Spring forward.
To delete this message, click the X at top right.

Book Banning

User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14349
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Re: Book Banning

#76

Post by RTH10260 »

I was wondering if the libraries might enter into crosslicensing, when signed up at one library readers may access other material elsewhere. Electronic editions in mind, not the combustible variants.
User avatar
Volkonski
Posts: 11587
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 11:06 am
Location: Texoma and North Fork of Long Island
Occupation: Retired mechanical engineer
Verified:

Re: Book Banning

#77

Post by Volkonski »

“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
User avatar
Volkonski
Posts: 11587
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 11:06 am
Location: Texoma and North Fork of Long Island
Occupation: Retired mechanical engineer
Verified:

Re: Book Banning

#78

Post by Volkonski »

“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
User avatar
Volkonski
Posts: 11587
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 11:06 am
Location: Texoma and North Fork of Long Island
Occupation: Retired mechanical engineer
Verified:

Re: Book Banning

#79

Post by Volkonski »

“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
User avatar
raison de arizona
Posts: 17654
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:21 am
Location: Nothing, Arizona
Occupation: bit twiddler
Verified: ✔️ he/him/his

Re: Book Banning

#80

Post by raison de arizona »

JFC is that Oaf Keepers wack job really going to start arresting LIBRARIANS!?! :brickwallsmall:

Screw that, where do I sign up to give money to their legal defense? :boxing:
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
User avatar
Volkonski
Posts: 11587
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 11:06 am
Location: Texoma and North Fork of Long Island
Occupation: Retired mechanical engineer
Verified:

Re: Book Banning

#81

Post by Volkonski »

“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
User avatar
AndyinPA
Posts: 9853
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:42 am
Location: Pittsburgh
Verified:

Re: Book Banning

#82

Post by AndyinPA »

The applause was kind of scary.
"Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears… To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies." -Octavia E. Butler
User avatar
sugar magnolia
Posts: 3226
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 12:54 pm

Re: Book Banning

#83

Post by sugar magnolia »

Her poor kids.
User avatar
raison de arizona
Posts: 17654
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:21 am
Location: Nothing, Arizona
Occupation: bit twiddler
Verified: ✔️ he/him/his

Re: Book Banning

#84

Post by raison de arizona »

Texas School Bans the Bible
Keller ISD has pulled all versions of the Bible from school shelves in a recent purge to remove LGBTQ books and other ‘controversial’ titles.

A Texas school district has pulled all versions of the Bible and the graphic novel version of Anne Frank’s Diary from its library shelves ahead of the start of the school year. The ban happened in Keller, Texas—a suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex with a population just under 40,000.

On August 16, the day before school started, Jennifer Price, Keller ISD’s executive director of curriculum and instruction sent an email to the school district’s principals: “Attached is a list of all books that were challenged last year. By the end of today, I need all books pulled from the library and classrooms,” Price said. “Once this has been completed, please email me a confirmation. We need to ensure this action is taken by the end of the day. I apologize for the late request.”

The list of currently challenged works is 41 books long and includes “The Bible (All Versions),” Anne Frank’s Diary (The Graphic Adaptation), So You’re Being Publicly Shamed, several LGBT touchstones like Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, and classics like Toni Morisson’s The Bluest Eye.
:snippity:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/epzv9j/ ... -the-bible
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
User avatar
raison de arizona
Posts: 17654
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:21 am
Location: Nothing, Arizona
Occupation: bit twiddler
Verified: ✔️ he/him/his

Re: Book Banning

#85

Post by raison de arizona »

I've highlighted some that were extra notable to me.
What are some notable books that have been banned in some Oklahoma schools?

