NEWSFLASH: VICTORY IN BARLTESVILLE (SORTA, KINDA)
Hey, everybody! This is right off the transom. I just got home to find this e-mail from Ninja Librarian Susan Hunt . . . and I’m basically just copying it direct to here (I’ve only removed some of the names). My comments follow. I don’t need to preface this with much, as Susan says it all . . .
**********************
I received a letter today giving the reconsideration committee's decision. Since I don't have a scanner available to me, I will type the letter as it appears. I do believe, Maureen, that without our intervention the book would have been pulled from the shelves. I'm not so sure that the decision is much better, however. While it avoids "banning" the book, it restricts the book's availability. I would not have been happy to live under a rule that demanded a 'reserve shelf' for certain books, or that demanded that I keep track of which students had parental permission to read which books. It is just the kind of nightmare my early retirement avoided. Thank you again.
The letter begins.
Bermudez Triangle
District Committee Report
June 6, 2007
The library book review committee met several times to discuss and review the book entitled, The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson. The first meeting was set to establish protocol and gather materials for review. A copy of the complaint was given to each member present. Each member of the committee had an opportunity to give his/her view of the complaint. The district library media department chair presented additional materials and discussed her opinion of the book. Members were asked to read the book, the reviews or research any additional information which would be relevant for further discussion at the next meeting.
Committee members met again on April 26th. The complainant met with the committee to express her view of the book and its inappropriateness for her 14 year old daughter. Members of the committee also met with the Mid-High librarian and principal. The librarian explained she had ordered the book for students who had to write papers for the English class. Each year, students have to write a paper on social issues and often students have had to go to the public library to get materials. She was trying to have a well rounded selection of materials to address the possible needs for the class.
Written comments from the community, regarding their views of the book, were solicited via the Bartlesville Public School website. A parent and the librarian of the Bartlesville Public Library responded in favor of keeping the book in circulation. The teacher at Mid-High who gives the social issues assignment sent a summary of the assignment to the committee for review. Yet, we must acknowledge, the book was checked out to the compainant's daughter who was not in this particular teacher's class.
The committee would like to make the following recommendations:
--In order to allow students to have access to the book for curriculum review or reports, the books would sit on the 'reserve shelf' and be checked out for classroom use with a parent's permission.
--Proactive communication with parents regarding materials in the library is important. An invitation to parents to visit the library should be extended each year. Listed media materials located on the website need to be communicated to parents. The committee would like to suggest the review of the district's current school library policy. Up to date revisions and procedures will be paramount in establishing a framework for future library media concerns.
The is the end of the letter.
Thank you again, Maureen. We succeeded.
**********************
Thanks to Susan, we did . . . if only partially.
Friends, what do you make of this?
Me, personally, I’m disgusted that a book requires parental consent just because it contains homosexual content. As Susan says, this is almost as bad . . . if not worse!
And that second point gives me a case of the wobblies. Why do I feel like other materials in this school library are going to end up on the “scary shelf” with Bermudez?
As for the rest of the letter . . . like I said before, the book was banned on April 26th, when only one committee member (the one who supported it) had actually taken the time to read it. Without your letters, your support, your links . . . the book would have been banned. You turned it around. Thank you, guys. I can’t tell you how much your support meant.
But what do you make of this “solution”? Is limiting access to a book really a good idea? What should I do next, if anything?
If you want to hear a really eloquent take on why self-censorship is a disaster, and why books with homosexual content belong on the shelf, listen to this podcast. This is David Levithan speaking at the Reading Matters conference in Australia. David lays it all out. (Note to anyone playing this out loud—he does drop the F-bomb once, but to great effect. This conference was for a group of librarians.) It’s fantastic. (And shows that these problems are not limited to American shores.)
**********************
I received a letter today giving the reconsideration committee's decision. Since I don't have a scanner available to me, I will type the letter as it appears. I do believe, Maureen, that without our intervention the book would have been pulled from the shelves. I'm not so sure that the decision is much better, however. While it avoids "banning" the book, it restricts the book's availability. I would not have been happy to live under a rule that demanded a 'reserve shelf' for certain books, or that demanded that I keep track of which students had parental permission to read which books. It is just the kind of nightmare my early retirement avoided. Thank you again.
