Quiet! Noisy thoughts from the librarian's desk |
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Wednesday, December 21, 2005
what is the world coming to when one voice can silence another? that is exactly what happened in Littleton, Colorado. Littleton, CO: The school board for the Littleton Public School District has pulled all copies of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye (Knopf, 1970) from the shelves of its high school libraries, despite protests from teachers and students who read passages from the novel while conducting sit-ins at their school libraries. The board decision to remove the novel from libraries and reading lists was in response to a parent who challenged its explicit description of incestuous rape. The board voted 3–2 to ban the book this fall, rejecting the recommendation of a review committee that it be limited to 11th and 12th graders. While students and teachers are disappointed, some believe that the challenge has promoted discussions that enrich the learning process. “This is the kind of academic debate where we want our students engaged,” says Mollie McDonald, director of curriculum instruction and assessment for the Littleton Public School District. School Library Journal, December 2005
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