High School Principal Cancels Entire Reading Program To Stop Students From Reading Cory Doctorow's 'Little Brother'

from the you-want-to-learn-about-questioning-authority? dept

Welcome to the modern equivalent of a book burning. The principal of Booker T Washington High in Pensacola Florida has apparently cancelled the school's "One School/One Book" summer reading program all in an effort to block students from reading Cory Doctorow's (absolutely fantastic) book Little Brother. It appears he may be against the fact that one of the messages of the book is the importance of "questioning authority," and has decided to show the school what true, obnoxious authoritarianism looks like.
Little Brother had been selected and approved as the school's summer One School/One Book reading pick, and the school librarian Betsy Woolley had worked with Mary Kate Griffith from the English department to develop an excellent educational supplement for the students to use to launch their critical discussions in the fall. The whole project had been signed off on by the school administration and it was ready to go out to the students when the principal intervened and ordered them to change the title.

In an email conversation with Ms Griffith, the principal cited reviews that emphasized the book's positive view of questioning authority, lauding "hacker culture", and discussing sex and sexuality in passing. He mentioned that a parent had complained about profanity (there's no profanity in the book, though there's a reference to a swear word). In short, he made it clear that the book was being challenged because of its politics and its content.

Ultimately, the entire schoolwide One Book/One School program was cancelled.
In an attempt to... er... question that authority, Doctorow and his publisher, Tor, are sending 200 free copies of the book to the school. A school trying to ban books is almost always a stupid idea, but it seems particularly stupid in this day and age with this particular book. In the end, all it is likely to do is cause more people to actually read the book and to, you know, question authority.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: booker t washington high school, challenging authority, cory doctorow, florida, little brother, one school one book, pensacola, reading, students
Companies: tor


Reader Comments

The First Word

Re: Re: Wait...

"when controversial reading was to be assigned"

There is no such thing. Kids should read EVERYTHING: Homer and Aristophanes, Shakespeare and Jong, Asimov and Hunter S. Thompson, Sagan and Gould, Sun Tzu and Doyle, Faulkner and Rowling, Einstein and Thurber. The great, the minimal, the profound, the romantic, the tragic, the inspiring, the profane, the funny, all of it, as much as they can, as often as they can, whenever they can.

"Controversial reading" is the recent construct of uneducated, fearful people seeking to incite moral panics to suit their own political/social/economics/religious ends. (I find it instructive to note how many those behind these charades have no objection to children reading the major religious work of the western world: the bible. Yet it contains rape, murder, torture, sodomy, racial cleansing, bigotry, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, genocide, war crimes, pedophilia, etc., etc., etc.)

The burning of an author's books, imprisonment for opinion's sake, has always been the tribute that an ignorant age pays to the genius of its time. -- Joseph Lewis

Dort, wo man Bucher verbrennt, verbrennt man am Ende auch Menschen. (Where they burn books, they will in the end also burn people.) --- Heinrich Heine

When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, "This you may not read, this you may not see, this you are forbidden to know," the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. ---Robert Heinlein

Lock up your libraries if you like, but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind. ---Virginia Woolf
—Rich Kulawiec

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • icon
    silverscarcat (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 1:19pm

    Don't these people remember...

    What it was like to be a teenager?

    The best way to get a teen to do something is to say "it's not allowed". They're going to rebel over this.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Jim, 6 Jun 2014 @ 1:56pm

      Re: Don't these people remember...

      Maybe the principal is more subversive than we realize. Any half wit knows that the best way to get a teenager to do something is to forbid it.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Designerfx (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 2:04pm

      Re: Don't these people remember...

      Exactly. I think they just guaranteed 100% readership from all the students.

      Looks like a fun time for the principal next fall.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    That One Guy (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 1:25pm

    Maybe we're not giving the guy enough credit, maybe instead of being an unintentional example of why people should question authority, it was meant as an intentional example of why people should question authority.