The letter begins.
Bermudez Triangle
District Committee Report
June 6, 2007
The library book review committee met several times to discuss and review the book entitled, The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson. The first meeting was set to establish protocol and gather materials for review. A copy of the complaint was given to each member present. Each member of the committee had an opportunity to give his/her view of the complaint. The district library media department chair presented additional materials and discussed her opinion of the book. Members were asked to read the book, the reviews or research any additional information which would be relevant for further discussion at the next meeting.
Committee members met again on April 26th. The complainant met with the committee to express her view of the book and its inappropriateness for her 14 year old daughter. Members of the committee also met with the Mid-High librarian and principal. The librarian explained she had ordered the book for students who had to write papers for the English class. Each year, students have to write a paper on social issues and often students have had to go to the public library to get materials. She was trying to have a well rounded selection of materials to address the possible needs for the class.
Written comments from the community, regarding their views of the book, were solicited via the Bartlesville Public School website. A parent and the librarian of the Bartlesville Public Library responded in favor of keeping the book in circulation. The teacher at Mid-High who gives the social issues assignment sent a summary of the assignment to the committee for review. Yet, we must acknowledge, the book was checked out to the compainant's daughter who was not in this particular teacher's class.
The committee would like to make the following recommendations:
--In order to allow students to have access to the book for curriculum review or reports, the books would sit on the 'reserve shelf' and be checked out for classroom use with a parent's permission.
--Proactive communication with parents regarding materials in the library is important. An invitation to parents to visit the library should be extended each year. Listed media materials located on the website need to be communicated to parents. The committee would like to suggest the review of the district's current school library policy. Up to date revisions and procedures will be paramount in establishing a framework for future library media concerns.
The is the end of the letter.
Thank you again, Maureen. We succeeded.
**********************
Thanks to Susan, we did . . . if only partially.
Friends, what do you make of this?
Me, personally, I’m disgusted that a book requires parental consent just because it contains homosexual content. As Susan says, this is almost as bad . . . if not worse!
And that second point gives me a case of the wobblies. Why do I feel like other materials in this school library are going to end up on the “scary shelf” with Bermudez?
As for the rest of the letter . . . like I said before, the book was banned on April 26th, when only one committee member (the one who supported it) had actually taken the time to read it. Without your letters, your support, your links . . . the book would have been banned. You turned it around. Thank you, guys. I can’t tell you how much your support meant.
But what do you make of this “solution”? Is limiting access to a book really a good idea? What should I do next, if anything?
If you want to hear a really eloquent take on why self-censorship is a disaster, and why books with homosexual content belong on the shelf, listen to this podcast. This is David Levithan speaking at the Reading Matters conference in Australia. David lays it all out. (Note to anyone playing this out loud—he does drop the F-bomb once, but to great effect. This conference was for a group of librarians.) It’s fantastic. (And shows that these problems are not limited to American shores.)
Labels: Bartlesville, book banning
posted by Maureen at
6:20 AM
44 Comments:
I'm so glad that the book wasn't banned! It truly is a victory, even if it is a partial one. I personally think putting the book on the "Reserve Shelf" is silly. It limits other people who want to read it from being able to. Although it might just encourage curious readers to get the book and others as well. I'm not sure if sending more letters would change the verdict, but it couldn't hurt. Fans sending in letters would show how much we support you and the book.
I'm still up for a Bartlesville book event filled with authors who are on the banned books list. Filled with readings and speeches on censorship. BanCon!
THIS SUCKS!!!!!!
I am starting to lose my cool, as you can see. It's fine that people want to protect kids, that's good even. BUT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE 14+. We're not talking about seven year olds who need to hold Mommy's hand when they cross the street. In a few years these kids will be able to vote, drive, buy cigarettes, and drink beer; doesn't making the right decisions mean having information about the different choices available? What other books are going to end up on this 'reserve shelf'? Great books that aren't all fluff.