According to PEN American's Index of School Book Bans, these books have been banned or have been proposed to be banned at various Oklahoma public schools. The Oklahoman is investigating the list for further clarification.
"I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" by Frederick Douglass
"Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

"A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry
"The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Lee Harper
"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

"The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie Ten Boom" by Corrie Ten Boom
"Eclipse (Twilight Series)" by Stephenie Meyer
"The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein" by Kiersten White
"Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
"Speak" by Anderson, Laurie Halse
"Infandous" by Elana K. Arnold
"Whale Talk" by Chris Crutcher
"I Was Here" by Gayle Forman
"Symptoms of Being Human" by Jeff Garvin
"Melissa (George)" by Alex Gino
"Bad for You (Sea Breeze Series)" by Abbi Glines
"Looking for Alaska" by John Green
"Burned (Burned Series)" by Ellen Hopkins
"Crank (Crank Series)" by Ellen Hopkins
"Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
"Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
"Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story (Will Grayson, Will Grayson Series)" by David Levithan
"For Black Girls Like Me" by Mariama J. Lockington
"A Court of Frost and Starlight" by Sarah J. Maas
"Fairest: Levana's Story (The Lunar Chronicles Series)" by Marissa Meyer
"The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
"Before I Fall" by Lauren Oliver

"Broken Things" by Lauren Oliver
"Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson
"Mastiff (Beka Cooper Series)" by Tamora Pierce
"All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds
"House of Furies (House of Furies Series)" by Madeleine Roux
"Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
"The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold
"The Way I Used to Be" by Amber Smith
"The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
"Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls" by Lynn Weingarten
https://www.oklahoman.com/story/opinion ... 468650007/
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
User avatar
RVInit
Posts: 3828
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 8:48 am

Re: Book Banning

#86

Post by RVInit »

Time to park the Bookmobiles outside of schools.
There's a lot of things that need to change. One specifically? Police brutality.
--Colin Kaepernick
User avatar
Phoenix520
Posts: 4149
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 1:20 pm
Verified:

Re: Book Banning

#87

Post by Phoenix520 »

Bridge to Terabithia?? Wonder upon what grounds?

Look at all those books by and about Black people that were banned! Why, one might think (Oklahoma, TX, etc) were filled with racists!
User avatar
raison de arizona
Posts: 17654
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:21 am
Location: Nothing, Arizona
Occupation: bit twiddler
Verified: ✔️ he/him/his

Re: Book Banning

#88

Post by raison de arizona »

Phoenix520 wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 12:37 pm Bridge to Terabithia?? Wonder upon what grounds?

Look at all those books by and about Black people that were banned! Why, one might think (Oklahoma, TX, etc) were filled with racists!
re: Bridge to Terabithia
:snippity:
It is also a frequent target of censors, though, coming in at number 8 on the American Library Association’s list of the 100-most-banned/challenged books for 1990-2000 and dropping only to number 28 for 2001-2009. At issue with censors are death being part of the plot (Hmm… much like every Disney film and fairy tale ever made), Jess’ use of the word “lord” outside of prayer, offensive language, and claims that the book promotes secular humanism, new age religions, the occult, and Satanism. Some critics also proclaim that Leslie is not a good role model simply because she doesn’t attend church.

In 2002, two residents of Cromwell, Connecticut wanted the book banned from middle school classrooms because they claimed that it promoted witchcraft and violence. :snippity:
https://bbark.deepforestproductions.com ... erabithia/
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
User avatar
MN-Skeptic
Posts: 2999
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 1:03 pm
Location: Twin Cities

Re: Book Banning

#89

Post by MN-Skeptic »

raison de arizona wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 12:40 pm
:snippity:
...and claims that the book promotes secular humanism, new age religions, the occult, and Satanism. Some critics also proclaim that Leslie is not a good role model simply because she doesn’t attend church.

In 2002, two residents of Cromwell, Connecticut wanted the book banned from middle school classrooms because they claimed that it promoted witchcraft and violence. :snippity:
Off Topic
That reminds me... Halloween. Also a target for the Christian taliban. I had a niece who worked for a few months at the nearby Hobby Lobby (a totally miserable experience for her because of some customers. One made her cry. I told her if another customer was rude to her, call me and I would come beat them up!). She pointed out to me that you will not find anything Halloween related at Hobby Lobby. I thought that was interesting.
User avatar
pipistrelle
Posts: 6687
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 11:27 am

Re: Book Banning

#90

Post by pipistrelle »

Phoenix520 wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 12:37 pm Bridge to Terabithia?? Wonder upon what grounds?
Weren't the one kid's parents not that great or abusive/borderline abusive? Weren't there some undertones (overtones) of disrespecting authority and religion? OMG.
User avatar
Kriselda Gray
Posts: 3125
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2021 10:48 pm
Location: Asgard
Occupation: Aspiring Novelist
Verified:
Contact:

Re: Book Banning

#91

Post by Kriselda Gray »

It looks like they included some Young Adult books on there. Im kind of surprised they left off PC and Kristin Cast's "House of Night" series. I know it was pretty popular not too long ago.

