Sunday, March 28, 2010

The Giver by Lois Lowry--Book Challenge and Censorship

I was astonished to hear it for the first time. “Flabbergasted” is an old-fashioned word my mother used to use... and I was flabbergasted. I think The Giver is such a moral book, so filled with important truths, that I couldn’t believe anyone would want to surpress it, to keep it from kids. Now, of course, I’m used to it, sadly. But I still don’t understand it, although it is clear now that those who bring objections are often reading things out of context (for example, often they say that the book recommends abortion or euthanasia, and of course neither is true). Sometimes they haven’t read the entire book and so aren’t ”getting it.” No, I don’t for one second think about the possibility of censorship when I am writing a new book. I know I am a person who cares about kids and who cares about truth and I am guided by my own instincts, and trust them. ~ Lois Lowry, interview response on censorship (Scholastic)

Parents of a middle school student in Ramona Middle School, of Bonita School District, were "appalled by the content of this Newbery Award Winning Literature." As these parents stated that they checked this book out themselves, they only read portions of it. And of course, it was the portions that they could disect and pinpoint several topics that they felt are highly controversial to be reading in school. The targeted topics suggested that children are being brainwashed by reading of murder, suicide, euthanasia, mental-telepahty, etc. And according to the American Library Association, The Giver has ranked as one of the most commonly challenged books in public and school libaries and has been challenged on similar grounds as the parents at Ramona M.S. had brought forward to their School Board.

While these parents have every right to choose what books their child reads, their opinion should not dictate what an entire class, school, or district can hold in their libraries. As stated from community member Judy Nelson, own of Mrs. Nelson's toy and Book Shop, to the Bonita School District, "parents have the absolute right, and the responsiblity, to guide their own reading. But they should not be given the right to make those decisions for everybody else's children. That takes away the rights of other, maybe less vocal, parents to make decisions with an on behalf of their kids."

Teachers carefully evaluate books to ensure that they are age-appropriate and high interest for the readers in their classrooms. In fact, inumerable hours are devoted to the book selection process in order for teachers and libarians to choose books that will encourage children to be livelong thinkers and lifelong readers. "They choose the best books available to them to help stimulate our children's minds, to show them how to seek information, analyze it, think about it critically, and compare and contrast opposing viewpoints, including controversial, challenging, or unpopular views. Outstanding literature covering a wide range of subjects helps students formulate their own thoughts and attitudes about life." These ideas are confirmed in a letter to Lois Lowry form a sixth grade teacher in using The Giver at the start of her school year. "It created a spark which teachers long for and dreamt about. A few chapters into the book and the school was gripped by "Giver" fever. Students came to class begging to read and they discussed it in hallways, at lunchtime, and one the bus ride home. Parents came to interviews asking where they could buy a copy as other families discussed it over their evening meal together."

In her acceptance speech, Lowry states, "The man that I named The Giver passed along to the boy knowledge, history, memories, color, pain, laughter, love, and truth. Every time you place a book in the hands of a child, you do the same thing. It is very risky. But each time a child opens the book he pushes open the gate that separates him from Elsewhere. It gives him choices. it gives him freedom. Those are magnificent, wonderfully unsafe things. An elementary school teacher in the Bonita School District read The Giver after fearing her teenage son's state of rebellion. "The books, the songs, the vacations, the traditions. I knew that if he remembered them, he would be ok." "When I talked to Lois Lowry last week, I told her about that, and she said she really understood how I could get that from her book - others had too - and it came from a similar experience in her life."

While the intitial letter to the school board by parents of the Ramona Middle School student are opposed to having The Giver in their libraries, there are many comments and letters of support to keep it on the bookshelves. In fact, after the complaints were filed, the books were temporarily pulled pending a review by the School Board. "The ALA holds that it is the parent and only the parent - who may restrict the children - and only his children - from access to libary materials and services." In a letter to Lois Lowry's editor form a community member, he states, "The Board and the School Superintendent and some of his staff ha d already met and decided to designate The Giver as appropriate for use as a core book in the middle school curriculum. they also left it on the shelves of all schools, inlcuding the elementary schools." The letter also stated how they will revise their current policy and how members respond to censorship issues while protecting parents, teachers, and librarians rights to choose what they see fit for their children to read.

I was absolutely relieved to find the result of the School Board's ruling. While I became a HUGE fan of The Giver after reading it, I know that there are going to be people who won't be huge fans. But at the VERY least, read the entire book first. Just don't pintpoint specific chapterss or details that could be controversial after twisting and manipulating it into something that the author wasn't even trying to express in the first place. While I know that the ruling allowed The Giver to remain in the Bonita School system, I have found that it has been removed from libraries and schools across the nation due to similar complaints about the inappropriate content of the book.

In Lois Lowry's response Trusting the Reader, she states, "It means that we writers are noticers. We are perceivers. We don't miss much. We see the details, the nuances, the flyspecks. Most easy truths have had corollaries, though. And so nothing is lost. The hard part, then face the task of sifting and selecting. What do we point out to the audience? What do we hint at? What do we lie about? what do we shout? What do we hide? In a video interview below, Lowry states that to this day that she is still not completely clear as to what people are objecting to in The Giver and why they're so frightened. In fact, she points out that Jonas, a twelve year old going on thirteen year old boy is faced with a challenge of trying to change the world around him. Isn't this the underlying message that most teachers who are HUGE fans want their children to understand and learn from? That a single boy can make his mark despite the odds against him. Most teenagers need this boost of self esteem and confirmation that they too can make a difference.

As a teacher it is confirming to know that there are those who will stick by you and fight for your rights to choose what is best for your students. Let's face it - we want our children to love reading. And if parents continue to dictate what's right and what's not right to read for an entire school or even an entire school district, what freedom of choice will we really be teaching our children? If we continue to censor, what will be left? As Judy Blume states on her thoughts about censorship, "What I worry about most is the loss to young people. If no one speaks out for them, if they don’t speak out for themselves, all they’ll get for required reading will be the most bland books available. Instead of finding the information they need at the library, instead of finding novels that illuminate life, they will find only those materials to which nobody could possibly object.
http://judyblume.com/censorship/places4.php

As an educator, I will continue to make choices that I feel are appropriate and stimulating to my young readers, while knowing in the back of my mind that others might not feel the same as I do. And I'm okay with that. I walk a fine line between guiding students in their book selections and what parents may feel is appropriate for their children. While being open to their suggestions and input, hopefully we can work out a compromise based on a collaborative focus on the issues at hand - after reading the book from start to finish.


http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid46047440001?bclid=42498921001&bctid=36542925001

1 comment:

  1. http://www.ncac.org/First-Amendment-in-Schools-Teachers

    Resource Guide for Teachers and Censorship

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