Books like Sarah Dessen's DREAMLAND and Ann Brashares' SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS?
I think these people are overlooking something very important: that life exists outside of the "safe" confines of school, and that the same SIXTEEN YEAR OLDS who need a parent's permission to read A BOOK BY YOU (!!) are going to be facing that world. Without Mommy and Daddy holding their hand, without the boundaries of a 'reserve' shelf. What then?
'Reserve shelf'? That's just sick.
What good is a reserve shelf? If Bermudez is frowned upon there, fine they can have their social issues. But to shove it away? That's not fair to anyone. They don't have to place it smack-dab in the front of the library--so why are they acting like it's this or that? To put it on the YA shelf and let live is the fair thing to do.
I wonder if they can be proded to poll the students, those would be the votes that should really count.
I want to accentuate the positive in life because silver linings are SHIIIINY. I try not to be wholly negative. So - deep breath - this is not a solution, not an equal/even compromise, but at least the book is not completely banned/removed.
How many kids do you think are going to forge notes in order to get your book? By not permitting the book to be checked out and read freely, they are causing another series of problems and lies. Why are they making it DIFFICULT for kids to obtain TBT? I am sure that they can easily get their hands on books, both contemporary and classic, that are far racier and more eyebrow-raising.
(I recall classmates in sixth grade writing fake notes so they could read Stephen King. Meanwhile, the teachers were so busy creating that 'permission necessary' rule for the books of King that they forgot about other books and authors, and kids passed around the naughtier Christopher Pike books without any permission.)
Well. Not to ignore the sort-of victory, but this still makes me mad. Yes, it's good that it's not banned entirely. But it's still ridiculous and it still drives me spare. Jordyn pretty much said exactly what I think. And believe me, I know that it is not good to enter "real world" situations when you're completely unprepared for them. Some people are just so STUPID.
I agree with Little Willow.
I think you should perform a selected scene from "Oklahoma" outside their office windows!!!!
While this isn't the ideal resolution to the situation, it could have been worse. The thing with kids that age though, is that when they're told they're not allowed to read sometehing a lot of times they want to more. I remember when I couldn't get a book from the school library, I would get it from the public library, go out and buy it myself, or get my mom to get it for me. (Thankfully, she is as against book banning as I am.) So these kids, maybe they'll want to read it more by seeing they can't take it out from the library. They'll find a way to get it. (And I do completely agree with Little Willow.)
Thing is (regardint the whole, it's-forbidden-therefore-more-appealing thing), the kids aren't going to KNOW they can't check it out; they just won't see it with the other YA books. Who is going to think "oh, it must be on a reserve shelf?" Nobody; they just won't get to read it which, let's face it, is just what the school wants and what they're counting on.
This kind of fake-solution is tailor-made for a protest, because all they've done here is make the book more visible. Maybe find a sympathetic local bookstore to spotlight these "reserve shelf" books, maybe sponsor a contest for other reserve shelf candidates...drum up a sort of forbidden fruit interest? Encourage any Bartlesville student agents to circulate lists of these reserves, maybe form little reserve list bookclubs? The advantage you have now is that the book is still there, even locked away.
I can't remeber if Maureen did this or not, but sending a pile to the local public library would be a good idea. A note could be included that said something like "Since people can't get it at school, more will be coming here now."
It would be great to get in touch with some sympathetic English teachers at the school. Maybe they could do a lesson or a short speech about book banning for their classes.
Personally, I think "limiting" access is just as bad. But my mind jumps to another often-banned book called Harry Potter. In it, Harry gives an interview which is then banned by the school "headmaster." The banning of the article almost ensures that every student in the school read the article. So maybe the silver lining here is that while checking out TBT from the school library will be difficult (dumb...), MAYBE they will be encouraged to find it elsewhere just to see what the banning is all about for themselves! Thus thwarting the stupid banning..ahem "limiting"... in the first place.
Probably not, but it's a thought.
And two cheers for Ninja Librarian Susan!
I think I'll add librocidal maniacs to my personal "things to be afraid of" list... Please allow me a gratuitous Buffy quote.
"Where do we go from here...