    Maybe it was all carefully thought out and planned and- wait, 'Highschool principal'...

    Never mind.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Keroberos (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 1:35pm

    there's no profanity in the book,
    Depends on how you look at it. To those who love being in authority over others--questioning that authority is the most profane thing that one could do.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    PracticingNihilist, 6 Jun 2014 @ 1:49pm

    Don't Question Authority - Reject it.

    End of Message :)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Jay (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 1:52pm

    Wait...

    So just to understand the logic...

    Instead of asking the parents about the book, the principle takes it upon himself to act like the parent of all of these children and decide what was appropriate?

    And this couldn't have been solved by just asking the parents how they felt at the next PTA?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      mcherm (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 1:55pm

      Re: Wait...

      Actually, it isn't even necessary to wait for the next PTA. I can state with a great deal of confidence that had the principal asked he would have discovered that some parents thought it was a good idea and others thought it was not.

      Just taking a poll isn't the way you resolve questions like this -- you need principles. A principle principle for principals should be encouraging students to learn and think on their own.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        PRMan, 6 Jun 2014 @ 2:30pm

        Re: Re: Wait...

        Why don't they just offer 2-3 books of different types? Let the students choose and break them into groups when they come back?

        Forcing everyone to read a single book always smells too much like propaganda to me (even if it's propaganda that we might agree with).

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Jay Lahto (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 2:41pm

      Re: Wait...

      You better be careful.

      This is Florida after all. The principal is allowed to stand his ground.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      John Fenderson (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 3:01pm

      Re: Wait...

      In my school days (admittedly, far too long ago) when controversial reading was to be assigned, permission was obtained from the parents and those who didn't get permission got an alternative reading assignment.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 6 Jun 2014 @ 3:23pm

        Re: Re: Wait...

        " permission was obtained from the parents and those who didn't get permission got an alternative reading assignment."

        One was offered. Here's the wording from the 'educational supplement link', apparently this was not good enough for the fine Principal:

        "Parents are invited to join the conversation by reading and discussing Little Brother with your students.

        ..

        Parents are the ultimate authority in deciding appropriate material for their children, so parents requesting an alternative assignment should contact Mrs. Griffith"

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          That One Guy (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 3:40pm

          Gotta watch the fine-print

          Parents are the ultimate authority in deciding appropriate material for their children*, so parents requesting an alternative assignment should contact Mrs. Griffith"

          *Available choices parents have for 'appropriate reading material' for their children shall be made known after the Principle has determined what books are 'acceptable', with reading any 'prohibited' books to be strictly forbidden.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 6 Jun 2014 @ 5:00pm

          Re: Re: Re: Wait...

          You would make the parents have to read something? That isn't a magazine?

          Hahaha, don't you know nobody reads anymore after college?

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            John Fenderson (profile), 7 Jun 2014 @ 7:48am

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Wait...

            People are reading as much after college as ever. By some studies, even more -- and that's actually quite a lot. Despite the stereotype, we actually do a lot of serious reading.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Rich Kulawiec, 6 Jun 2014 @ 3:28pm

        Re: Re: Wait...

        "when controversial reading was to be assigned"

        There is no such thing. Kids should read EVERYTHING: Homer and Aristophanes, Shakespeare and Jong, Asimov and Hunter S. Thompson, Sagan and Gould, Sun Tzu and Doyle, Faulkner and Rowling, Einstein and Thurber. The great, the minimal, the profound, the romantic, the tragic, the inspiring, the profane, the funny, all of it, as much as they can, as often as they can, whenever they can.

        "Controversial reading" is the recent construct of uneducated, fearful people seeking to incite moral panics to suit their own political/social/economics/religious ends. (I find it instructive to note how many those behind these charades have no objection to children reading the major religious work of the western world: the bible. Yet it contains rape, murder, torture, sodomy, racial cleansing, bigotry, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, genocide, war crimes, pedophilia, etc., etc., etc.)

