Ohmystinkinheck

Do you want your librarian to be the designated “censor” for what award winning books are in your child’s school library? What if it was a Newbery Award book. What if it used the word “scrotum”?

17 Responses to “Would you censor a scrotum?”

1. MammaLoves

   Censorship drives me CRAZY!!!

2. SparklieSunShine

   Well at least that is a proper term. I could see perhaps if there was lewd language in a children’s book, but a part of the human body? I don’t think so.

3. Emily

   Definitely, because I would never want my children to learn the true names of their body parts. WTF?!

4. stephanie

   I think it’s up to parents to edit what our children bring home.

   Like the author, I checked out books I was too young for. It was one of the few things I did get away with and it didn’t ruin me. ;) And like Emily said…it’s SCROTUM not some string of curse words. (and even then…up to the parents!)

5. lolly

   No, definitely not. She’s making judgment calls that should be left up to parents. Stupid judgment calls at that. I think it’s awesome that this author respects children’s intelligence enough to use proper terminology.

6. Jill - GlossyVeneer

   I don’t agree with libraries censoring, especially since I worked in a library for years and I know what patrons will yell at the staff if they even “think” someone else is making a decision for them.

   I love the author’s comments about trying to get her hands on the book if she were a 10-year-old. My first impulse was to go get the book. (Cause I’m 10+19)

   I started reading at a very young age, so my comprehension level was far beyond what was considered appropriate for my age level. My mom gave me many adult novels after she read them. Sometimes I received them with a couple pages of blacked out text, but at least she was discussing (vaguely) what it contained and her reasons for the marker pages.

7. Anth

   I agree with Emily. I luuuurve me some censorship.

8. k

   I don’t really care what’s in the school library. Not with Barnes and Noble with comfy chairs to read in (and all the books you could want) and easy access to literature everywhere. I haven’t been to a library in probably 20 years, maybe more. No need to. I can get much more than they nowadays. I also don’t care about “medal winners.” Whenever I picked one of those up as a kid, I was disappointed. It wasn’t a better book. It just had subject matter some New York lit judge liked.

9. Holley

   Our latest banned book is One Hundred Days of Solitude by Marquiz. It is a Nobel Prize Winning piece of Literature by a Hispanic author. It has been banne because there are references to beastiality, none actually described, one of the characters is born with a pig-like tail appendage and the mother is accused of commiting beastial acts. There is reference to a rape that I can’t really tell if tit occurred. And accusations of incest between two characters that do not know they are related.
   My kids generation listens to Snoop Dog and Fifty cents spout how they “gone take ya to the motel, bend you over and smack dat.” Many of them play video games that would make you cringe from the blood and gore. And if your kid watches anything other than Barney, the giant brain sucking purple dinosaur, their watching sex.
   God forbid they should actual read something including all the aforementioned sins.
   I suppose next we are going to ban Macbeth, too bloody, Anything by Poe, too twisted, and the Bible, oh wait, that one is already a no-no.
   What next?!

10. Mim

    I followed this story when it first happened and continue to be appalled at censorship. Unlike previous poster K- I do go to the library often and I take my children. I feel it’s important to support community based centers such as libraries but that’s another post! Back to censorship- would the librarian have preferred if the author used the word “winky” or “hot dog and meatballs” or “pee-pee”? Give me a freaking break. As a teacher of the gifted- I always teach a lesson during banned book week. I also send home information for the parents. Fortunately- I have never received a negative comment…only positive feedback. As with everything- it is my job as a parent to help my children learn right from wrong and to instill in them the values we feel appropriate. I know not every family can or will do this, but no one should make decisions like that for the community. Go to http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bannedbooksweek.htm to learn more about Banned Books Week.

    I read banned books!

11. k

    Not to put too fine a point on it, but if you can read a banned book, is it REALLY banned? I would propose, No. It’s not.

12. Holley

    I think we were talking about banning it from public school libraries. No one will ban a book in my home. Nor can the school stop a book from being read in my home. But according to them they can make it an offence that will be have a child thrown into detention if found on campus. Just like having a knife or gun on campus will get you five to ten now. Remember when we use to see stocked gun racks and pocket knives at school. I carried a swiss army knife everyday of my high school and college career.

13. OMSH

    I’m reading each of your comments and really, it has been refreshing to see the responses. I think this is a serious subject - and it plays into a lot of things I’m personally trying to figure out in our own home.

    But the guiding theme here - by all of you - is that parents should bear the responsibility of choosing. Perhaps the librarian needs to have a group of parents that assist with making this decision. Not parents JUST LIKE HER, but parents across cultures and perhaps with differing ideas of what is/is not appropriate.

    Or maybe that type of conversation would be too hard and it is just easy to make snap decisions without any accountability.

    But regardless - scrotum? SCROTUM is now a bad word? That is frustrating and really, so “childish”.

14. Jeana

    I have come back here several times and debated on whether to comment on this. Here’s what I think: I’m not certain I would call this censorship.

    From what I understand, libraries have a limited budget and there are a lot of books out there. They can’t buy them all, so some decisions have to be made.

    Writers (and I’m including myself here) are a finicky bunch. If you don’t like what we’ve written (ie: don’t want to buy it) we want to know why so we can consider changing it to make it marketable. But really, is an author going to consider ANY reason not to buy their book a good reason?

    Am I offended by the word “scrotum”? No. But given a choice of books to read out loud to my kids, I’m probably not going to pick one about a scrotum.

    If the librarian refuses to stock any books that contain the word “scrotum” I would say that’s censorship. (According to this definition.) But if she accepts some and not others…is it possible she just doesn’t think it’s a good book?

15. Jeana

    I meant to link “this definition” there. Sorry.

16. Lady S

    I thoroughly enjoyed Higher Power of Lucky and would recommend it to many of my fifth and sixth grade students as well as middle schoolers I know. I didn’t see why that word was such a big deal. I would rather see kids using words like scrotum, vulva, and breasts correctly. Although I can’t really think of a reason vulva would find its way into a kids’ book.

    During Banned Book Week last year, I I read some of The Stupids books to my second graders. I explained to them about banned books and we thought of some reasons adults might want certain books banned. What was great was my 7 year olds (BB week is in Sept) came to the same conclusion the previous commenters have come to. They all wanted to know why their moms and dads couldn’t make the choice for them.

17. OMSH