The battle's done, and we kinda won;
So we sound our victory cheer."
In my community, I'm thinking of getting involved in the public library to make sure such books are available outside of schools. This should be a wake up for all of us. We probably can't change Bartlesville, but we can get try to keep this from happening our home towns.
They got it wrong -- the book should require a note from parents NOT to allow their child to have it, not the other way around. It's censorship the way it's currently done. And the bit about being upset that a kid just wanted to read the book without it being part of her curriculum really pissed me off.
Since the local public librarian supported the book and won't have the restriction, I'm thinking the local public library might deserve an extra copy or two of the book. Just to give kids the ability to take the book out without anyone looking over their shoulder.
Terrible. Just terrible.
A special shelf? Give me strength. If they are going to do that, they should have to put a label on the book stating exactly why the book requires special permission. Come on Bartlesville: I want to see a sticker that reads, "We heard there might be homosexual content in this book. No one under the age of 18 may read about homosexuals without parental permission. But we aren't sure because we haven't read this book."
Seriously, these people should have to take the embarrassing step of explaning why the book is semi-banned. Perhaps the shame of it will make them reconsider.
Oh, I think it will all blow over. The wankers on the review board will be replaced by other wankers with a different agenda. TBT will be off the reserve shelf, and Uncle Tom's Cabin will be on it, or kids will be allowed to check out Huckleberry Finn unsurpervised, but not Go Ask Alice.
I think what is really important here is the
permission slip. THINK of it. A librarian with nerve of steel would send a permission slip home with every student at the beginning of every year that said something like:
"When any adult, parent or not, speaks on behalf of all parents and decides that their children should not be exposed to certain library material, and if the review committe agrees, that material is moved to the reserve shelf. This material cannot be checked out without a signed form (attached below) that gives a student responsibility for his or her reading decisions. Please do not try to check out any of these books without a signed permission slip. The library will discourage students explicity from passing the book to friends without first checking that they have permission slips from their parents. If they do not have parental permission, they can get the books at the public library.
And attached would be a list of every book on the banned shelf. Every single one, every year, to every student.
And if I were the public librarian, I'd have a shelf in the teen room at the library that mirrors the one at the high school with a sign saying, "these books are the ones restricted at the Bartlesville High School."
Because all of this will blow over. And it isn't really going to make any difference to The Bermudez Triangle in the long run. But it could make a big difference to a lot of people in this community. People should be free to read what they choose. And all of us should be educated about why that is important. Because maybe it is L.Ron Hubbard that is banned, or maybe it is Thomas Paine.
I know it only seems like a partial victory, but I'm really happy that it's still IN the library at all. The rules may be strict at first, but eventually, librarians have better things to do than to watch a restricted shelf. On a positive note, since Bermudez will be on it's own special little shelf, it's bound to gather more attention. Maybe then it will encourgage kids to read it and even if they aren't able to check it out from the school library, they can go to the public library.
I listened to David's speech. I know there are kids out there who would benefit from reading his books, Bermudez and so on. Kids in all sorts of situations often turn to books to help them through, and though he spoke a lot about the tolerance of books that contain homosexuality, I know he was saying in general that it doesn't matter what the book is about. It matters that we get the books out there for whoever needs them. And I completely agree.
i think 14 year olds should be able to choose there own books. If a parent doesn't want their child to read a book its their job to tell them not to read it. The school shouldnt be involved.
After reading all the "Bermudez will get more attention on the shelf" comments, I have a major question: Where is this 'reserve shelf'?
The reserved section at my middle school's library was a closet with a watched door partially hidden behind the magazine racks. The only people allowed to walk around in it were the head librarians. I was a volunteer in the library, if Bermudez was in there--I wouldn't have known it because I wasn't allowed to poke around in there and rescue the quality literature (it was a well-filled room). I have a feeling that Bartlesville's shelf isn't out in the open or even viewable.
If anyone could find the where the shelf is, it would give us a better idea of how dirty that committee is playing now. (And if a volunteer could 'accidentally' move it to the YA section.)
