Sherman Alexie Book Removed from Curriculum

The 2008 Campus Read selection has been challenged and banned ... again.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian (2007) by Sherman Alexie was removed from the curriculum of the Meridian (Idaho) School District on April 1.  After two hours of emotional public testimony, trustees voted 2-1 to keep a hold on the book in place.

   (Read the full story and watch video of some of the emotional testimony here).

The Absolutely True Diary ... won the 2007 National Book Award and the 2009 Odyssey Award for best audio book. It has been included on the 2010, 2011, and 2012 lists of "Top Ten Challenged Books" compiled by ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom. Among the reasons given are: offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group, religious viewpoint, sex education, and violence.

More Stories from Sherman Alexie Coming in October

A new collection of short stories by Sherman Alexie, author of the 2008 Campus Read selection The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, will be released in October 2012.

The prepub alert in Library Journal (May 15, 2012) said, "PEN/Faulkner and National Book Award winner Alexie writes sculpted prose that lands like a good, hard punch; his stories, especially, are knockouts.  So this juicy colection of 15 of his best-known short fiction and 15 new pieces (which range in topic from donkey basketball leagues to dangerous wind turbines) should be a winner." 

The title of Alexie's new collection is Blasphemy: New and Selected Stories. 

The BSC Library has several titles by Sherman Alexie ... check them out!  We'll be ordering his new book, too.

The Absolutely True Diary ... Absolutely Banned

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie was BSC's 2008 Campus Read. In Stockton, Missouri, the book was removed from the classroom and the library in April 2010. Protests led to a special board meeting on September 8. Here is the story from the Cedar County Republican about the school board's decision.

"The Absolutely True Diary ... Absolutely Banned" by Adam Stillman
Cedar County Republican - Wednesday, September 15, 2010

The Stockton R-1 School Board unanimously voted to keep the book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, out of the Stockton High School curriculum, and voted 5-2 to keep it out of the high school library during a special meeting Wednesday, Sept. 8, in the high school gymnasium.

In the end, the sexual content and inappropriate language made the awarding-winning novel unsuitable for use in the classroom and in the library, the board decided.

“We can take this book and we can wrap it in those 20 awards everybody said it won, and you know what, it is still wrong,” board member Ken Spurgeon said.

According to a handout provided by John Rummel before the special meeting, there are 74 instances of vulgarity throughout the novel’s 230 pages. These instances involve topics such as masturbation, racism and violence, among others. It had been mentioned earlier in the meeting the book had done a particularly good job of interesting high school boys in reading.

“It’s an insult … to say to them (students) that we have to have stuff like that in our school in order to make them want to read books,” Mike Holzknecht, who spoke in favor of the ban, said.

Communication arts teachers Kim Jasper and Dana Whitesell spoke for more than 20 minutes defending the use of the book in the classroom, questioned why they weren’t asked for input back in March when the book was challenged and highlighted the merits of students reading such a story.

“They can recognize themselves in the literature,” Jasper said, “and yes sometimes books deal with harsh issues — bullying, alcoholism and drug use, sexual identity and rape … such literature, even with its harsh issues, tells teens their lives matter, and the issues they face are important, and that they are not alone in the battles they may be fighting.”

After the decision was announced to keep the book out of the high school, Jasper clearly was upset.

“I’m disappointed,” Jasper said. “I think it’s a sad day for Stockton school … What can we teach now if this is our bar? Do I need to take Of Mice and Men out of my classroom? Do I need to take Huck Finn out of my classroom? I just fear the chilling effect of what teachers will choose now. They’ll be worried about what they choose.”

Cheryl Marcum, one of the more outspoken advocates of returning the book to the school, was let down, as well.

“I don’t think the board heard us,” Marcum said. “The teachers did an excellent job describing how they chose the book and why they used it in the classroom … and I don’t think there is anything anyone could have said on that side the board would have understood and accepted.”

During the allotted time for public comments, a crowd of more than 200 people witnessed 12 people speak in opposition to the book’s removal from the classroom and library, and 10 people speak in favor of the book’s removal from the curriculum and school library.

Four TV cameras were present to capture the conclusion of the hot-button issue which has caused much discontent among Stockton community members. Several arguments on both sides drew applause from the crowd.

At one point during the night, Holzknecht pounded his fist on the podium while speaking, drawing a standing ovation at the close of his argument. “I’m proud of you guys (the board) standing up and saying, ‘No, here’s the limit right here, we’re not going to take it’.”

Jasper’s argument garnered a lengthy applause, as did Dakota Freeze’s presentation. Freeze, a senior at the high school, wants something bigger than Stockton. She plans on attending a college on the east coast and studying politics and law.

“This book in a nutshell is about hope,” Freeze said. “It’s about overcoming adversity. This book is about believing in yourself, believing you can become whatever you want to become.”

Many supporters of keeping the book in the school pointed to the freedom to read, censorship and the First Amendment.

