4 ms·

Nothing is being banned anywhere, per se. School libraries have to pick and choose which tiny fraction of available books to stock. Different schools will make

Nothing is being banned anywhere, per se. School libraries have to pick and choose which tiny fraction of available books to stock. Different schools will make different choices about which books to include. What about all of the other millions of books this school isn't including? Are all of those banned as well? Certainly not, they just didn't make the very-very-short-list. This author is suggesting that because HER book, in particular, wasn't chosen by this particular school, that she is somehow aggrieved. I disagree. But I with her well and I hope she finds her book in other places. Sounds like an interesting and thought-provoking read.

zimpenfish 5y ago
> because HER book, in particular, wasn't chosen by this particular school It was specifically removed from shelves: "Lake Travis ISD removed all print copies of Out of Darkness from its middle school libraries", blocked: "banned from use in classroom libraries and the school book clubs", restricted: "Keller ISD, north of Fort Worth, restricted access", etc. This isn't "some schools didn't stock my book" at all.
- mdavis6890 5y ago
  Complete quote: "In Leander, students are currently allowed to check out my book from the school library, but it is banned from use in classroom libraries and the school book clubs." That's a pretty narrow ban. Also "And just last week, Keller ISD, north of Fort Worth, restricted access to Out of Darkness in all high school libraries, citing the book’s “violence and difficult imagery.” Students in the district must ask a librarian for the book and show proof of parental consent. " - Meaning it's still available from the library, but parents have to give consent. Also well short of a ban. Look - I'm very liberal in my beliefs about speech. If it was my school it would be treated like any other book. But we have to accept that different people in different places will have different values and educational priorities and standards. It is not completely unreasonable to put guards around the material we expose our kids to, especially in middle school. Would you feel differently if this book were about other topics you might feel are sensitive? What about guns, Nazism, Marxism, lizard-people, etc?
  - zimpenfish 5y ago
    > That's a pretty narrow ban. Sure but it's still a world away from "This author is suggesting that because HER book, in particular, wasn't chosen by this particular school, that she is somehow aggrieved" which was your original claim. > Meaning it's still available from the library, but parents have to give consent Yes, like I said, "restricted". But again miles from "wasn't chosen". > It is not completely unreasonable to put guards around the material we expose our kids to Indeed not and if this particular book were being argued about in good faith, I'd have zero problem with it being taken out of schools. Choosing particularly salacious out of context quotes and mischaracterising it is 100% not "good faith" though.
newbie789 5y ago
SkipperCat 5y ago
Its not so much that her book wasn't chosen, it that her book was singled out for removal. It also probably means she'll never get one of her books in a Texas school again because no librarian or school board will want to touch her with a 10 foot pole. What strikes me is that people like Kara Bell are so hellbent on removing content which doesn't fit their narrow moral outlook. Nuance, perspective and anything else that comes along with intellectual curiosity is irrelevant to them. It just one step removed from a mob yelling "burn the witch".

zimpenfish 5y ago

> because HER book, in particular, wasn't chosen by this particular school It was specifically removed from shelves: "Lake Travis ISD removed all print copies of Out of Darkness from its middle school libraries", blocked: "banned from use in classroom libraries and the school book clubs", restricted: "Keller ISD, north of Fort Worth, restricted access", etc. This isn't "some schools didn't stock my book" at all.

mdavis6890 5y ago
Complete quote: "In Leander, students are currently allowed to check out my book from the school library, but it is banned from use in classroom libraries and the school book clubs." That's a pretty narrow ban. Also "And just last week, Keller ISD, north of Fort Worth, restricted access to Out of Darkness in all high school libraries, citing the book’s “violence and difficult imagery.” Students in the district must ask a librarian for the book and show proof of parental consent. " - Meaning it's still available from the library, but parents have to give consent. Also well short of a ban. Look - I'm very liberal in my beliefs about speech. If it was my school it would be treated like any other book. But we have to accept that different people in different places will have different values and educational priorities and standards. It is not completely unreasonable to put guards around the material we expose our kids to, especially in middle school. Would you feel differently if this book were about other topics you might feel are sensitive? What about guns, Nazism, Marxism, lizard-people, etc?
- zimpenfish 5y ago
  > That's a pretty narrow ban. Sure but it's still a world away from "This author is suggesting that because HER book, in particular, wasn't chosen by this particular school, that she is somehow aggrieved" which was your original claim. > Meaning it's still available from the library, but parents have to give consent Yes, like I said, "restricted". But again miles from "wasn't chosen". > It is not completely unreasonable to put guards around the material we expose our kids to Indeed not and if this particular book were being argued about in good faith, I'd have zero problem with it being taken out of schools. Choosing particularly salacious out of context quotes and mischaracterising it is 100% not "good faith" though.

newbie789 5y ago

SkipperCat 5y ago

Its not so much that her book wasn't chosen, it that her book was singled out for removal. It also probably means she'll never get one of her books in a Texas school again because no librarian or school board will want to touch her with a 10 foot pole. What strikes me is that people like Kara Bell are so hellbent on removing content which doesn't fit their narrow moral outlook. Nuance, perspective and anything else that comes along with intellectual curiosity is irrelevant to them. It just one step removed from a mob yelling "burn the witch".