[Vision2020] Chocolate Wars

[Debbie Gray]

The Chocolate War is a great book about peer pressure, the need to conform
or rebel, authoritarianism and other issues that kids deal with every day.

The main character takes guidance from a poster in his locker that
asks 'Do I dare disturb the universe?' and decides to do just that. One
'in' group of kids decides to appoint someone (main character) to refuse
to sell chocolates as part of the fundraiser in order to spite the
headmaster. That situation grows and grows and then the 'in' group tells
the main character to now give in and start selling chocolates. However,
he continues to refuse to sell them and then we see how powerful, cruel
and pervasive the peer group can be.

The main objections the parent in Post Falls had to this book was that it
dealt with 'mature subjects, masturbation and juvenile fantasy'. And we
all know that junior high students never think about anything like that
unless some book leads down the path of wickedness... <smirk>

I agree w/yesterday's Spokesman Review editorial that said basically, why
should the book be banned for all junior high students when only one
parent voiced their concern? Why shouldn't the parents that DON'T want
their children reading specific books have to fill out a form instead of
limiting the book and requiring ANYONE who wants to read it to get a
permission slip from their parent. I don't object to parents having input
in what their children are reading. But why should someone else be
dictating what my child can access, simply because they are not
comfortable with their child reading it? Why not put the onus on the
'censorship' parent?

Here is the American Library Association's list of the top 100 books
banned or challenged in the past 10 years.
http://www.ala.org/bbooks/top100bannedbooks.html

This is not just books in grade school or junior high, it's books in every
library. Where do you draw the line? Certainly parts of the Bible are
highly objectionable to some (those silky Sheba thighs!). Certainly
meat-based cookbooks are objectional to vegans. Certainly, nobody will
embrace everything but WHY should it be limited? I don't care if it's 'I
was a teenage Cracka' or 'Chucky's 3 stepmothers' or 'Ten Ways To
Worship God Now'... who decides what is objectionable? And just because
you object to it, that doesn't mean I will. I am always curious why the
Robert Mapplethorpe books that the UI Library purchased or was gifted were
constantly being vandalized, pictures being razored out, etc. Apparently
they weren't being razored out in objection...

Debbie

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  Debbie Gray      dgray@uidaho.edu      http://www.uidaho.edu/~dgray/
  We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to
  have the life that is waiting for us." --Joseph Campbell
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