Group+Discussions+Week+2

I want to focus on the teen perspective on censorship and how removing books from libraries can affect teen readers. Parents, administrations, religious groups, and even librarians are striving to limit what teens/children can read, but what do the student think? Do students find these books offensive and want them removed? Are adults, who attempt censorship, speaking for those who can speak for themselves?
 * Stacy Coppess- Request for Reconsideration; Eve, Bradley, Katie, Colleen, Lisa**

The first article, discusses why authors write "gritty, tough, edgy, and controversial" books for teenagers. Consider these questions as you read:

-What are the benefits and consequences of controversial books for teenagers and why is it important to shield them from censorship? -These authors explain their own motivations in writing controversial books. Should author motivation play a role in book censorship? In otherwords, if an author purposefully is attempting to corrupt or has less than ideal motivations in writing a book, should librarians and teachers authorize censorship above authors who have sound motivations?

[|Gritty, Tough, Edgy.pdf]

Hill, Rebecca."Gritty, Tough, Edgy, and Controversial: YA Authors Who Tackle Forbbidden Topics and Why They Do It." //Voice Youth Advocates// 33.1 (2010):30-2.

The second article illustrates a program which educates teenagers on censorship. If we, as librarians and teachers, can keep teenagers informed, then perhaps they can stand up to censorship on their own. As this article describes, most students are unaware of the censorship going on in their own schools. Consider these questions as you read:

-The ALA proclaims that librarians have a duty to stand up for Intellectual Freedom, does this include education? Do we have a duty to educate young adults about the freedoms that adults are trying to hinder or do young adults need librarians to act as protectors alone? If educated, would teenagers make an effective front against censorship? -Besides the program described below, what other ways can we assist in educating young adults about censorship, if we choose to educate?

[|Forbidden Fruit.pdf]

Allen, Ruth and Alison Kastner. "Feasting on Forbidden Fruit: How to Talk to Teens about Censorship." //Teacher Librarian// 30.2 (2002):18-20

QUESTION 1

Re: Do Teenagers Need "Gritty, Tough, Edgy, and Controversial" Books? Alisa Rochelle Wynn (arwynn) (May 21, 2011 8:28 AM) - Read by: 13Reply to MessageReply Edit | Delete Sorry to just now be jumping in, but before I go on to consider the consequences that would-be censors claim would occur if a young adult (I always hated being called "a teen" for some reason) were to read a "gritty, tough, edgy and controversial book," I want to make a few points in defense of the importance of these kinds of books in the lives of the young readers we share this planet with.

For anyone completing the Materials for Youth course with Dr. Moeller, you are well familiar with the Tunnell/Jacobs text Children's Literature Briefly. In reviewing some of my notes during the week we discussed the issue of controversial books, my mind was jogged that this text discusses the fine balance between preserving intellectual freedoms and the young readers' rights to read. One possible solution in the case of a library would be to shelve some materials in areas where parental permission is needed to check out (Tunnell, et al. 232). This text also cautions that the amount and degree of realistic detail can be a reason for not recommending a book, with the goal being sensitization rather than traumatization, where the young reader's response can be dependent upon the individual reader's readiness and capabilities (i.e., age, emotional maturity, back-ground knowledge, issues the young person is dealing with personally, etc.) The urge of some adults is to over-protect young readers, however, one the unique differences between two children of the same age can vary tremendously (Id., 236)

The text uses the example of children's book author, Cynthia DeFelice, who provides a lengthy quote about her parents allowing her to read To Kill a Mockingbird as a 5th grader, and as an adult she re-read the book's passages that include discussions of "rape, the racial and class conflicts, the sometimes cruel actions of cruel personalities of diverse characters" all through the eyes of young Scout Finch who develops an understanding of these issues. DeFelice, in re-reading the book could not help but think that, "This would never be given to a fifth grader today and what a shame" (Id., 236-237).

As I reflect on my own reading habits as a 5th grader, my parents, thankfully, did not care and/or did not pay attention to the books I was reading. For instance, I was reading Stephen King (my mother actually gave me my first King book to read when I basically complained I'd read nearly everything else in the house) and a volume of Freud's writings on psychoanalysis (my grandmother lent me this one) which included very graphic descriptions of patient's engaging in harmful and sexual acts. the only materials I did choose to hide were basically porn that I found in the attic that I was given free reign to explore (I was free to explore the attic, that is. I was told to leave the porn alone, yet it was not locked up.) I'm not sure how old I was at this point, but it was likely 4th, 5th or 6th grade.