It features a (very) promiscuous teenage heroine; vampires who essentially practice Wicca (the rituals are a direct lift;) lots of death (and a few resurrections;) suggestions that all gods are the same so it doesn't matter how you worship; Christian Fundamentalists who are bad - pitting father against daughter; Nuns, a Shaman and the Vampire Wiccans working together on a spiritual ritual; backstabbing teachers plotting against their students; a teacher seducing a student; vampire bloodsucking that affects the human just like sex; a student giving another student a blow job by the school entrance and I'm sure more, but I gave up after about 5 books (out of 14.) As graphic as some of the scenes are, I was really surprised it had been published as Young Adult.

Oh, yeah - and the writing is atrocious!
User avatar
Tiredretiredlawyer
Posts: 7541
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:07 pm
Location: Rescue Pets Land
Occupation: 21st Century Suffragist
Verified: ✅🐴🐎🦄🌻5000 posts and counting

Re: Book Banning

#92

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9 ... GBTQ-books
Nora Roberts donates $50,000 to save library defunded by residents over LGBTQ books

Many of the books Republicans most want to ban from public consumption are by and about people of color and LGBTQ+ people, though some are targeted because they’re about sexual violence awareness and sexual health education. We’ve covered librarians being forced to resign after threats and “extremism” as well as one actually taking right-wingers to court over their alleged attacks. At the end of the day, this burden is deeply unfair to both librarians and students—the police were called to one high school library in Texas to remove a book featuring a gay character. How is that supposed to make any young person feel? Ashamed and isolated—which is exactly what conservatives want.

As some context for how in the world we got here, back in early August, residents of Jamestown voted to defund the library because of a handful of LGBTQ+ books available on the shelves. If you’re guessing this was part of the anti-queer “grooming” hysteria being spouted off by the right, you’d be correct. The town has a millage model for funding the library, meaning that about 85% of the library’s budget came from a share of taxes from the town. By defunding the millage, residents effectively defunded the library entirely.

"Libraries and librarians should be valued and celebrated,” Roberts wrote. “Never attacked and demeaned. 50k is the limit GoFundMe allows for donations. If you’re short of your goal, please contact me. I’ll make up the rest."

Roberts described the donation as an “honor” to stand up for the library and its staff via a statement to Bridge Michigan. She went on to say librarians are the “guardians” of stories and that she finds it “appalling and sad” that librarians are facing attacks and threats.

A publicist for Roberts, Laura Reeth, shared her perspective on Roberts’ donation in a blog post. She wrote that she grew up walking to her local library and that she remembers it being a “magical place” where she could “fill up” her days with stories.

"Mickey Mouse and I grew up together." - Ruthie Tompson, Disney animation checker and scene planner and one of the first women to become a member of the International Photographers Union in 1952.
User avatar
raison de arizona
Posts: 17654
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:21 am
Location: Nothing, Arizona
Occupation: bit twiddler
Verified: ✔️ he/him/his

Re: Book Banning

#93

Post by raison de arizona »

:thumbsup:
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
User avatar
Tiredretiredlawyer
Posts: 7541
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:07 pm
Location: Rescue Pets Land
Occupation: 21st Century Suffragist
Verified: ✅🐴🐎🦄🌻5000 posts and counting

Re: Book Banning

#94

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9 ... -access-to
‘You cannot be what you cannot see’: Conservatives ban 'Girls Who Code’ books

After hearing about the book ban, Reshma Saujani, founder of the Girls Who Code nonprofit organization, shared her thoughts with Business Insider.

"I was just shocked," Saujani told Insider. "This is about controlling women and it starts with controlling our girls and what info they have access to.”

She added: ”In some ways we know that book banning has been an extreme political tool by the right—banning books to protect our kids from things that are 'obscene' or 'provocative'—but there is nothing obscene or provocative about these books.”

According to the website associated with the Girls Who Code organization, the goal is to “change the face of tech” by closing the gender gap in new entry-level tech jobs.