The decision the committee reached simply strikes me as a cowardly one. Between Maureen's petition, fans and ninja librarians on one side, and a handful of ultra-conservative community members on the other, they were trying desperately to come out of this without egg on their collective face.
Of course, the problem with trying to make everyone happy is that you make no one particularly happy at all, and you look cowardly and foolish to boot.
You know, in a way I would feel more sympathetic to the committe if they had had the gumption to simply ban the book outright. At least that would have been a moral position.. a flawed moral position but better than none at all. And you can fight something that is flat-out wrong.
Well, Maureen has at least come out of this with grace and humour, and not a little usefully controversial publicity. The students at Bartlesville can access the book, albeit in a roundabout way. Ninja librarian Sue will go down in the annals of Ninja Librarians as a hero.
Even the members of the committee haven't come out so badly. A cowardly, ambiguous, political decision like the one they rendered in this case will surely help to get at least one of them elected to congress some day
I love how people think the School Librarian has nothing better to do than flip through a pile of permission slips (and KEEP TRACK OF THEM NO LESS).
I'd take my kid out of that school, and I'd move so they weren't getting my property taxes either!
And, if I were a teacher or student there, I believe I'd just wear a big H all year long.
Or maybe it would be more fun just to challenge all sorts of things and make them continually go through this process for lots of other books that don't deserve it (which would be pretty much most books).
OH MY GOD! MY CHILD IS READING WHEN NOT REQUIRED TO! THIS MUST BE STOPPED!
otherwise, they might be exposed to dun dun dun new ideas.
its just so stupid. when kids get to college, there exposed to a million different points of view. and we expect them to handle it responsibly when a summer before were not letting them have books?!?!?!?
anyway, if you haven't listened to david's speeh (the link is in this post) immediately do so. its sooooooo good.
Arrrgh! I have an idea--we should gather as many high-school age kids as we can, march them to that library with copies of the Bermudez Triangle, and sit in front of this new restricted access section while we read them. Personally, I think that would be great. Let's see 'em try and ban our own books. We should also have a sharing time, when we read out our favorite passages aloud.
Yeah, I think I'll do that...
Books are not dangerous. They just aren't. Why are people so scared of them?
Oh man, this just sucks. Thought I'd share this great [that is, AWFUL] quote I came up with when researching book banning for a library talk I did at the wonderful Topeka KS library a few months ago. A Texas mother who had attended a "book mulching rally" in front of a library (the mulcher was in the bed of a pickup truck), was quoted as saying that children should not learn about puberty until they are married. ACK! The blazing minds of book banners!
OH! I AM RAVING MAD! let us teens pick our own freaking books!!! i'm mad mad mad mad mad mad mad. and there really isn't anything we can do, can we? by the way, David's speech is FANTASTIC. listen NOW.
<3 IM ANGRY.
These people seem to have forgotten what it was like as a teenager. The easiest way to encourage kids to do something is to tell them not to do it. And it was a great choice to keep trying and making a bigger and bigger scene. If you hadn't, the books might have silently slipped from shelves. Now teenagers know they shouldn't read it, which of course makes them want to read more.
I listened to David Levithan's speech and agreed one hundred percent. David's books are some of my favorite (in particular, Wide Awake) and you DO have to get them out. I know I'm lucky that my family doesn't censor what I read or tell me that homosexuality is wrong. I can hardly grasp the idea that someone would take a book from my hands and say, "No, you shouldn't read this." Unfortunately, that's what happens to other people.
Someone commenting before me mentioned that kids might try to pass them around. I hope they do. I know that kids in my school are more clever than the teachers give them credit for. If we want to do something, we'll find a way. I hope kids in Bartlesville have the same determination to get TBT too.
That podcast speech is AWESOME!!!!
I think the decision is appalling. I'm glad they've kept the book, but it should be available UNLESS a parent requests it not be. There is a chilling effect here - it is actively discouraging children from requesting the book. And does "classroom use" mean they can only use the book in the classroom and not take it home? If so, good luck reading it. This kind of censorship makes me very angry - parents need to be parents to their own children, not everyone else's.
