It’s a great book that I think a lot of kids would really enjoy. However, even as an adult, there was one sentence about sex in the book that I think would have caused me serious problems as a teen. The main character describing his penis as “hard enough to cut glass” (which I have been told is a pre-existing phrase) gave me the creeps. Look, maybe there’s not a ton of people who have spent lots of times around glass cutting tools and also have vaginas, but I think I would have been put off sex for, y’know, FOREVER, if I’d heard that as a young teen. Even though, objectively, the romance/sex sections of the book are fairly progressive.
However, it is apparently very true to life way of thinking for teen boys and is an artistically valid choice. And of course, books shouldn’t be censored. But let’s be honest, if teen girls are bothered by depictions of sex or sexuality from the point of view of male characters there’s not going to be much (probably any) discussion that will validate their feelings. Not that that should in anyway be considered a defense of this idiot decision to pull the book. But there is a tendency in “One Book” programs to pick male POV books. I hope the teens who do read Little Brother enjoy it!
I’ve just returned rom New York City - I’ve dealt with TSA and been watched by street cams - and had missed the initial blow-up here in Pensacola about Little Brother. As a librarian at the local college, I’m embarrassed that Principal Roberts chose to make this decision. The purpose of a one book program is to encourage reading and discussion of the themes of the selected book and Little Brother is an excellent book for meeting those goals. We’ve created a display in our library to call attention to what has happened - let the dialogue begin!
Public schools are about liberal brainwashing, not critical thinking, and removing a book from curriculum is not censorship. Every doofus in America thinks they’re a rebel fighting the power.
Copied from the local TV News Facebook Page. Shows a mix of mostly open and a few closed minds.
WEAR ABC 3 News, Pensacola
June 6
Bestselling author Cory Doctorow is sending 200 copies of his book “Little Brother” to Washington High School in Pensacola, after the school banned it for a summer reading program. Doctorow wrote about it here: http://bit.ly/1hkREih
Have you read the book? What do you think?
Photo: Bestselling author Cory Doctorow is sending 200 copies of his book “Little Brother” to Washington High School in Pensacola, after the school banned it for a summer reading program. Doctorow wrote about it here: http://bit.ly/1hkREih
Have you read the book? What do you think?
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Jim Eubanks
Why I’m sending 200 copies of Little Brother to a high-school in Pensacola, FL
The principal of Booker T Washington High in Pensacola FL cancelled the school’s… See More
Like · Reply · Remove Preview · about a minute ago
Jim Eubanks I’ve read it and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s kind of a “possible future” story. It takes the current trend of corporate and government surveillance and media control into a dark potential future. It makes the reader think, which makes it a good read for kids.
Like · Reply · 2 · June 7 at 10:59am
Tracey Weeks Hatfield The principal did not ban the book. He decided not to use it in the One Book/ One school program. He is allowing 11th graders to read it. I’m not a fan of the one book program. There are clearly some things a 14 year old should not read, but it ok for …See More
Like · Reply · 14 · June 6 at 1:21pm
Becky Taylor I’d be proud as a freaking peacock if one of my children was kicked out of school for questioning authority.
Like · Reply · 8 · June 6 at 2:12pm
Carrie Peterson But you wouldn’t be so proud if they questioned your authority…
Like · June 6 at 7:06pm
Robert Hudson Actually Carrie, I would be proud if they questioned my authority as well. Questioning authority isn’t bad when the person is being cruel. Let’s say you are beating your kids, should they just live and take it. No, they need to learn when they are being stepped on and stand up for themselves. By them questioning my authority means I might be doing something wrong and might not even know it. It keeps me on my toes. If I am not doing something wrong, I can explain my actions and get them to buy into it. I am a father of three, two of which are teenagers and they are all very grounded, humble, and critical thinkers.
Like · 4 · June 7 at 6:16am
Jim Eubanks
Laura Petsch Got to read it now!
Like · Reply · 7 · June 6 at 12:45pm
Carol Sharp WTG Mr. Doctorow! I hope this book gets into the hands of the kids.
Like · Reply · 7 · June 6 at 12:05pm
Casey Leavings Awesome, Cory. In my opinion, the greater the call to ban a book the more reason there is to read it. By banning this book, Washington HS is reinforcing the stereotype that the south is backwards and anti-education. I’ll be buying the book to show my support.
Like · Reply · 12 · June 6 at 12:43pm
Bobby Tyler Maloy Where is the call to ban the book? No one stated the students ‘can’t’ read it. The administration simply decided against using it for all of its grade levels. I’m sure the principal would welcome anyone that wanted to purchase/rent that book. Perhaps he simply thought there are better novels out there that are more appropriate for a wider range of ages.
Furthermore, your statement about the stereotype of education in the South is moot because the book isn’t banned. People just love to pull the extreme out of the moderate. This is the perfect example of “making a big deal out of nothing.” The author understandably felt insulted and felt the need to cause an issue out of this. There are two sides to every story.
Like · June 7 at 3:44pm · Edited
Jim Eubanks
Lois Waite Merritt Another case of Pensacola showing it’s provincial side…(BTWHS Prin).
