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News Wed Jun 24 2009
Sherman Alexie Safe in Antioch
Banned Books Weeks is coming up in about three months and it's a shame to be reminded why we so desperately need to continue with this celebration. Recently, parents at a school in the suburb of Antioch petitioned to pull Sherman Alexie's The Absolutley True Diary of a Part-Time Indian from the freshman required summer reading list. Parents objected to the book's "descriptions of masturbation, racist language, graphic depictions of sex, and references to bestiality," but faculty maintained that the language needs to be read in context and that the book contains an overall "strong anti-drug, anti-alcohol message." The faculty won (yay!). I haven't read the book myself, but knowing that it was challenged certainly sparks my interest when I had none before. I imagine the same will be true for a lot of those freshmen. [via]