        The burning of an author's books, imprisonment for opinion's sake, has always been the tribute that an ignorant age pays to the genius of its time. -- Joseph Lewis

        Dort, wo man Bucher verbrennt, verbrennt man am Ende auch Menschen. (Where they burn books, they will in the end also burn people.) --- Heinrich Heine

        When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, "This you may not read, this you may not see, this you are forbidden to know," the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. ---Robert Heinlein

        Lock up your libraries if you like, but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind. ---Virginia Woolf

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          John Fenderson (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 3:53pm

          Re: Re: Re: Wait...

          "Controversial reading" is very far from a new concept. It's been literally around since my grandmother was in elementary school. "Controversial" means that it's reading that some parents might object to (usually, very strict religious parents). That it shouldn't be controversial doesn't mean it's not.

          "Kids should read EVERYTHING"

          I agree completely, but the school system also has to serve families who don't agree with that. However, I would not that when I was of that age, all but one or two kids would get the required parental permission, so most parents also agreed with us.

          Still, I don't really see a problem with providing an opt-out for those few parents who want to restrict what their children are exposed to. Better that than being unable to serve those kids at all.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            S. T. Stone, 6 Jun 2014 @ 5:24pm

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Wait...

            the school system also has to serve families who don't agree with that

            So send permission slips home.

            Boom, problem solved.

            I don't think of school systems as substitute parents. Why would we ever teach our kids to think that way?

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • identicon
              Indigored, 6 Jun 2014 @ 6:49pm

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Wait...

              Problem with the permission slip? How would it be worded? In the principal's voice, or a proponent's? The way this book could sway a reader, so too the permission slip.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

              • icon
                That Anonymous Coward (profile), 8 Jun 2014 @ 5:21am

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Wait...

                heaven forbid the parents actually use Google to look at reviews and awards or... *gasp* READ THE BOOK THEMSELVES to make the most informed decision.

                Sometimes being a parent means having to actually do stuff yourself rather than expect everyone else to solve it for you.

                Imagine if the parent had read the book, approved the kid reading it... they could have a conversation about it, the topics, the themes, etc...

                link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            orbitalinsertion (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 6:57pm

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Wait...

            Teach the Controversy.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • identicon
              Anonymous Coward, 7 Jun 2014 @ 5:39am

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Wait...

              EXACTLY! Present BOTH sides to the controversy. USE the book to educate EVERYONE, students, parents, teachers about the controversy. The book is far less controversial than the subject matter it covers.

              I'll never understand the human propensity for self-delusion. Instead of fixing the errant social construct about which this book was written, let's just ban the book and put our heads in the sand and pretend that none of this is happening. And people wonder how society degrades.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

            • identicon
              Edward Teach, 7 Jun 2014 @ 12:40pm

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Wait...

              Matey, I give thee my word of honor that "Teaching the Controversy" is just heathen palaver for "not teaching a Damned Thing". I've just witnessed a middle school student "study the controversy" about the US Civil War and evolution. The ship of education be founderin, shipmate, on these topics! Not a bad word was read about the infernal evil of slavery, or Satan's own anti-factual "Intelligent Design". Those freshwater swab teachers just avoided the topic altogether.

              PS
              I bought a copy of "Little Brother" years ago so I could give it to my kid. When he turned 11 I had him read it. He loved it. I read it. I would be calling that principal to get an appointment to discuss the book with him. I really wish my kids went to a school were stupidity like this exhibited itself so I'd have a chance to go to an office and chew up some scenery. It wouldn't do any good, but I would be able to use all my best lines on some officious dope.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

              • icon
                John Fenderson (profile), 8 Jun 2014 @ 6:02pm

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Wait...

                "Matey, I give thee my word of honor that "Teaching the Controversy" is just heathen palaver for "not teaching a Damned Thing"."

