Ontario school pulls Mockingbird from Grade 10 curriculum.

From TheStar.com:

The classic literary novel To Kill a Mockingbird is being pulled from the Grade 10 English course at a Brampton high school after a parent complained about the use of a racial epithet in the book.

Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which challenges racial injustice in America's Deep South, will be removed from curriculum at St. Edmund Campion Secondary School following a lone complaint from a parent whose child will be in Grade 10 this September.

Comments

[Chad Aaron Sayban]

I see there are still plenty of small-minded people who don't bother to actually read a book before declaring it 'bad.' I'm glad my kids don't go to school there. Thanks for the information.

[Alyssa]

I live in Nova Scotia and To Kill a Mockingbird hasn't been in our curriculum since I was in grade nine, eight years ago. My friend and I were excited to finally read a good book when we got to grade ten and were disappointed when our teacher told us she wasn't allowed to teach it anymore. We read it for our independent study instead and she gave us a lot of help. Nothing makes me more mad than people telling me what I can't read!

[Katie]

I can't believe that! To Kill a Mockingbird is a good book and teaches us a lot about history, morals and child-hood imagination. It's an educational book and one of the few that is interesting to boot. To stop people from reading books because of the content is to create a numb, ignorant society. Just because one parents has a problem doesn't mean that the whole school class should be stripped of their right to read what they want. Let me say I'm just happy I'm not going to that school! I got to read To Kill A Mockingbird AND watch the film, they both are two of my favorite movies and novels. Good job to Harper Lee!

It's like the banning that was trying to be pushed upon Maureen Johnson's book the Bremudez Triangle.

[Leila]

Well, just keep in mind that while it's been pulled from the classroom (which is still extremely crappy), it hasn't been pulled from the school library -- and that in cases like this, quite often the decision is overturned.

So keep an eye on the story -- I wouldn't be surprised to see it continue.

[Jessi]

I'm a 10th grade Lit. teacher, and most of my students really enjoy reading Mockingbird. I had one student last year who flat-out refused to read it, but I think that was more because she wanted to be difficult than because she actually found it offensive. It does allow for some interesting discussions. My favorite is explaining why books aren't racist, and why this one in particular is about as far from it as you can get. :)