"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter." —Mark Twain
Reviews of subversive literature
Two days ago I wrote about the cancellation of Mexican American and Native American Studies classes in Tucson high schools, and the large-scale book banning that followed. Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) officials confiscated books and other materials used in the cancelled classes, boxed them, and shipped them to a storage facility. Local, national, and […]
In May 2010 Arizona banned the teaching of ethnic studies in the state’s public school classrooms, specifically targeting Mexican-American and Native American studies. The new law forbid elementary and secondary schools to conduct classes “designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group” or that advocated “the overthrow of the United States government” and “resentment […]
You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring news about banned and challenged books. “What is the criteria for banning a book? Who gets to make that decision? Is it one person’s opinion? Everyone sees things differently; where will it stop?” Ignoring district procedures for making decisions about restricting student access to books, school superintendent […]
You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring news about banned and challenged books. Zen Buddhism: Selected Writings was challenged in Canton, Michigan in 1987 on the grounds that the book “details the teachings of the religion of Buddhism in such a way that the reader could very likely embrace its teachings and choose […]
You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring news about banned and challenged books. They changed Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn to get rid of a word everyone used in the 1880s. They they went after Tintin in the Congo for drawings that reflected 1930s racial stereotypes. Now they’re going after another notorious racist … […]
You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring news about banned and challenged books. Apparently the problem some Americans have with Huckleberry Finn affects Belgians as well. They were actually going to ban a Tintin book written in 1931 on grounds of racism … thankfully, a court has intervened. The manager of a Michigan […]
You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring banned book reviews and news roundups. In the news: US prisoner forbidden to read Pulitzer-winning history book Our Bodies, Ourselves turns 40 In Cold Blood gets okay from Glendale, California school board Another annoyed librarian slams Banned Books Week On Facebook: You Can’t Read That! banned […]
How’s that Nook e-reader I got for my birthday last year working out? Glad you asked. Over the past year my reading has been about 25% Nook, 75% book (I keep a record of the books I’ve read, and I actually counted). That strikes me as about right: e-books cost money and library books are […]