                This is spot on. "Teaching the controversy" is an expression designed to let everyone weasel out of actually teaching.

                link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          JMT (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 4:02pm

          Re: Re: Re: Wait...

          "There is no such thing."

          By definition, there most certainly is such a thing, but you're absolutely right that kids should never be prevented from reading controversial material.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 6 Jun 2014 @ 4:03pm

          Re: Re: Re: Wait...

          Yes, yes, yes, but they don't have to read it all this summer.

          ""Controversial reading" is the recent construct of uneducated, fearful people"

          Define "recent". The destruction of texts has been going on throughout history. The printed bible was originally kept under lock and key so that the peasantry wouldn't be able to read it (even those who could read). And those who kept it so (locked away) were not at all uneducated and knew from their own studies the risks to power of uncontrolled access to ideas and works of the mind.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          madasahatter (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 4:16pm

          Re: Re: Re: Wait...

          "Controversial reading" is a convenient buzz phrase for censorship because someone with an IQ less than a rock's got offend. Questioning authority is based on the premise that essentially there are two groups of people in authority: those who hold it by position and those whe hold it by merit. Those by position are scared of questioning because they did not earn their position. The few who earned their authority by merit are usually less threatened by questioning because they have genuine credibility. Note being elected to a political office gives one positional authority not earned authority.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          RonKaminsky (profile), 7 Jun 2014 @ 11:50am

          False dichotomy

          I understand where you're coming from, but as a parent, I feel that I messed up once or twice when I recommended a book which, in retrospect, my child wasn't emotionally developed enough to appreciate (or possibly, even, just absorb it without negative psychological effects).

          I get the "we overprotect our children" bit, but your post throws up a false dichotomy. Do you actually believe that all children of all ages are capable of absorbing any or all experiences without negative effects?

          link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        BernardoVerda (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 6:35pm

        Re: Re: Wait...

        But, as far as I know, Doctorow's Little Brother wasn't actually controversial, until this principal went and banned it.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        klib, 8 Jun 2014 @ 10:39am

        Re: Re: Wait...

        If you follow the link to the summer reading guide, you'll see parents were indeed given the option to request an alternative reading assignment. So the option was available. No reason to cancel it for everyone when it appears as if appropriate measures were taken.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Jack Baynes, 7 Jun 2014 @ 6:42am

      Re: Wait...

      He's not concerned with what the parents think. He doesn't want the kids getting it in their heads that they should question HIS authority.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    S. T. Stone, 6 Jun 2014 @ 1:59pm

    People like this, man.

    How does a person in the 21st Century not realize that a decision such as this one will make them a target for national outrage? How does a person who likely has access to newspapers, television, and the Internet not realize how much of a censorious jackass a decision like this will make them look?

    Regardless of the quality, few people like hearing about attempts to stifle access to (or discussion of) content – especially books. That way lies madness and a harm upon society that no sane person would dare bring upon his fellow man.

    In one act, this principal tossed away their integrity and their principles as an educator because they disagreed with one book’s politics. I don’t see how any rational person would ever trust him to educate a child – or oversee the education of children – ever again.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 6 Jun 2014 @ 2:56pm

      Re:

      In one act, this principal tossed away their integrity and their principles as an educator because they disagreed with one book’s politics

      In order to toss something away, you first have to have it.

      A worse way of putting this is that this act can be viewed as a demostration of long-held values and priorities. Some aspects of this may (or may not-- you never know) be a surprise to the parents and school board.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 6 Jun 2014 @ 10:44pm

      Re:

      I suspect it is like third world dictators giving speeches full of obvious lies. Put up appearances that you know looks absolutely ridiculous to the outside world for the sake of generating internal propaganda.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      John85851 (profile), 10 Jun 2014 @ 5:57pm

      Re:

      How does a person in the 21st Century not realize that a decision such as this one will make them a target for national outrage?
      Easy: because he knows the "outrage" will blow over with the start of the next news cycle. Oh, sure, there will be some people in his town that will get upset, but the rest of the country will move on to the next "outrage" over a kid with a Pop Tart shaped like a gun.

