I swear.. this paper is going to make me want to become a hermit and hide from the stupid parents and just watch the world implode.
TITLE: New Silly Reasons to Ban Books
SOURCE: Teacher Librarian 26 no5 26 My/Je '99
1 -- IT ENCOURAGES SUICIDE-INDUCED REINCARNATION
Laurence Yep's Dragonwings was challenged at the Apollo-Ridge schools in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, in 1992 because it might encourage children to "commit suicide because they think they can be reincarnated as something or someone else."
2 -- IT CAUSES POLARIZATION
J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the rye was removed in 1997 from the curriculum of the Marysville (Calif.) Joint Unified School District for its profanity and sexual situations. The school superintendent removed it to get it "out of the way so that we didn't have that polarization over a book."
3 -- IT MIGHT CAUSE BUDDHISM TO ERUPT
E.T. Suzuki's Zen Buddhism: Selected writings was challenged at the Plymouth-Canton, Michigan, school system in 1987 because "this book details the teachings of the religion of Buddhism in such a way that the reader could very likely embrace its teachings and choose this as his religion."
4 -- IT ENCOURAGES CHILDREN TO THINK INDEPENDENTLY
Robert Cormier's The chocolate war was removed from the Grosse Pointe (Mich.) School District library shelves in 1995 because it deals with "gangs, peer pressure and learning to make your own decisions."
5 -- IT NEEDLESSLY BREAKS WIND
Bruce Coville's My teacher glows in the dark was contested in the classrooms and school libraries in Palmdale, California, in 1995 because the book includes the words "armpit farts" and "farting."
6 -- IT DISCOURAGES LEARNING ENGLISH
Ellen Levine's I hate English was challenged by a school board member in the Queens, New York, school libraries in 1994 because "The book says what a burden it is they have to learn English. They should just learn English and don't [sic] complain about it.
7 -- IT'S NOT ABOUT TEXAS
Herman Melville's Moby Dick was banned from the advanced placement English reading list at the Lindale, Texas, schools in 1996 because it "conflicts with the values of the community."
8 -- IT'S NUTRITIONALLY INCORRECT
Faith Ringgold's Tar Beach was challenged in the Spokane, Washington, elementary school libraries in 1994 because it stereotypes African-Americans as eating fried chicken and watermelon and drinking beer at a family picnic. The book is based on memories of the author's family rooftop picnics in 1930s Harlem.
9 -- IT'S A SILLY-ASS BOOK
Anne Frank: Diary of a young girl was challenged at the Baker Middle School in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1998. Parents objected to the word "ass" in the sentence: "What a silly ass I am!"
10 -- ANY STUPID REASON
Harry Allard's The Stupids die was pulled from the shelves of the Howard Miller Library in Zeeland, Michigan, in 1998 because a parent complained: "Once you allow 'stupid' as a word to call people, who knows what they'll come up with?"
11 -- IT MIGHT LEAD TO HARDER STUFF
Maurice Sendak's In the night kitchen was challenged at the Elk River, Minnesota, schools in 1992 because reading the book could "lay the foundation for future use of pornography."
12 -- IT HAS TALKING AND SMOKING ANIMALS
Lewis Carroll's Alice's adventures in Wonderland was banned in China in 1931 because "animals should not use human language, and that it was disastrous to put animals and human beings on the same level." William Steig's The amazing bone was challenged at the West Amwell schools in Lambertville, New Jersey, in 1986 because of "the use of tobacco by the animals."
TITLE: New Silly Reasons to Ban Books
SOURCE: Teacher Librarian 26 no5 26 My/Je '99
1 -- IT ENCOURAGES SUICIDE-INDUCED REINCARNATION
Laurence Yep's Dragonwings was challenged at the Apollo-Ridge schools in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, in 1992 because it might encourage children to "commit suicide because they think they can be reincarnated as something or someone else."
2 -- IT CAUSES POLARIZATION
J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the rye was removed in 1997 from the curriculum of the Marysville (Calif.) Joint Unified School District for its profanity and sexual situations. The school superintendent removed it to get it "out of the way so that we didn't have that polarization over a book."
3 -- IT MIGHT CAUSE BUDDHISM TO ERUPT
E.T. Suzuki's Zen Buddhism: Selected writings was challenged at the Plymouth-Canton, Michigan, school system in 1987 because "this book details the teachings of the religion of Buddhism in such a way that the reader could very likely embrace its teachings and choose this as his religion."
4 -- IT ENCOURAGES CHILDREN TO THINK INDEPENDENTLY
Robert Cormier's The chocolate war was removed from the Grosse Pointe (Mich.) School District library shelves in 1995 because it deals with "gangs, peer pressure and learning to make your own decisions."
5 -- IT NEEDLESSLY BREAKS WIND
Bruce Coville's My teacher glows in the dark was contested in the classrooms and school libraries in Palmdale, California, in 1995 because the book includes the words "armpit farts" and "farting."
6 -- IT DISCOURAGES LEARNING ENGLISH
Ellen Levine's I hate English was challenged by a school board member in the Queens, New York, school libraries in 1994 because "The book says what a burden it is they have to learn English. They should just learn English and don't [sic] complain about it.
7 -- IT'S NOT ABOUT TEXAS
Herman Melville's Moby Dick was banned from the advanced placement English reading list at the Lindale, Texas, schools in 1996 because it "conflicts with the values of the community."
8 -- IT'S NUTRITIONALLY INCORRECT
Faith Ringgold's Tar Beach was challenged in the Spokane, Washington, elementary school libraries in 1994 because it stereotypes African-Americans as eating fried chicken and watermelon and drinking beer at a family picnic. The book is based on memories of the author's family rooftop picnics in 1930s Harlem.
9 -- IT'S A SILLY-ASS BOOK
Anne Frank: Diary of a young girl was challenged at the Baker Middle School in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1998. Parents objected to the word "ass" in the sentence: "What a silly ass I am!"
10 -- ANY STUPID REASON
Harry Allard's The Stupids die was pulled from the shelves of the Howard Miller Library in Zeeland, Michigan, in 1998 because a parent complained: "Once you allow 'stupid' as a word to call people, who knows what they'll come up with?"
11 -- IT MIGHT LEAD TO HARDER STUFF
Maurice Sendak's In the night kitchen was challenged at the Elk River, Minnesota, schools in 1992 because reading the book could "lay the foundation for future use of pornography."
12 -- IT HAS TALKING AND SMOKING ANIMALS
Lewis Carroll's Alice's adventures in Wonderland was banned in China in 1931 because "animals should not use human language, and that it was disastrous to put animals and human beings on the same level." William Steig's The amazing bone was challenged at the West Amwell schools in Lambertville, New Jersey, in 1986 because of "the use of tobacco by the animals."
Hell, today I found out that apparently in several portions of the country the Amercican Heritage Dictionary was banned for containing 20 or 30 "dirty" words.
[grrrrr]