“I must advocate for my students’ right to read and to think, or my 23 years of teaching are a fraud,” Jasper said. “When I have my students memorize the First Amendment, it’s not some theoretical exercise for a grade. Those are words that protect some of the freedoms I feel most strongly about, and those are words that have allowed this country to produce some valuable pieces of literature. The library especially must be a place where all students have access to a wide range of materials. If we censor books, we censor opportunity and hopes and dreams. As the American Library Association states, ‘censorship results in the opposite of true education and learning’.”

School board president Chad Pyle, vice president Dean Pate, board members Doug Haines, Rod Shipley, Rod Tucker, Ken Spurgeon, Gus Rutledge, superintendent Shannon Snow and high school principal John French all were present at the main table ... Tucker expressed his displeasure with the newspaper’s coverage and refused to comment.

2008 Campus Read Book Remains Removed from Missouri Library

Background Information
The 2008 Campus Read Book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie, won the 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literaturer.

In April 2010, The Absolutely True Diary ... was first removed from the Stockton, Missouri school and library. After protests, a special public meeting was held on September 8. Here are the results of that meeting as reported in the Cedar County Republican.

Book Remains Removed from Curriculum and Library
by Adam Stillman
Thursday, September 9, 2010 9:10 AM CDT

The Stockton R-1 School Board unanimously voted to keep the book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, out of the Stockton High School curriculum, and voted 5-2 to keep it out of the high school library during the special meeting Wednesday, Sept. 8, in the high school gymnasium.

After Shannon Snow gave the book committee report, Kim Jasper and Dana Whitesell addressed the board regarding the use of the book in high school communication arts classes. Then, during the allotted time for public comments, 12 people spoke in opposition to the book’s removal from the classroom and library, and 10 people spoke in favor of the book’s removal from the curriculum and school library. More than 200 people were in attendance, and four TV cameras were present.

Update - Banning of 2008 Campus Read Book in Missouri

On August 9, we posted information about an April 2010 banning of the 2008 Campus Read book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie, in Stockton, Missouri. The book won numerous awards, including the 2007 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.

The Stockton R-1 School Board has now scheduled a special meeting on September 8, 2010, to discuss removing the book from the curriculum and the library.

For more details, check out the news stories from the Cedar County Republican.

2008 Campus Read Book Banned in Missouri

The 2008 BSC Campus Read selection was The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie. It was popular with students, faculty, and staff and led to great discussions on campus. Alexie also visited campus and gave a presentation to a standing room only crowd at the Belle Mehus Auditorium. In fact, he invited people who couldn't find seats to join him on the stage and sit there. His presentation was fun and funny as well as thoughtful and reflective.

In April 2010, the school board in Stockton, Missouri, voted to remove Alexie's book from the school. In July, they voted to reconsider their original motion. At their August 18 meeting, they will schedule a date for a special meeting to discuss the suitability of the book and answer in writing five questions posed by the school board.

Numerous groups have sent letters in support of keeping Alexie's book in the school, including the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom and a joint letter from the National Council of Teachers of English, the National Coalition Against Censorship, the American Library Association, and the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression.

For more about the story, visit the Cedar County Republican.

Your thoughts?

Sherman Alexie Wins 2010 Pen/Faulkner Award

Add one more to the list of awards for Sherman Alexie, author of the 2008-09 Campus Read book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. On March 23, Alexie's book, War Dances, was selected as the winner of the the 2010 Pen/Faulkner Award for Fiction.

The Pen/Faulkner Award is America's largest peer-juried prize for fiction. As winner, Alexie will receive $15,000. Each of the four finalists -- Barbara Kingsolver for The Lacuna, Lorriane M. Lopez for Homicide Survivors Picnic and Other Stories, Lorrie Moore for A Gate at the Stairs, and Colson Whitehead for Sag Harbor -- receives $5,000.

All five authors will be honored at the 30th Anniversary Pen/Faulkner Award Ceremony on May 8, 2010, at the Folger Shakespeare Library.

Alexie has visited the BSC campus twice in recent years.

War Dances is available at the BSC Library in printed form at PS 3551 .L35774 W37 2009. It is also available as an eAudiobook for download. Check them out!

A Full House ... and Then Some!

Sherman Alexie packed the house last night. In fact, there were more people than seats! He didn't want to turn anyone away, so people with more "flexible butts" (Sherman's words) were invited to sit on the stage with him.

Sherman Alexie's performance was both funny and brilliant.

As Drake Carter, BSC's Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, said, If you missed it, I can only say that I'm sorry and better luck next time. :o)

BSC Campus Read 2008

Welcome to BSC Campus Read 2008!

The selection for the 2008 BSC Campus Read is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie, the 2007 National Book Award Winner for Young People's Literature.

We look forward to posting information about 2008 Campus Read events and getting your comments about this book.