      Who cares about that principal not allowing books when we have a dangerous student roaming the hallways with loaded Pop Tarts. I hope the kid doesn't make things worse by pointing his fingers at people! Has the SWAT team been called out yet?

      Wait, what were we talking about again?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Vel the Enigmatic, 6 Jun 2014 @ 2:05pm

    So is this guy Old Guard or...

    Exactly how old is this principal? Regardless the answer, who's willing to bet said principal is in bed with the NSA or CIA?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    aldestrawk (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 2:06pm

    Well, now they've done it. If Tor and Doctorow are going to send 200 copies to the school the principal is going to have to actually burn those copies. Although, maybe shredding is the modern way, so as to avoid air pollution and an increased carbon footprint. A principal's job is to avoid controversy at all costs, including sacrificing education. So, the principal will be forced to do this in secret. I suggest Tor publish special copies with an asbestos cover. They can use the same type of cover used for a special edition of Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451". The publisher claimed the asbestos based material for that cover was safe to handle but it does preclude burning or shredding which would render the material hazardous.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Jun 2014 @ 2:24pm

    (The) Fantastic(ks)!

    Why did the kid put beans in his ears?
    Why WOULD a kid put BEANS in his ears?
    After a while, the reason appears.
    He did it 'cuz you said, "no."

    As many here have observed, this is not a new idea.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Jun 2014 @ 2:26pm

    My comment practically writes itself!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Jun 2014 @ 2:45pm

    Suddenly, I have an uncontrollable desire to read this book.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Votre (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 2:52pm

    Mighty oafs from little icons grow.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Jun 2014 @ 2:53pm

    Way to go there guy!

    Now I'm certain the students will want to read it - nothing sparks curiosity like prohibition and censorship.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Toph, 6 Jun 2014 @ 3:14pm

    If anyone here wants to read the book, it's available to download for free from Cory Doctorow's website.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Jun 2014 @ 3:19pm

    "In an email conversation with Ms Griffith, the principal cited reviews .."

    So he didn't want to pollute his purity by actually, actually READING the book?

    There's really no more to say. Except that I just skimmed it and I recommend he read it for himself, he will indeed see that his worst nightmares about it are justified, and now he's lost control of letting kids discuss it in class and have teacher input. Foot-bullet.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Jun 2014 @ 3:26pm

    and people still dont think there is anything wrong with what is happening in the USA today? i think the rose colored glasses need to ccome off and damn quick too!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Felix Atagong (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 4:12pm

    A Clergymans’s Daughter

    In Orwell's A Clergymans’s Daughter Macbeth, Act V, scene VIII the 'womb' word is used, enough to make a parent write the following letter:

    To my mind it’s a disgrace that schoolbooks can be printed with such words in them. I’m sure if any of us had ever known that Shakespeare was that kind of stuff, we’d have put our foot down at the start. It surprises me, I must say. Only the other morning I was reading a piece in my News Chronicle about Shakespeare being the father of English Literature; well, if that’s Literature, let’s have a bit LESS Literature, say I!

    (Taken from: A Clergymans’s Daughter (George Orwell))

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Patrick, 6 Jun 2014 @ 5:28pm

    Always question authority, Because, those in authority are every bit as corruptible as I am.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Jun 2014 @ 5:59pm

    But the tea party says living on the street, being poisoned by profitable companies and driving defective cars is in my best interest, how such wise men be wrong, just look at the huge number of supporters they have.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Jun 2014 @ 7:54pm

    Banning a book is the best recommendation to read a book ever. Amy chance this was a trick to get kids to read the book?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    eaving (profile), 6 Jun 2014 @ 7:55pm

    Book banning in a positive light

    In a sense modern book banning is positive. It highlights the idiots for you while providing massive free advertising to generally excellent books. So kudos to the morons I guess?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    John Dodds, 6 Jun 2014 @ 11:16pm

