According to the Tampa Tribune, an angry dad is trying to get two books removed form his daughter's 5th grade reading list. The books use the "N" word, and although it is placed in a meaningful historical context and as a way to deliver the weight of an ugly period in American History, he still feels it's inappropriate.
The two books in question are The Land by Mildred Taylor and The Starplace by Vicki Grove, and they are part of the accelerated reading curriculum.
"Both books in question, classified as novels for young adults, have been praised for helping promote racial understanding."The Land," historical fiction set in post-Civil War Georgia, follows a man who is the son of a prosperous white landowner and a former slave woman. The book was a 2003 Coretta Scott King Author Award recipient.
"Taylor makes an exemplary contribution to chronicling the African-American experience with her finely developed characters and well-rounded storyline," award committee chairwoman Fran Ware said.
"The Starplace" deals with a friendship in the 1960s between a white teenager in an Oklahoma town and a black teen whose family is new to the area.
"This is a wonderful look at the time just after the Supreme Court decision that was supposed to make segregation history ... highly recommended," a review by Children's Literature Review said."
I totally get it. Many of us have discomfort around this issue and I share concerns around the age-appropriateness of such abstract concepts. But I wonder how else we can effectively teach kids about context and history? What age is appropriate to start discussing race? And, is taking the books out of the curriculum going to make the issue go away -- erase our past? Of course not.
Most importantly though, I worry about what messages we as adults send when we fall apart on race. Shhhhhh. Let's avoid feeling uncomfortable. It's not safe to talk about it. It's not okay to be honest.
Posted by alli
Book Publishing
Comments
I'm on the Board of Directors for the Seattle Girls' School, a 5th - 8th grade school which has a powerful, breakthrough anti-bias component as part of its curriculum. The school is committed to discussing bias in an open way that sometimes throws others (including their parents) off-track. I think Generation X was a lot about striving towards a place of being "color blind" and pretending the cultural differences between diverse groups didn't exist in an attempt to make things equal. Obviously that doesn't work. It's been interesting for me to watch Seattle Girls' School tackle race and gender issues, uncomfortable though they may be, head-on as a way to encourage the girls to connect with their personal biases, privileges, and perspectives. I say it's never too early to bring up these relevant topics, and the more we can discuss and examine, the better!
Posted by: Debbie Reber | March 21, 2008 11:52 AM