"Mickey Mouse and I grew up together." - Ruthie Tompson, Disney animation checker and scene planner and one of the first women to become a member of the International Photographers Union in 1952.
User avatar
raison de arizona
Posts: 17654
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:21 am
Location: Nothing, Arizona
Occupation: bit twiddler
Verified: ✔️ he/him/his

Re: Book Banning

#95

Post by raison de arizona »

That’s bullshit. The wife attends Girls Who Code events, it is a great organization for women.
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
User avatar
raison de arizona
Posts: 17654
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:21 am
Location: Nothing, Arizona
Occupation: bit twiddler
Verified: ✔️ he/him/his

Book Banning

#96

Post by raison de arizona »

Arizona Book Ban Targeting Authors Of Color and LGBTQ+ Topics Now in Effect
Written By Shahid Meighan

Republican lawmakers unanimously passed the restrictive education law while ignoring proposals that would properly fund Arizona schools.
An Arizona ban on material designated as “sexually explicit” in public schools took effect last month, leaving school districts across the state unsure about what content is now banned under the new law, and what material would be considered exempt.

Many teachers, administrators, and public school advocates have been vocal in their opposition to the new law, claiming that it specifically targets books with characters of color, books with LGBTQ+ themes, and books whose authors are people of color and/or LGBTQ+.

What It Does
HB 2495, signed into law by Gov. Ducey on July 6, bars “sexually explicit” content from public school classrooms in any medium, including text, audio, and visual. The bill has exemptions for certain content if the parent of a student gives the school explicit, written permission to use material that would otherwise be banned. Republican legislators passed HB 2495 unanimously, with Rep. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, sponsoring the bill.

“This bill is about nothing more than protecting the innocence of Arizona children from sexually explicit materials,” Hoffman said back in March during a debate on the House floor.

Laws Targeting Public Education
HB 2495 comes during a contentious midterm election year when several other bills attacking public schools in some capacity have also been passed. Last month, HB 2853—which expands the state’s universal school voucher program,—went into effect, after public school advocates failed to garner enough signatures to have the bill referred to the 2024 ballot.

During the most recent legislative session, Republicans passed HCR 2001, a bill designed to block the teaching of critical race theory in Arizona public schools—even though the academic concept is not currently taught in the state.

There has also been no word on whether or not Ducey will live up to his promise and call a special legislative session to raise the aggregate expenditure limit, a spending cap that essentially limits how much school districts are allowed to spend. Democrats are worried that if a special session is not called, school districts will be forced to cut budgets and lay off teachers.

“Dangerous Territory”
School districts have been frantically trying to figure out how to implement the new book ban. Due to the vagueness of the law, it is unclear exactly how districts will choose to ban certain books and other forms of media that may be in violation of HB 2495.

Public school advocates say they are worried that the bill will have a “chilling effect” on public school educators because of the lack of guidance in its application. Analise Ortiz, a candidate for the Arizona House of Representatives, says the bill will overburden teachers, school staff, and librarians and force them to alter their curriculum—and noted the specific impact it will have on LGBTQ+ students and students of color.

“As kids are growing into their adolescent years, it’s important to see themselves represented in literature,” Ortiz told The Copper Courier. Ortiz also said that there were serious First Amendment implications with the ban, and that schools would be forced to wade into “dangerous territory” when the new law requires books on racism and LGBTQ+ content to be banned from classrooms.

Part of a Larger Effort
Educators and experts, including Jeanne Casteen from Secular Arizona, argue that the bill is one of a series of Arizona laws that are a “coordinated effort” to attack public education and pave the way for the privatization of public education in the state.

“It’s really not about prioritizing education, critical thinking, and the learning environment. It’s about removing certain voices and being able to control public schools, while at the same time fully funding private schools. It’s essentially state sanctioned discrimination and indoctrination of our students. So while we’re not allowed to teach certain things now in our public schools, we have absolutely no idea what’s being taught at the private schools that are now getting public money,” Casteen said, alluding to the expansion of the ESA program that Gov. Ducey signed into law over the summer.