    Banning Little Brother

    Unbelievable, but sadly unsurprising. Some similar garbage is in process in the UK - an attempt to ban non-British novels.
    http://tinyurl.com/mhu8rrv

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Lyn Ronald, 10 Jun 2014 @ 12:42am

      Re: Banning Little Brother

      There really isn't. It does your argument a disservice to come onto a thread about access to information and the importance of reading only to spread misinformation. The syllabus for some exams in England is being reformed so that kids have to read a twentieth-century British work (alongside a lot of other stuff) but nobody is 'banning' anything.

      If you're going to take the moral high ground about other people, you'd better make sure you're standing on firm moral foundations yourself. If you don't let facts get in the way of a good self-righteous rant, you've lost the plot somewhere along the way.

      There's enough real rubbish going on in the world without making up more. I think you need to read more because you're clearly still too trusting of your own chosen sources of authority.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Mercy Pilkington, 7 Jun 2014 @ 5:34am

    Check out the school's summer reading list

    This summer reading list, courtesy of the school's website, has made me hopeful that this was a well-planned attempt to get the kids to participate. This list includes some of the most challenged or banned books of all time, including Fahrenheit 451 and The Absolutely True Diary of a part-Time Indian. The books on the list are required reading, whereas the One Book/One Summer was optional. Doctorow's book that started this all is actually on the required summer reading list for one of the grade levels.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Mercy Pilkington, 7 Jun 2014 @ 5:34am

    Check out the school's summer reading list

    This summer reading list, courtesy of the school's website, has made me hopeful that this was a well-planned attempt to get the kids to participate. This list includes some of the most challenged or banned books of all time, including Fahrenheit 451 and The Absolutely True Diary of a part-Time Indian. The books on the list are required reading, whereas the One Book/One Summer was optional. Doctorow's book that started this all is actually on the required summer reading list for one of the grade levels.

    LIST: http://www.btwash.org/summer%20reading%20list%202014.pdf

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Case, 7 Jun 2014 @ 8:30am

    Given that Little Brother is CC licensed, there's hope for plenty of Streisand...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    MatBastardson (profile), 7 Jun 2014 @ 9:28am

    When I was a kid...

    'Civil Disobedience' and '1984' were required reading in school. They were ostensibly raising citizens back then, although it must be admitted that if you backsassed a teacher with a quote from Orwell or Thoreau, it was off to the Vice Principle with you. Seriously, it wasn't that long ago. Maybe they didn't really want us to question authority, but they sure paid lots of lip service to those historical figures who did, and we got to read their books.

    I think public education has always been about indoctrinating drones, it's just that now they are making no pretense otherwise.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    David, 7 Jun 2014 @ 1:53pm

    Take a look at world literature:

    Peruse the Old French Fablieux or, say, read "The Miller's Tale" in the Middle English "Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer. I have to admit to not having read the genre-similar Decameron by Boccaccio, but I suspect that it contains a similar mixture of the profane and learned in a well-chosen spectrum.

    Or the Old French "Roman de la Rose" in its culmination by Jean de Meun combining the learned allegories with the crude.

    Doctorow is probably weak sauce in comparison to those...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    ErasmusinWV (profile), 7 Jun 2014 @ 7:56pm

    Wait...

    If we can get the same dimwit to ban math, chemistry, physics, and healthy eating maybe there would be some hope for those poor kids. And still, where are the teachers on this? Why haven't they strung this guy up yet?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    mick, 8 Jun 2014 @ 5:34am

    the book.

    well guess what every student will read now after forbidding it.
    I allways think that prizipals are smart^^. but obiously not this one.
    great reading kids get wize and beat this crazy system.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2014 @ 9:25am

    Well - it is Florida, where reading comprehension is optional.

