Forever - Banned

Pasadena Citizen ^

[Texasbock]

Pasadena Independent School District superintendent Dr. Rick Schneider has banned the book "Forever" by popular children's author Judy Blume from the shelves of libraries within the district.

The book had previously been found in the collections of one intermediate and three high schools. Advertisement

"It is never an easy decision to pull a book from the shelves. The superintendent has the responsibility to put materials in the system that are educationally suitable and appropriate. In this particular case, after reading the book, he felt that, though the theme is not unsuitable certain passages are and decided to remove the book," said district spokesperson Kirk Lewis.

The complaint was initially lodged by a parent at Thompson Intermediate School.

According to district policy process, a campus review committee was formed to study the book.

The issue was next studied by a central office committee comprised of administrators, instructors and parents and then by Schneider.

Though an initial committee recommendation was that the work be removed from only intermediate and not high school libraries, it was ultimately decided to withdraw "Forever" from the district library system completely due to what was deemed "sexually explicit content.

"Certain passages were not appropriate for any students of the school district," continued Lewis.

The novel, first published in 1975, is self-described as "a moving story of the end of innocence."

According to the American Library Association, it is the eighth "most frequently challenged" book.

A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom received a total of 547 challenges last year. According to Judith F. Krug, director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom, the number of challenges reflects only incidents reported, and for each reported, four or five remain unreported.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

I still prefer Orwell, myself.

:)

-good times, G.J.P. (Jr.)

[Irish_Thatcherite]

I still prefer Orwell, myself.

So do I, Orwell's 1984 is the the ultimate misery for Man! I think what we have today is combination of both Orwell and Huxley - excessive consumerism coupled with the mind control that resembles Newspeak called Political Correctness!

Huxley and Orwell both predicted the 'Liberals' accurately!!!!

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

His essay, "On the English Language", is still a marvel of stunningly crisp prose and sparkling insight after all these years.

I've become increasingly convinced-as the years progress-that ninety percent of the tenured faculty at liberal arts universities in this country have never even heard of it, let alone read it to completion.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Oh DNDMSB, Eric Arthur Blair, aka George Orwell was a God damn genius!!!!

His insight into Human Nature was incredible!!

[Natty Boh]

If it's just an offensive passage or two, they can usually be covered up with a black felt pen. It works better than you might think. I go by the public library and do that whenever I have some extra time. Thank you, oh wise one, for vandalizing library books so that we may not read material that you personally find objectionable. Clearly you alone have the insight and clarity of thought to determine what is acceptable for the rest of us to read and what is not. I can only hope that you will expand your work to include newspapers, magazines and our mail Thanks again!