Classic Books suspended by Va. school for racial slurs

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/books-suspended-by-va-school-for-racial-slurs/ar-AAl2410


They are “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “To Kill a Mockingbird” .

A very stupid thing to do.

Might as well be replicating the book-burnings of totalitarian regimes and religions.

Leave the books, teach about their contents. Don't ban them. Idiots.

How will young people ever understand was racism is if they are not exposed to (now) very outdated and obviously hatred filled ideas? The history of the development of racism and other forms of prejudice is very important to understand if there is ever to be a non judgemental society. I agree this sounds VERY totalitarian.

...and so it goes on and on... The kids will go home and read scriptures about Lot's Daughters getting him drunk to get them pregnant. They'll get racist ideas about hoods, Compton and violence from "Grand Theft Auto" and other games. They'll not be able to view how culture and ethnic and race backgrounds can be totally different. For instance the Lemba from Africa will have no connect language, religion, ancestry with say the Tunisian Muslims in North Africa...Yet, we with one broad stroke see the African Nations as all one? Or worse the Native Americans. The Pueblo (Hopi, Zuni, Laguna, etc...) don't have the same language and ancestry or beliefs of the Shoshones (Navajo, Apache, Shoshone, etc...) even though they live in the same areas?!?!

We need to get back to teaching true and full histories of our people. I live in Arizona and have lived in California and people don't understand that many Hispanics that live there have never even been in Mexico. This area was stolen, fought over and bought from Mexico to make it part of the U.S. So when xenophobes say things like, "Send them back to Mexico where they came from"....well to do that we would have to give back Arizona and most of California back to Mexico.

during "Banned Book Month."

Just because there is the occasional "damn" or the "n" word (like our kids haven't heard them before - PLEASE!!!) doesn't make them poor books. That's as stupid as Mormon censoring.

The one that fries me is "Compton." I know that it is a black 'hood now, but it wasn't always. My father ran track and field as a student there (did very well, too, according to my late uncle) and was always proud to be a graduate of Compton High. I believe he was set to go on to college, but WWII broke out, and he set out to do his duty for his country.

Education in America is such a political football. If I had fully understood that, I probably never would have gone into the teaching profession. As it is, the texts allowed for instruction and in school libraries will always be a bone of contention.

Two really important books written by decidedly non racist authors.

Sad face.

After reading the article, it seems that the books were "temporarily suspended" because a single parent complained about their use of the N-word.

This doesn't seem like a deliberate, or even long term, policy by the school.

"After reading the article, it seems that the books were "temporarily suspended" because a single parent complained about their use of the N-word."

Well, I suppose that means that every rap song that contains the N-word needs to be banned as well.

I doubt that the school in question has that kind of rap music on its reading list or available from its library.

If you're implying that the complaining parent might be hypocritical about this issue, I don't think there is evidence to make such a claim.

"I doubt that the school in question has that kind of rap music on its reading list or available from its library."

I was just pointing out the silliness and hypocrisy of one parent complaining that the N-word is contained in library books, when every student in the school can hear the same word in popular songs 24/7. It's the same with the f-word or any other cussword or offensive word.

Public school students who are old enough to read "Huckleberry Finn" or "To Kill A Mockingbird" are old enough and aware enough to put the use of the N-word in those books in their historical context. There's no need to baby them or censor historical works in some misguided attempt to "protect" them from certain words. Growing up in Montgomery, Alabama in the 1960s, I knew very well that it was wrong to use that word.

Good Lord, I remember being forced to read "The Scarlet Letter" in high school. The central theme was adultery, which is obviously a very adult theme for us 16 and 17 year olds to study. But we were mature enough to put the story in its context and not go ape-shit over it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/2016 12:10AM by randyj.

This makes me mad. To Kill a Mockingbird was my favorite book in high school. I know that I did read a book in high school that my mom was not to happy with more because of my maturity level than the book content and you know what she did? She sat me down and discuss the content with me instead of going to the school board demanding that to have the book banned.

Sigh. I am a retired English teacher and both of those books were assigned to my sophomore classes. In Utah. I had not one complaint, nor did my fellow teachers.

At the beginning of the units, I discussed with my students the power of language and why each author would use that word. I never said the word outright. I always said the "N word." I also had private individual chats with each black student to see if this would make them uncomfortable.

Truthfully, the impact of TKAM was huge because of the blatant injustice of Bob Ewell accusing Tom of raping his daughter ("Ruttin' on my Mayella) when Bob did that deed himself. Now THAT was hard to teach. The discomfort kids felt with the word was an important part of the anti racist message. And the great injustice suffered by both Tom and Jim simply because of the color of their skin.

Sorry for going all teachery on you guys. I love both of those books and have strong feelings about censorship.

Why a Virginia school considers banning two American classics

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/why-a-virginia-school-considers-banning-two-american-classics/ar-AAl6p9B

The latest on this...

Once negroes get a hold of the bomb (book of mormon bs), it'll be added to the (growing) list.

People don't understand fiction. Maybe they aren't meant to. Dummies.

I never quite understood what Huckleberry Finn is about? Huck gets all dressed up as a little girl with a dress and long golden hair. He had such dainty features and a high voice that he pulls it off pretty well!

What is Clemens trying to say with that?

Then there is the part where the father is trying to steal all of Hucks gold at Judge Thatchers house, but kidnaps his son and ties him up and locks him up in house and beats him. And Huck likes it more than living with Aunt Polly? The father is always stoned and makes his living by "borrowing stuff" from the neighbors.

Then there is the part where the negro shows up in the story and he's a real uncle tom, if you know what I mean?