    Why waste all that public money on teaching children how to read when it could be better spent buying some politicians new mansions, yachts and fancy cars? I mean really - where are your priorities people ?????

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Susanna Lundgren, 8 Jun 2014 @ 1:01pm

    Book-banning principal

    Why is this person anywhere near a position of authority in a school? Has no idea what an education is. Could serve as the prime "bad example" though - a character right out of Dickens (a book he probably would like to ban, if he ever read it.)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2014 @ 1:56pm

      Re: Book-banning principal

      Why is this person anywhere near a position of authority in a school? Has no idea what an education is.

      You answered you own question, he was promoted to get him away from kids, and to minimize his opportunities to stop their educuation.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 9 Jun 2014 @ 1:55pm

        Re: Re: Book-banning principal

        Damn it, why can't the higher-ups just get fired like everyone else?

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Antonio Knoy, 8 Jun 2014 @ 2:57pm

    That just sold another copy of that book.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Sandy, 8 Jun 2014 @ 8:01pm

    Banning books

    It was short, but direct & to the point. Well said.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    rochrist, 8 Jun 2014 @ 8:45pm

    Florida.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2014 @ 9:51pm

    What happenned next?

    Following the links from this article indicates that this incident occurred five years ago. Was there a follow up story?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Mats Svensson, 8 Jun 2014 @ 11:03pm

    Praise god...

    ...problem solved!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    MatBastardson (profile), 8 Jun 2014 @ 11:23pm

    Clever Marketing Scheme

    Maybe he made a deal with Doctorow: 'I will ban your book at my school. When this news goes viral, sales of your book will skyrocket worldwide, and you pay me a modest percentage of your spike in royalties from these sales."

    For the guy who leaps and bounds to the conclusion that this principal must be a Christian, like all those rednecks down south, that it's Christians who want to ban books, that no one stops kids from reading the bible, here's this story which also recently happened in Florida: http://www.dcclothesline.com/2014/05/07/florida-public-school-bans-student-reading-bible/ . In fact I see stories like this one at least as often as I've seen the ones about schools banning 'Huckleberry Finn' or 'Brave New World'.

    You don't have to be religious to be a control freak. I think tyranny of the mind is pretty evenly represented among all types of people. One difference though, is that if you don't send your kid to church, or he refuses to go, nobody gives a shit. If you don't send him to school, however, the law can take him away from you if deemed necessary to ensure that little fucker's regular attendance at the child indoctrination center.

    Another difference is that no kid ever shot up his church, but lots of kids have shot up their schools.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Dan G Difino, 9 Jun 2014 @ 6:57am

    Freedom of mind

    Lock up your libraries if you like, but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind. ---Virginia Woolf

    She has obviously never been forceably administered Thorazine, Stellazine, and/or Haldol.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 9 Jun 2014 @ 2:08pm

      Re: Freedom of mind

      Unless it was forcibly administered by a time traveler she couldn't have been. Even the typical (first generation very side effect heavy) antipsychotics didn't come about until the 1950s. Given that she ended up committing suicide by throwing herself into the river loaded with rocks during the very early 1940s proper (which one could argue didn't exist then) psychiatric treatment would have been the better option by that point.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Spaceman Spiff (profile), 9 Jun 2014 @ 3:28pm

    My hero!

    Cory Doctorow is a hero (and internet friend) of mine. Give them another kick up the backside Cory! :-)

    -Spiff (aka Rubberman)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Deresa, 9 Jun 2014 @ 6:20pm

    What the ...... Since when are we censoring and closing a summer reading program because one individual felt it went against authority is anyone questioning the motives and philosophies of this Principal?????? Questioning authority....censoring the freedom and rights of students....

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    BtWash Parent, 10 Jun 2014 @ 9:20am

    INCORRECT UNSUBSTANTIATED INFORMATION

    This book is still on the summer reading list and NO the summer reading program was not cancelled. Where do these people get their information???

    BTWash Parent

    link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.