Comments on: A Boring Book Made More Boring

By: Youth Services Manager

Youth Services Manager — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 20:04:59 +0000

This is not the book that I’d choose as one of the first experiences introducing high school kids, particularly African Americans, to classic American Literature. What a lousy introduction. It’ called turning them off before they’ve even started. I think this book is important to be taught in a different way at a different time, or to be taught with an advanced class introducing this time period and its relationship to current times.

By: SK

SK — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:51:23 +0000

nosleepingdogs — The question is, do we need Huck Finn SPECIFICALLY to teach about racism and critical thinking? There are lots of valuable authors whom we don’t teach in high school for various reasons, one of which is that we don’t have enough time. Why do we – why *should* we teach Huck Finn when other equally-worthy authors quite arguably do it better? Do we really need a Dead White Guy ™ – who loved minstrel shows to boot – to teach us about racism? It’s not like we’re lacking talented black authors who write about racism, either historically or currently.

By: ALA Watch

ALA Watch — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:56:33 +0000

Hey AL, have you seen this latest episode of ALA foolishness?

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/comment/reply/6025#comment-form

Before recommending that job ads include benefits for same-sex domestic partners of library employees, how about requiring advertisements to have SALARY RANGES PERIOD.

By: nosleepingdogs

nosleepingdogs — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 21:53:10 +0000

Youth Services Manager says “…I work closely with schools and would wait on introducing the Huck Finn book, unless the book was planned for an advanced high school class that was ready to tackle the social/racial issues (in the context of the time that the book took place, with discussion of how these times relate or don’t to current times). I remember discussions like this in college prep courses when I was in high school.“

But can’t we figure out how to teach this book to the non-college bound also? As it is, only about 68.8% of American students graduate from high school (CS Monitor figures for 2007), and 63% go directly to college from high school. So of the 100 who started high school, 43 graduate and go directly to college.

Since we haven’t quite got the racism thing, and the critical thinking thing, totally solved, we really need to reach the other 57%. They vote, they raise kids, etc.

By: Youth Services Manager

Youth Services Manager — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 05:26:47 +0000

Spekkio, I read this blog sometimes and have read some of your earlier comments. I’ve been curious why you are going for the degree since you are well informed and obviously aware of what has been going on in the library world, i.e. job losses and how hard it is to find any library job, especially for newcomers. Why are other library students going for the degree right now? I don’t have anything against the degree, but I’ve been advising potential students against going into debt for it.

I work closely with schools and would wait on introducing the Huck Finn book, unless the book was planned for an advanced high school class that was ready to tackle the social/racial issues (in the context of the time that the book took place, with discussion of how these times relate or don’t to current times). I remember discussions like this in college prep courses when I was in high school.

By: SafeLibraries

SafeLibraries — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 13:55:20 +0000

Great post. Great comments. Disagree with AL on the Beatles, agree with "me too" on Pink Floyd. AL, do you like ELO? Me Too, give a listen to Polka Floyd.

By: Spekkio

Spekkio — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 06:23:42 +0000

“The Beatles are the most overrated pop band in history.”

“And re: the Beatles, anyone who thinks they produced the best music of the last 40 years should listen to more music!”

Holy crap. It’s nice to see AL commenting, but…wow. AL, you have homework. Start with “Shout!” by Philip Norman.

By: kris

kris — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:58:24 +0000

You totally hit the nail on the head. Replacing the word is not an issue because of freedom or censorship or whatever, but because it changes the meaning of the literature, and you can like or not like the book but if you’re gonna read it at least read it so the sentences make sense.

I love the fact that MT was censored in his time for being too progressive and in ours for being a racist. As someone once told me, if they’re screaming at you, you must be doing something right.

By: Sarah K

Sarah K — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:56:14 +0000

“Maybe I just live a sheltered life, but it’s been decades since I’ve heard that word used in an interracial context in real life.”

It’s possible that I just live in an especially crass neighborhood. :) In the last year or so I’ve heard it used several times–including a (former) friend who used the term to describe the President.

By: Ken

Ken — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 22:05:10 +0000

“The Committee of the Public Library of Concord, Mass., have given us a rattling tip-top puff which will go into every paper in the country. They have expelled Huck from their library as ‘trash and suitable only for the slums.’ That will sell 25,000 copies for us sure.”
-Mark Twain

“But the truth is, that when a Library expels a book of mine and leaves an unexpurgated Bible lying around where unprotected youth and age can get hold of it, the deep unconscious irony of it delights me and doesn’t anger me.”
-Mark Twain

I think Twain would laugh at all the hysterics over this, though even he said that sorrow was the source of all laughter.