I thought librarians pulling a book from the shelf because it has the word “scrotum” in it was ridiculous, but this surpasses that to an absurd and frightening level:
The office of U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy has forwarded a complaint about inappropriate books assigned to Howell High School students to the FBI, a spokeswoman for Murphy said. Gina Bilaya said that while the referral is routine, it also indicates that Murphy is taking the complaint seriously.
Vicki Fyke of the Livingston Organization for Values in Education made the complaint, alleging that assignments of books by Richard Wright, Pulitzer winner Toni Morrison and Kurt Vonnegut violate laws against distribution of pornography to minors because they contain depictions of sex and rape, and obscene language. “The Freedom Writers Diary” by Erin Gruwell is also named by Fyke.
Seriously?
Link via Ed Champion. The American Family Association of Michigan — why do groups like this always have names like that? — further explains their objections to some of the books:
Please join concerned parents in urging Howell High School not to use a book (“The Bluest Eyes”) that graphically depicts the rape of an 11-year old girl by her father.
You know, it’s been awhile since I read Morrison’s novel, but I don’t remember the rape being depicted as a good thing. There’s some ugly racism in the book, too. I notice that hasn’t caught the focus of the angry Christians. The book is pretty high on the ALA 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books — and, in the 27 years since it was published, it’s been no stranger to controversy — but trying to get the FBI to classify it as child pornography seems like a new low.
This is not too far from Detroit, where I’m going to be in a couple of weeks. That scares me a little.