Like · Reply · 4 · June 6 at 12:40pm
Cj Adams Please explain?
Like · June 6 at 1:03pm
Jim Eubanks
Robyn Roundy Awesome book… dystopian books are what is hot to read. I think after the Hunger Games seems to be the main reason it has been allowed. Let kids think freely imo!
Like · Reply · 4 · June 6 at 12:26pm
ŊıčøLå Bang Thanks, Cory. I’ll be reading it now.
Like · Reply · 4 · June 6 at 12:20pm
Andy Cork Not sure what this book is about but anyone who states that “my book is the greatest novel ever written and the kids will all miss out by not reading it” is a bit delusional. Sounds to me like he doesn’t want bad press and just to sell more books. Well I’m not buying.
Like · Reply · 3 · June 6 at 1:52pm
Janelle Seabrook Re-read the quote.
Like · 5 · June 6 at 2:53pm
Louanne Updike It came out before Snowden… just saying. Read it before you judge.
Like · June 7 at 8:05am
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Jim Eubanks
Katy Ingraham But it’s OK to let their kids watch (pretty sure most didn’t read the books) to hunger games, and what was the vampire movies … twilight? Why not give them a one book to read for the summer.not many kids in our town a will say " sorry I can’t go out to your party tonight while you’re parents are out of town cause I found this awesome book at target today" they’re gonna say “hey I found an awesome new bikini at target, is the pool clean?” This town is full of drinkers, drug addicts and hypocrites. I say if the author sends 200 copies let the kids read it.
It shows the author stands by his book and is questioning the principal and teaching another message. Stand up for yourself!
Like · Reply · 2 · June 7 at 8:30am
JessicaLynn Hagadon Your comment kind of offends me. You’re stating every teenager in this town gets drunk high and parties but however most do not. I’m a 16 year old girl who has no friend and lays in bed all day read, articles, short stories, anything. I’ve never been invited to do drugs, drink, or party. So by my statement I would like to show you that people like you are the reason adults think teens this day in age are terrible people. Thank you for thinking you know ever teen but you don’t I’m sorry to break it to you. Now please for the sake of me and lots of teens like me change your comment so you don’t look like a fool and insult more people.
Like · June 7 at 12:13pm
Jim Eubanks
Mike Combs The book was banned because it encouraged fighting back against a tyrannical government… We can’t have that, now can we?
Like · Reply · 2 · June 6 at 10:46pm
John Sygowski Hitler liked banning books!
Like · Reply · 2 · June 6 at 12:49pm
Megan Willis Why was it banned?
Like · Reply · 2 · June 6 at 12:31pm
Louanne Updike I gave this to my son who was 14 at the time this came out. I bought it for myself. Its no more obscene than Hunger Games. Read it for yourself.
Like · Reply · 1 · June 7 at 7:54am
Dustin Vaughan This appears to me like some kind of publicity stunt. Nothing more nothing less.
Like · Reply · 1 · June 6 at 2:33pm
Blake Gilmore what the heck d-rob
Like · Reply · 1 · June 6 at 12:50pm
Katy Ingraham I said NOT MANY
Like · Reply · June 7 at 12:15pm
Message to Booker T Washington High students Pensacola, FL about Little Brother
The students at Booker T Washington High School in Pensacola, FC were assigned m… See More
Like · Reply · June 6 at 7:30pm
Tell that to the Texas State Board of Education that flagged a textbook because it presented evolution as scientific fact. The doofus public was not amused.
The exact phrase is “I had a boner that could cut glass.” Is that not a common phrase? Diamonds are hard. Diamonds cut glass. By the transitive property of wangs, his boner could cut glass (figuratively). Would the phrase “I had a boner that could pound nails” be any better?
I agree completely “that the role of an educator is to encourage critical thinking and debate” That was my primary motivation when I endeavored to become a high school math teacher. However, during the first week of my formal efforts, it was made clear that the working environment for teachers and school administrators discourages any critical thought what-so-ever. This was not due to any actual policy in that regard, but the environment the teacher must operate within.
I came to this conclusion after I met with the director at my university to discuss my concerns regarding how my own critical thinking was being dealt with in my own courses. He explained to me that I would have to learn to deal the same way in order to address the everyday situations I’d encounter as a teacher. Situations brought about primarily due to the numerous and conflicting forces placing demands on the teacher’s time - those forces being administrators, students, and parents. Time would be in such short supply that critical thinking would almost always be greatly counterproductive, and perhaps sometimes even met with hostility from others.
Now, I admit I’m greatly simplifying the situation and paraphrasing what I was told. But the result is that I realized that in order to become a high-school math teacher, I would be so strongly encouraged to give up my own abilities at critical thinking, that I couldn’t see myself succeeding at keeping them for very long. Now certainly there are some teachers who manage to do so, but I didn’t feel I would be one of them. So with reluctance, I aborted my effort.
My point is thus: how can we expect educators to reliably encourage critical thinking when their working environment actively discourages it?