In this case, I was a child being exposed by a large degree of realistic detail, but I was not traumatized because I was "ready" for this. I had a real need to explore gritty and controversial books in order to maintain some level of sanity in the insane world I was living in. I was being sexually, physically and emotionally abused by my "father" and physically and emotionally abused by my bio-mom for years by the time I was in the fifth grade. I felt like I needed someone to guide me, and I already loved reading, so on some level I think I developed a coping mechanism where I combined both of these things. I even knew at that age that I was what society would call "at risk" for becoming pregnant as a teen (on top of the abuse, my mother had me at age 15.5), abusing drugs, running away from home, resorting to selling myself or drugs, etc. I knew this because I had been allowed to read and watch whatever I wanted, and I wanted to learn about myself so I actively paid attention to media stories, articles, etc. that related to my risks.

Now, I marvel that, while I have a lot of issues I am still dealing with, the child that I once was likely saved my life by turning to the only friend she trusted--books.

I tell my story because I am, at heart, an advocate for those who haven't found their voice yet. I have inspired quite a few people to say the words in their lives that are scariest to say out loud or even write to another human being. You never know who has these words buried inside of them. Adults who overprotect young readers from controversial materials may very well be harming them by taking away the voices of others that help them cope with their monsters.

There are circumstances where a young reader is not really prepared for the level of detail in a “gritty” book, I agree with author Cynthia DeFelice who believes we ought to trust young readers more than we do to monitor their own selves. In my mind, this could be as simple as teach them that if they are overwhelmed by the book, simply stop reading it.

-- Lisa

Source

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 3rd. Upper Saddle City, NJ: Person Education, 2004. Print.

QUESTION 1 Re: Do Teenagers Need "Gritty, Tough, Edgy, and Controversial" Books? Alisa Rochelle Wynn (arwynn) (May 21, 2011 6:57 PM) - Read by: 13Reply to MessageReply Edit | Delete As I'm reading Big Brother right now, I had to share this quote since it applies to this thread:

Look, son," [Marcus' father] said. He'd taken to calling me "son" a lot. It made me feel like he'd stopped thinking of me as a person and switched to thinking of me as a kind of halfformed larva that needed to be guided out of adolescence. I hated it. (77).

Cited Doctorow, Cory. Little Brother. Cory Doctorow's Craphound.com. Web. 3 May 2011. 

QUESTION 1

Re: Do Teenagers Need "Gritty, Tough, Edgy, and Controversial" Books? Alisa Rochelle Wynn (arwynn) (May 24, 2011 4:12 PM) - Read by: 1Reply to MessageReply Edit | Delete Are there specific incidents of a young adult killing herself from having read an edgy book written for teens?

I'm under the impression that when authors address controversial themes, they do so in a way that the subject (violence, prostitution, suicide, etc.) is not glorified in and of itself.

For instance, if a teen kills herself in the book, the author should take the responsibility of fleshing out the story and creating a greater context and the characters that are affected. Kelly's "10 LGBT Teen Novels that Tackle Teen Suicide & Bullying" provides some examples.

Source Kelley, Collin. "10 LGBT Teen Novels that Tackle Teen Suicide & Bullying." Lambda Literacy (Online). 28 Oct. 2010. Web. 24 May 2011. 

-- Lisa

QUESTION 2

__[|Re: Should Author Motivation play a role in Censorship?] __   Alisa Rochelle Wynn (arwynn) (May 21, 2011 9:14 AM) - Read by: 1 __[|Edit] __ | __[|Delete] __ Honestly, Kathryn has already beautifully expressed the issues of author motivation in relation to literary theory and intellectual freedom concepts, so I won't rehash these points.

 My personal opinion, obviously in light of my endorsement of Kathryn's post, is that taking author motivation into consideration does not belong with the discussion whether a young reader should be "protected" from reading the book.

 However, in the spirit of playing devil's advocate, I recently read a November 10, 2010 blog post ("Crossing A Line: Is Banning Books Ever OK?" by "Ana") on the topic of last fall's controversy over Amazon's having sold a self-published ebook entitled //The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure //, by a 48-year old Colorado man named, Phillip R. Greaves, II. Greaves' description on the ebook explained:

 This is my attempt to make pedophile situations safer for those juveniles that find themselves involved in them, by establishing certian (sic) rules for these adults to follow. I hope to achieve this by appealing to the better nature of pedosexuals, with hope that their doing so will result in less hatred and perhaps liter (sic) sentences should they ever be caught.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> This particular post by Ana (who I don't believe is a library professional, but who is well-versed in the ideas of intellectual freedom...) describes how she never thought she would condone book censorship, yet based upon the author's description of his MOTIVATION for writing the book, Ana writes:

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> My first reaction was that of revulsion and I not only RT the link with a “I have no words” attached to it, I also wrote and I admit it, without thinking about what I was saying [via Twitter]:

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Seriously @Amazon? YOU NEED TO REMOVE THIS FROM YOUR SITE http://amzn.to/9SKcJi

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> What I found particularly interesting about Ana's post is her concluding remarks:

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> "... here is yet another problem: I have not actually read the book in question, only its description of content. I am doing exactly what I MOST hate about book banners who want to discuss without even having the FULL information on what they want to ban.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> This book is NOT pretty. But neither is my reaction to it.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Obviously, the controversy goes beyond the author's apparent self-serving motivations for writing and publishing this short-lived ebook that was created for young readers and pedophiles who might meet up and need some advice and how to navigate those waters.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> In light of this discussion thread, I thought this story might add to our dialogue.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -- Lisa

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> **Incidentally, in April 2011, Greaves, pleaded no contest in a Florida court to the charges of "distributing obscene material depicting minors engaged in harmful conduct" and he will serve his probation in his home state of Colorado where, apparently, he won't have to register as a sex offender ('Pedophilia Book Author Gets Probation in Fla.").**

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sources"Ana." "Crossing A Line: Is Banning Books Ever OK?" //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Book Smugglers (Online) //. 10 Nov. 2010. Web. 20 May 2011. <__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ee; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">@http://thebooksmugglers.com/2010/11/crossing-a-line-is-banning-books-ever-ok.html __> **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Pedophilia Book Author Gets Probation in Fla." //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">CBSNews.com //. CBS Interactive, Inc., 7 Apr. 2011. Web. 21 May 2011. <__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ee; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">@http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/07/national/main20051960.sshtml __> **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**QUESTION 2** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Re: Should Author Motivation play a role in Censorship?] __** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="textPanelFooter md" style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Alisa Rochelle Wynn (arwynn) (May 21, 2011 9:20 AM) - Read by: 1<span class="itemToolBar" style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Edit] __ | __<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Delete] __  ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Stacey, you write: **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> A major concern I have with allowing children complete access to materials and teaching judgment is that at the younger ages, judgment cannot be acquired yet. I am talking about elementary to middle school grade levels where, in their developmental stage, they are unable to make sound judgments. How can we be sure that author's with poor motivation cannot sway the young? ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> In my response to the first of these four discussion threads, I pose that we should trust the young readers more than we do. Why do we assume they cannot make good judgements even in elementary school? Sure, some young people are less able and some are more able. Each individual is unique. By catering to the lowest common denominator (as we tend to do in society and in our school systems), we perform a huge disservice to a lot of individuals who also have needs that go beyond what adults can spoon feed them. **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I realize that parents can point out that since I don't have children, I can't understand where they are coming from, but if the bottom line is that parents want to what is best for their kids, they need to realize that they don't necessarily know what that means for each individual child. I believe that each young person has a lot more insight into their own needs than anyone else can ever have, even if that someone else is called "mom" or "dad". **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**QUESTION 2** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Re: Should Author Motivation play a role in Censorship?] __** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="textPanelFooter md" style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Alisa Rochelle Wynn (arwynn) (May 21, 2011 9:14 AM) - Read by: 1<span class="itemToolBar" style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Edit] __ | __<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Delete] __  ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Honestly, Kathryn has already beautifully expressed the issues of author motivation in relation to literary theory and intellectual freedom concepts, so I won't rehash these points. **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> My personal opinion, obviously in light of my endorsement of Kathryn's post, is that taking author motivation into consideration does not belong with the discussion whether a young reader should be "protected" from reading the book. **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> However, in the spirit of playing devil's advocate, I recently read a November 10, 2010 blog post ("Crossing A Line: Is Banning Books Ever OK?" by "Ana") on the topic of last fall's controversy over Amazon's having sold a self-published ebook entitled //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure //, by a 48-year old Colorado man named, Phillip R. Greaves, II. Greaves' description on the ebook explained: **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> This is my attempt to make pedophile situations safer for those juveniles that find themselves involved in them, by establishing certian (sic) rules for these adults to follow. I hope to achieve this by appealing to the better nature of pedosexuals, with hope that their doing so will result in less hatred and perhaps liter (sic) sentences should they ever be caught. **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> This particular post by Ana (who I don't believe is a library professional, but who is well-versed in the ideas of intellectual freedom...) describes how she never thought she would condone book censorship, yet based upon the author's description of his MOTIVATION for writing the book, Ana writes: **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> My first reaction was that of revulsion and I not only RT the link with a “I have no words” attached to it, I also wrote and I admit it, without thinking about what I was saying [via Twitter]: **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Seriously @Amazon? YOU NEED TO REMOVE THIS FROM YOUR SITE http://amzn.to/9SKcJi **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> What I found particularly interesting about Ana's post is her concluding remarks: **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> "... here is yet another problem: I have not actually read the book in question, only its description of content. I am doing exactly what I MOST hate about book banners who want to discuss without even having the FULL information on what they want to ban. **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> This book is NOT pretty. But neither is my reaction to it. **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Obviously, the controversy goes beyond the author's apparent self-serving motivations for writing and publishing this short-lived ebook that was created for young readers and pedophiles who might meet up and need some advice and how to navigate those waters. **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> In light of this discussion thread, I thought this story might add to our dialogue. **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -- Lisa **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">* <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Incidentally, in April 2011, Greaves, pleaded no contest in a Florida court to the charges of "distributing obscene material depicting minors engaged in harmful conduct" and he will serve his probation in his home state of Colorado where, apparently, he won't have to register as a sex offender ('Pedophilia Book Author Gets Probation in Fla.").

