By: Powell's Staff,
on 3/10/2014
This round of Required Reading is dedicated to the place we at Powell's Books call home: the great Pacific Northwest. Whether you're from the area or you simply appreciate the region for its beauty, history, temperament, or legendary bookstore, these titles will give you a more nuanced understanding of this peculiar corner of the U.S. [...]
By: Powell's Staff,
on 3/10/2014
This round of Required Reading is dedicated to the place we at Powell's Books call home: the great Pacific Northwest. Whether you're from the area or you simply appreciate the region for its beauty, history, temperament, or legendary bookstore, these titles will give you a more nuanced understanding of this peculiar corner of the U.S. [...]
By: Jason Boog,
on 12/6/2011
David Guterson has won the Literary Review‘s Bad Sex in Literature Award for his novel, Ed King. The shortlist included books by Lee Child, Haruki Murakami and James Frey.
Washington Post book critic Ron Charles actually predicted the win in his review of the novel in early November.
Here’s more from Charles’ review: “I wouldn’t blame you for skipping this book entirely, but if you must, turn to page 236. What follows are three pages that might very well win the Literary Review’s annual Bad Sex Award, including my personal ‘ick’ moment: ‘Ed smelled vulnerably digestive.’”
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By: Elaine Anderson,
on 1/31/2007
The Toronto Star reported that the award-winning novel Snow Falling on Cedars has been pulled from the Peel Catholic School Board, Ontario's high school library shelves following a parent's complaint about its sexual content. The novel describes a married couple's first sexual encounter and an encounter between two youths. According to the CBC, an anonymous letter of complaint was received and school board spokesman Bruce Campbell stated that the board believes it came from a parent.
So many challenges are received from parents who haven't actually read the book in question but this is the first time I have heard of a school board taking such a knee-jerk approach to an anonymous letter. If this parent is so concerned, why were they not concerned enough to sign a name?
The novel by David Guterson was part of the grade 11 curriculum and explores issues such as racism towards Japanese-Americans following World War II. Officials have removed the book until it can be reviewed by a board committee. The school board's policy with regard to challenged books states that complaints about books and resources that aren't resolved at the local level must be reviewed by a committee consisting of library services and religious education co-ordinators, two trustees, a parent and the superintendent of schools. The policy is used rarely and no one at the board can remember the last time it was used.
Shari Graydon, an author of two children's books on media literacy is quoted as saying,
Removing thoughtful fiction from the school library is like taking mashed potatoes out of the cafeteria when the problem is french fries at McDonald's.
By: Leila Roy,
on 1/31/2007
From the Toronto Star:
Peel's Catholic board has pulled the award-winning novel Snow Falling on Cedars from high school library shelves after one parent complained about its sexual content.
Officials say they have not banned the 1995 novel, but that it won't be accessible to students until a review by a board committee is complete.
Hmmm. Most challenge policies state that the book stays on the shelves until a decision has been made (the innocent until proven guilty argument). I guess this school district marches to the beat of a different drummer.
