BANNED!

Not Appearing In Chicago:

Whoops! We recommended a book with real-world experiences to kids!

Well, sort of. Persepolis, which I've previously reviewed, has been ruled unfit for consumption by 7th graders in Chicago schools. Which is fine, because as we all know, when a book gets this kind of attention, lots of people will protest, bring attention to the matter, and many readers will find it on their own. It's encouraging to see parents and students protesting a decision they see as censorship, but the establishment has a point in keeping the book out of 7th grade classrooms. Persepolis does contain mature content that may be too much for 12- and 13-year old students to handle. But should that possibility be reason enough to prevent teachers from giving other students the option of pursuing this book in class? Would it hurt for a CPS student to wait a year to read this book in class? Will I stop asking questions that end with the words in class?

First of all, the book was recommended to 7th graders by Chicago Public Schools, as stated in the article. MAKE UP YOU MIND, CPS. This is now a case of hindsight, and is most damning in demonstrating that the school district does not know what it recommends (dictates?) the literature used in the classroom. Forget censorship - who oversees the material that is pumped into Chicago's schools?

I wore this to Guy Montag's house. Now I'm dead.

Author Marjane Satrapi, of course, is beside herself, and has plenty to say about free speech and democracy, and rightfully so - the irony of her book about individualism, rebellion, and oppressive cultural values being removed from a classroom in the Unites States speaks for itself. However, the school district has only removed the book from classrooms; it's still available in school libraries. Regardless, it's an act of denying a book to a certain age group by a public official. Is the CEO justified? Maybe. Overreacting? Possibly. This is more complex than standard censorship; irresponsibility and short-sighted planning are the real issues here.

Can I get on my soapbox and castigate the school district for assuming that a class of (probably 40) students would all want to, or be willing to read, any one book? Persepolis is an outstanding work of literature and art, but even this work won't capture everyone's imagination. Let's reform our classrooms! DOWN WITH UNIFORMITY! UP WITH CHOICE! DOWN WITH CONFORMITY! UP WITH...LETTING TEACHERS HELP STUDENTS FIND BOOKS TO READ TO MEET CURRICULUM GOALS!

Now, chant that for 6 hours.