20, 2008, 7:14 PM

I know I'm going to catch some heat for this, but I'm going to say it anyway – for myself, and for probably a bunch of people who read the list postings but seldom or rarely post because they want to stay out of the fray. But I'm a tough old bird, with a tough skin, so I'll chance it.

Frankly, I'm glad the mother brought this to the attention of the elementary school. This isn't about censorship – this is about common sense and understanding and abiding by the current selection policy. The book's characters are SENIORS in high school and the "explicit make-out scenes" and suicide by hanging just are not appropriate for an elementary site.  (Note – that wasn't the only "mature" content of the book – see the partial review quoted from Amazon below).  If I had been the parent, and yes, even as a library tech with a college library tech certificate, and as a member of ALA who understands (anti-) censorship policy, I would have at least asked the person in charge of the library if they knew about the content of the book, and did they think that the book met the current district collection criteria? If the school district has a written policy, and if materials purchased prior to the new policy do NOT meet those guidelines, then I
 think it's only common sense to reconsider the material's appropriateness to the elementary collection. That's NOT censorship, in my opinion. It should have been done by the library staff, but perhaps they weren't aware of it until it was brought to their attention.

The publisher says this is a level 8 book (I'm going out on short limb here and assuming that means age-appropriate for an average 8th grader) and classifies it as a "YA" (Young Adult) selection. Reading Counts test is 7.9, with a point value of 11, but that doesn't match up with the article: "excited that it was within his reading level and worth six points in a reading program." Follett doesn't list it as an AR title but it must be (at the school mentioned) if the points are different.

>From a customer review (this is one of five paragraphs) on Amazon: ". . . Suicide is a depressing topic, but this book reads swiftly and seems almost a mystery. WHY did Jeff's best friend, Charlie--a gifted writer with great promise--ruthlessly take his own life? Various theories emerge as the high school senior is suddenly thrust into the role of detective, coping with ADULT PROBLEMS (emphasis mine) without parental or police guidance. The trail of emotional discovery snakes its way through a maze of intrigue and deception, guilt and despair. Jed encounters a secret girlfriend, a gang of dopers, grief-stricken parents, a private code called Gemini Man and young teens deluged by the voracious media.  . . ." http://www.amazon.com/Face-Edge-World-Clarion-fiction/dp/0899198007

This is definitely a YA title.  I would not keep this title on the shelf at my (K – 6) site – I would withdraw it and send it on to the high school for their consideration, where its content is more age-appropriate.

I DO understand how important standing against censorship is, but that's NOT the important principle here – the fact that the district has a selection policy and that the book DOES NOT MEET the criteria for its inclusion in an elementary collection simply means A MISTAKE WAS MADE in placing (or keeping) the book at that site. There is a reason why we have a selection process and guidelines – it's because not every book is appropriate for every site or situation. Responding to the guidelines is NOT censorship! 

I have met Eve Bunting, the author. She is a very thoughtful person and gifted writer, and is well known for many of her books written to and for elementary age students. Perhaps that's why the book was not recognized previously as inappropriate under the current guidelines. I can't (and don't) speak for her, but I seriously doubt that she would recommend or promote or defend this book for an elementary site collection.

Included for your reference - From the original article, a partial re-post:

"After a fourth-grade student checked out a novel about teen suicide from a school library and his mother complained, Clovis Unified officials scoured the shelves of its other elementary schools in search of the book. Geneva Orlando said her 9-year-old son, Grayden, checked out "Face at the Edge of the World" from the Dry Creek Elementary School library recently, excited that it was within his reading level and worth six points in a reading program that Clovis Unified School District students participate in.
But she discovered that the book, by Eve Bunting, was about a high school student trying to figure out why his best friend hanged himself.
And as she read on, she found explicit make-out scenes between teenagers.
"Is this really fourth-grade reading?" Orlando asked in an e-mail sent to Clovis Unified board president Brian Heryford and others.
The district did not find the book at any of its other elementary schools and has pulled it from Dry Creek's library, spokeswoman Kelly Avants said.
"We agree that this book was not appropriate," Avants said.
The district typically selects books for its school libraries based on two positive reviews from "reputable sources" and strives to make sure they fit with the age of students, Avants said.
"This book predates our current process," she said. "

Okay, I'm ready for the heat – "Bring it on!"
But remember, no name-calling and no put-downs or references to religion or politics – just THOUGHTFUL, well-reasoned points, please!

Joanne Ladewig  (A.K.A. "Library Lady")
Library Media Tech
Lawrence Elementary, GGUSD
Garden Grove, California
shatz at verizon.net

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.
Comments are my own and may not represent the views of GGUSD

 _______________________________________________
CALIBK12 site list
CALIBK12 at lists.sjsu.edu
http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/calibk12

For information about the Calibk12 listserve, please
visit  http://www.calibk12.net.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.sjsu.edu/pipermail/calibk12/attachments/20081121/96c59b31/attachment-0001.html 