Posted on 04/10/2005 6:42:44 PM PDT by Texasbock
Pasadena Independent School District superintendent Dr. Rick Schneider has banned the book "Forever" by popular children's author Judy Blume from the shelves of libraries within the district.
The book had previously been found in the collections of one intermediate and three high schools. Advertisement
"It is never an easy decision to pull a book from the shelves. The superintendent has the responsibility to put materials in the system that are educationally suitable and appropriate. In this particular case, after reading the book, he felt that, though the theme is not unsuitable certain passages are and decided to remove the book," said district spokesperson Kirk Lewis.
The complaint was initially lodged by a parent at Thompson Intermediate School.
According to district policy process, a campus review committee was formed to study the book.
The issue was next studied by a central office committee comprised of administrators, instructors and parents and then by Schneider.
Though an initial committee recommendation was that the work be removed from only intermediate and not high school libraries, it was ultimately decided to withdraw "Forever" from the district library system completely due to what was deemed "sexually explicit content.
"Certain passages were not appropriate for any students of the school district," continued Lewis.
The novel, first published in 1975, is self-described as "a moving story of the end of innocence."
According to the American Library Association, it is the eighth "most frequently challenged" book.
A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom received a total of 547 challenges last year. According to Judith F. Krug, director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom, the number of challenges reflects only incidents reported, and for each reported, four or five remain unreported.
I sure feel alot safer now knowing that there are people out there getting rid of "pornographic material". Maybe they should pull the plug on the internet next.
What is the book about?
Are you kidding me?? Next thing you know they will get rid of "Are you there God its me Margeret?".
I haven't seen the book, but Judy Blume's books always made me uncomfortable. I steered my children away from them-- just not appropriate to my way of thinking.
The book is not really banned or been burned, anyone who wants it can by a copy for themselves...but, as I say, if it is being presented in a public school paid for by tax dollars, then they have every right to object and try and get enough support to get it removed. Apparently they did and that is how our Republic works at that level.
Good for them.
If it's just an offensive passage or two, they can usually be covered up with a black felt pen. It works better than you might think. I go by the public library and do that whenever I have some extra time.
As I remember it, it basically shared how a girl felt when she first fell in love. Judy Blume wrote great books, that helped younger people through ackward times. Gosh..thats sad.
Do you think other peoples kids should be exposed to things their parents consider to be improper?
If you have kids, couldn't you still raise them on porn without having the schools help you?
LOL!
Yes. As Aldous Huxley pointed out: replacing God with sexual profligacy can serve the interests of the totalitarian government quite well.
There is a big difference between placing a book out of reach for the general public and removing a book from reading lists that are required of adolescents.
If you do not have adolescents of your own or work with them, you are probably unaware of how much our young people are being over-sexualized. You may be seeing prudery here, but I see an effort to pull education back from the precipice. For the sake of our entire society, we adults need to once again model and encourage behavior that shows respect for human sexuality rather than exploiting and cheapening it.
I bet the car stank of urine. Were these "fun" trips?
Yes. As Aldous Huxley pointed out: replacing God with sexual profligacy can serve the interests of the totalitarian government quite well.
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Good one!
Judy Blume is the author who singlehandedly trashed children's books with her essays into pornography. Then we started getting all the other trashy childrens books that have been corrupting young minds since then, such as "Heather Has Two Mommies."
This School Superintendent is right. Judy Blume doesn't belong in school libraries.
I think you forgot the tag = I think you forgot the < /sarcasm > tag...
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