Due to a recent challenge to a slew of titles including the Harry Potter books, the Wilsona School District is bound and determined to create the most boring library ever:
Books now cannot depict drinking alcohol, smoking, drugs, sex, including "negative sexuality," implied or explicit nudity, cursing, violent crime or weapons, gambling, foul humor and "dark content."
So, let's see. Off the top of my head, that would affect the Anastasia books, definitely The Giver, Nancy Farmer, Diane Duane, Maurice Sendak, Where's Waldo, The Great Brain books, The Outsiders, the Alice books, Shakespeare, Steinbeck, Homer and pretty much any other classic (though the age range at the school is 5-14, so that might not actually affect them as much, though I remember reading R&J in middle school), Robin McKinley, Roald Dahl, probably Joan Aiken, Leon Garfield, Judy Blume, Megan Whalen Turner and obviously the Robie Harris books.
You'd think it couldn't, but it actually gets worse:
"In selected instances, an occasional inappropriate word may be deleted with white-out rather than rejecting the entire book," the policy said.
That's along the lines of gluing the pages together.
And:
Revisions included adding the words "socially appropriate" to one criteria. It now states books should have a "Fair balanced socially appropriate portrayal of people with regard to race, creed, color, national origin, sex and disability."
This particular challenge was actually kind of amusing at first. Now I just feel ill.
With that kind of criteria, isn't the relevant (and answerable) question: What books are left on the shelves?
And white out? I mean...but... Why? How?
Posted by: cc | 06 July 2006 at 09:03 AM
Can anyone say "Fahrenheit 451"? That's how it started with bits and pieces coming out of books until the written word was completely degraded. That's supposed to be science fiction, isn't it? Why are crazy people being allowed to make the rules for others? The library over there in Vanillaville will be the least appealing place in the world by the time they are through.
Posted by: jmfausti | 06 July 2006 at 10:30 AM
implied nudity? Does that mean that all characters must remian in the same set of clothes for the duration? No showers. No wardrobe changes.
Posted by: steve | 06 July 2006 at 02:54 PM
Why not just burn the library to the ground, deficate on the ashes, and call it a day?
Posted by: Adam | 06 July 2006 at 03:56 PM
White out? Reminds of the library janitor who would go around in his library, finding the books that dealt with single parenthood, homosexuality, etc and cut out/or replaced words (with pro religious words and phrases) in the books, then put them back on the shelves.
As for 'dark content,' they mean the Harry Potter books? With such a broad term, the bible could be thrown out. 'Implied nudity'? Whaaaa? The list almost seems like a combination of liberal/conservative censorship.
Posted by: E_I | 06 July 2006 at 04:44 PM
Oh. My. Goodness.
Or:
What on EARTH?!
What will they be left with, exactly? A Sesame Street workbook?
Posted by: Little Willow | 06 July 2006 at 09:01 PM
Wait! They can't have the Sesame Street workbook because the PUPPETS are NAKED!
Posted by: Little Willow | 06 July 2006 at 09:03 PM
Hey Doom,
I've put a link from my blog to yours about this article. Thanks for the lead!
Posted by: Melinda | 08 July 2006 at 11:54 PM