In an article posted in the Calgary Herald today, The Golden Compass finds its home among the other books on the shelf among the Calgary Catholic School District. It was two months ago that the books were removed due to concerns over the book's anti-religious themes. An official review of the book was taken and after careful consideration, the school board decided that even though the text "is harsh in terms of its language about organized religion and that it presents a consistently negative view of the church, clergy, and faith-based institutions; however, there are glimpses of light with opportunities for positive reflection." This was quoted by the review.
There is still some were are upset that the school made the decision to pull the book off the shelf during the review process. I tend to agree that the book should have remained on the shelf and available until a judgment had been made (innocent into proven guilty) but at least the book is back!!
The review board urges all teachers to use instruction guides when teaching the book to classrooms and to pay attention to the questions that are raised by students. This same principle should apply to parents as well. Pay attention to what the children ask!
I am hoping that since the book was returned to its rightful place, that students will not only read the book closely but analyze the material and think about the issues surrounding the book. What better way to fight censorship then to read and interpret that which has been challenged!
2 comments:
That's great that the library has decided to keep the book in the collection, although now that it's not banned, the kids will probably complain about having to read it for class. :)
It's interesting to talk to kids about censorship and name books like Harry Potter and the Golden Compass as being controversial. They can become enraged pretty quickly when they think about adults trying to control what they read.
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