During an interview with the Copper Courier, Casteen, who has previously served as a school board member and is currently running to represent Phoenix in the state Senate, emphasized that the ban will impact educators and their ability to teach from their curriculum, as well as on students who come from underprivileged backgrounds. Casteen also pointed to a growing teacher shortage in the state and stated that bills such as HB 2495 only exacerbate the problem.

“The teacher retention crisis is real and it’s affecting our most vulnerable students, the ones that live in the poorest zip codes because those are the hardest schools to be able to hire and retain teachers. And now we’re going to take that money out of those classrooms in addition to not being able to teach them the things that they deserve to be able to be exposed to. It’s tragic.”

A National Trend
Arizona has joined 32 other states that have enacted book bans of some variation. According to PEN America, a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to protect free expression in literature, Texas leads the country in both the number of actual bans and the number of districts that have enacted bans of some sort. Pennsylvania and Florida come in second and third place. In total, there are bans in 138 school districts across the country.

PEN America’s Index of Book Bans found over 2,500 instances of individual books being banned. In a separate report, PEN America also highlighted the most common types of books that are being banned across the country. LGBTQ+-themed books made up 41% of banned content from July 1, 2021, to July 31st, 2022. Books that feature the protagonist as a person of color followed close behind at 40%, and books that had titles with themes of race and racism constituted 21% of bans, all within that same timeframe.

The most commonly banned books included Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, and This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson.
https://coppercourier.com/story/arizona ... tq-topics/
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14349
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Book Banning

#97

Post by RTH10260 »



Racist MAGA Parent CRIES at School Board Meeting over Book about Black Child

25 Oct 2022

A Sumner County parent broke into tears during a school board meeting after learning her child was reading a poem book about a young Black child that explores themes of racial struggles and diversity. The book, “A Place Inside of Me” by award-winning author Zetta Elliott, explores the perspectives of a Black child throughout the year as he deals with the aftermath of a police shooting. MeidasTouch Contributor Coach D reacts.
User avatar
pipistrelle
Posts: 6687
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 11:27 am

Book Banning

#98

Post by pipistrelle »

From a Sumner County tourist page:
Sumner County provides numerous opportunities for people to learn about history
User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14349
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Book Banning

#99

Post by RTH10260 »

Outrage Over A Single Book Is Shutting Down This Town’s Library

Nathalie Baptiste
Fri, January 13, 2023 at 11:45 AM GMT+1

The Patmos Library in Jamestown, Michigan, was Chavala Ymker’s refuge for years.

“We didn’t have the internet, and the library was the only place I had access to books and a space outside of my home,” said Ymker, 23, who was home-schooled while growing up in the small town.

But within a couple of years, that place of escape will probably not exist.

Last year, residents of Jamestown, a township made up of nearly 10,000 people, voted to defund the public library following a push from conservatives to remove the book “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe from shelves.

Conservatives across the country have targeted the memoir — in fact, it’s been banned in more states than any other book in America — about Kobabe’s journey to figuring out their own gender identity. They mainly take issue with a passage on consent that contains a page about sex toys, and they falsely claim that just reading the book can make a child change their gender identity or sexual orientation.

“The library is a disaster because of one book,” Ymker said.

The Patmos Library has historically relied on the public funding of a tax called a millage ― and a millage renewal to keep the library operational was on the primary ballot in August 2021. Conservatives’ claims about the library having books with LGBTQ themes picked up steam, and some residents erected signs in their yards about how the tax money was going to be used to “groom” kids.




https://www.yahoo.com/news/outrage-over ... 00659.html
(original: HuffPost)
User avatar
raison de arizona
Posts: 17654
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:21 am
Location: Nothing, Arizona
Occupation: bit twiddler
Verified: ✔️ he/him/his

Book Banning

#100

Post by raison de arizona »

:eyeroll:
https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles/sta ... 9635356673
Michael Knowles @michaeljknowles wrote: Good idea, unless “they” are a wise and just authority, in which case you should heed their decision, as it’s probably for your own good.

(E.g., libs banned the Bible in schools, but you should read it; conservatives banned gay porn in schools, and you should not read it.)
Stephen King @StephenKing wrote: Hey, kids! It's your old buddy Steve King telling you that if they ban a book in your school, haul your ass to the nearest bookstore or library ASAP and find out what they don't want you to read.
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
Post Reply

Return to “U.S. Culture and Media”