Thank heavens for public libraries! :-)
I didn't take the time to read through all the comments, but I would suggest, if there is a public library in this town, that copies of TBT be donated there. Then the public librarians can make a big banner and display saying "WHAT THE SCHOOL DOESN'T WANT YOU TO READ." Then see how many kids will read it! Gotta stick it to 'em somehow!
The idea that this book would be questioned simply because it is about homosexuality is repulsive. This is clearly a town with a bigotry problem, and witholding access to certain books is just going to make it worse.
It also seems somewhat illegal under the 14th amendment and 1st amendment. Just because some parents don't want children reading this book does not give them the right to censor it for the whole town. I have a new idea for this woman who sued to have it removed: try RESPONSIBLE PARENTING.
If there are truly ideas she doesn't want her daughter "exposed to"--and really, what an ignorant person this woman must be--then she could accompany her daughter to the library. Screen what she reads. Read the backs of her daughter's books. Be involved in some way that doesn't involve stomping on the rights of others.
Sigh.
Keep fighting the good fight!
Hi Maureen, im a homeschooler from New Hampshire. My family has been educators for 3 generations but looking at the world nowadays I didnt have the force of will to continue that. I applaude what you are doing, sometime you get tired of banging your head agains the horns of ignorance. I know that in your years of work you have prolly bin a bastion of knowledge to many. GOod for you! and I know you will keep the light burning no matter where you go.
Actually, a clever bookstore owner could probably make a good deal of money from this: just by putting the restricted books on display in the front window of the story, with a sign to that effect.
I came to this whole thing a bit late, but I thought I'd throw my two cents in.
As a young gay man who recently came out, I know that I welcomed (and still do welcome) any book that I could get my hands on that dealt with homosexuality in a clear, unbiased manner. By limiting access to your book, they are officially saying that homosexuality is bad, that it is wrong and should not be 'allowed' to exist. These people are just like Pat Robertson, who said that all gays should be rounded up and 'eliminated'.
Think of all of the homosexual, bisexual, and questioning students in that school, that now have one more reason to hide. They're doing a huge disservice to their students. I'm trying to be calm here, but I'm shaking in rage. It's just...gah, words fail me...
Hi Maureen.
Stumbled over here from neil's blog, and wanted to give my support. Having a book on a reserved shelf because it contains homosexuality is, in my opinion, absolutely ridicoulous - it would cause a public outrage of immense proportions here in Sweden. I'm glad there are people fighting these fights :) I'll have to look into that book of yours and take it up in one of my classes over here!
Congratulations, Maureen.
This whole situation doesn't only speak about you as a writer, but also as a human being. The world needs more people like you.
Fascism rears its ugly head in schools as the far right tries its best to infiltrate the young and brainwash them with its "right" way of thinking.
Keep fighting the good fight and know this, you are right and it is they who are in the wrong, censorship is the last resort of the witless who cannot discuss with intelligence.
Blessings,
Goblin
**An invitation to parents to visit the library should be extended each year.**
It seems to me that this could be handy. The reserve shelf will start out very small, but if you make sure that smart parents visit the library and object to books, it will grow over time, to eventually encompass all the books. Then, they'd have to add a double reserve shelf to accommodate your book.
A personal pet peeve of mine is that, while schools are supposed to be weapon free, books about military weapons are usually allowed, so I would object to any book with weapons. While I'm at it, I would also object to any that mention any religious holidays (unless, of course, they discuss the religious holidays of all the religions of the world equally -- all 30,000 religions).
Others would no doubt object to books that mention smoking, dinosaurs, single parents, orphans, magic, snakes, time travel, talking animals, monsters, and who knows what else.
If you find enough willing parents and you coordinate things well, you can make sure that books are objected to by multiple, unrelated parents and that no two parents object to the same books. Force them to defend every book they want to keep off that reserved shelf!
I love the idea of publicizing the "forbidden" bookshelf. Put a huge banner up saying, "Ask the librarian about the books your folks don't want you to read." You won't be able to keep enough copies on hand.
Thank you to everyone who fought this (and continues to fight this battle all over the country).
thank you nice sharing
thank you maswex
thank you
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