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Sources"Ana." "Crossing A Line: Is Banning Books Ever OK?" //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Book Smugglers (Online) //. 10 Nov. 2010. Web. 20 May 2011. <__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ee; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">@http://thebooksmugglers.com/2010/11/crossing-a-line-is-banning-books-ever-ok.html __>

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> "Pedophilia Book Author Gets Probation in Fla." //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">CBSNews.com //. CBS Interactive, Inc., 7 Apr. 2011. Web. 21 May 2011. <__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ee; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">@http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/07/national/main20051960.sshtml __>

QUESTION 2 Re: Should Author Motivation play a role in Censorship? Alisa Rochelle Wynn (arwynn) (May 24, 2011 4:21 PM) - Read by: 1Reply to MessageReply Edit | Delete Since this is a self-published electronic-book, I don't think that most library's collection development policies would make it too hard for someone to justify not purchasing it.

The same "easy justification" goes for a lot of "alt" literature that is self-published. Libraries would almost need to make a conscious decision to even become exposed to the titles that are out there since the mainstream journals and booklists are not likely to feature these kinds of materials. If the media had not gotten hold of this story, libraries would probably never even know it existed in the first place.

Also, based upon the typos in the author's own book description, I would guess that the quality of writing is not terribly impressive.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">QUESTION 3 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Re: Do Librarians have a duty to educate young readers on IF?] __ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span class="textPanelFooter md" style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Alisa Rochelle Wynn (arwynn) (May 21, 2011 10:01 AM) - Read by: 1<span class="itemToolBar" style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Edit] __ | __<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Delete] __ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I think a parallel between DARE programs and outreach efforts for IF issues are not really a fair comparison.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> DARE is not based on our rights as citizens of the United States.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> IF is about teaching people what their rights are, whereas DARE is a tool of the war on drugs that some believe does more harm that good for that particular "cause".

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> DARE is about negatives--what not to do.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> IF is about the positives--empowering you to do what is your constitutional right.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Young people are told what not to do all the time. IF is likely well received because of its message of empowerment.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> (just putting a few thoughts out there... including the pros/cons re: DARE if you care to consider: __<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">@http://dare.procon.org/ __)

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -- Lisa

QUESTION 4

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Re: How can we, as Librarians, educate young readers about censorship?] __ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span class="textPanelFooter md" style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Alisa Rochelle Wynn (arwynn) (May 21, 2011 10:14 AM) - Read by: 1<span class="itemToolBar" style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Edit] __ | __<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Delete] __

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Last Edited By Alisa Rochelle Wynn (arwynn) on Sat May 21 10:21:37 EDT 2011 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Perhaps inviting speakers who, as young readers, were personally affected by having access to controversial books and other media. Any personal accounts that deal with IF could be powerful testiments.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> There's really no need to re-invent the wheel to integrate IF into library programming and school curricula, as there are very good lesson plans and units that others have created on this issue, such as __<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">@http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/censorship-classroom-understanding-controversial-203.html?tab=1 __ and our own Dr. Annette Lamb's/Dr. Larry Johnson's voluminous contributions on the internet including: __<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #551a8b; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/knowledgequest/kqwebarchives/v36/362/362lamb.cfm __

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -- Lisa