"Inappropriate" history

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I don't want to get too specific with my story yet because I want to get a general idea of how/what people think about the topic but here's the short version:

My son (almost 10) asked the school librarian for a book about a certain topic -- a well known event in world history. He was told the subject was "inappropriate".

To be fair I should explain that the school has been in the process of hiring a librarian and they have been using a series of substitutes and volunteers to run the library so far this year. I'm not at all sure of what kind of training the person who said this might have.

This situation does make me wonder: do you think there are inappropriate history topics for children to read about?

Which ones and why?

Thanks!

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Type: Question • Score: 27 • Views: 7,913 • Replies: 114

I don't think that small children should be given books about the genocide of Hitler or Pol Pot, but then, i don't think people are writing children's books on such topics. No, i don't think there is any such thing as an inappropriate subject in history. What the hell are children to learn if you censor what they can read?

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@boomerang,

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!
If it is a public library, then he OWNS those books
and he pays the person who tried to censor him from his property.

EVERYONE has a right to know history
and no one is subject to the whims of anyone else
as to what he can know about it.

David

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This was at the elementary school library and therefore not likely to have inappropriate subject matter in the first place. I would think that if they have a book that address' the topic (and I'm willing to bet that they do) it would be written in such a way as to be appropriate for kids.

I guess it is a public library since it is part of a public school but access is not open to everyone who might want to use it.

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i was always battling with librarians when i was a kid, because i wanted to take out adult books, not necessarily inappropriate but the librarian thought above my age range, luckily my mom always sided with me, most of the stuff was like the time life history books, lots of pictures and more captioned writing than long passages of prose, i specifically remember one woman at the local library thought the images in a World War II book might disturb me

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@djjd62,

Obviously, she didn't know how disturbed you already were . . .

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It's a public elementary school library, David.

Some school districts draw up their own lists of books that are not allowed in their school libraries. Others leave it to the discretion of principals/librarians at each school.

Either way, boomer, if you want him to read something that isn't available at school, you can always take him to the public library instead. He might not be allowed to use the book for, let's say, a book report, though...without permission from his teacher. But they can't stop him from reading it...or discussing it with you.

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@boomerang,

Well libraries are the single most dangerous institution in any society of man. They should be carefully restricted. Also, dead cats on roadways can induce trauma which could lead to childhood obesity.

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@boomerang,

boomerang wrote:

This was at the elementary school library and therefore not likely to have inappropriate subject matter in the first place. I would think that if they have a book that address' the topic (and I'm willing to bet that they do) it would be written in such a way as to be appropriate for kids.

I guess it is a public library since it is part of a public school but access is not open to everyone who might want to use it.

That makes sense.
If it had been the private library of the censor-person,
then he 'd have the right to withhold whatever he wanted to withhold,
but if the book is PUBLIC PROPERTY, purchased with public funds,
then it is Mo's book as much as anyone else 's and the censor has no right to interfere. The censor shoud be disciplined.

David

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@Eva,

I know, Eva. I'm sure he could always find some really inappropriate information on the internet instead of finding appropriate information in the school library.

I don't really mean the question to be specific to our situation but a general examination of what is and is not appropriate history for kids to read about.

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Barring books with lurid depictions of cruelty, which is not what history is necessarily about, i can think of no historical subject which is inappropriate. In fact, children need to know all about the "bad" parts of history if they are to have the tools to judge their world.

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@djjd62,

Did the books disturb you?

Should kids be protected from images and stories of war?

I think it's interesting that the most popular video games feature soldiers and battles but a kid wanting to read history about real soldiers and battles might be discouraged from it.

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@boomerang,

There is one book about the Holocaust for if not very young people at least for young people - I think it is written very well.
I know that in at least one Swedish school it is used in history about Germany and the Holocaust:
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a 2006 novel about living on the fringes of the Holocaust, from the point of view of a naive young boy, written by Irish novelist John Boyne.
Judith Kerr has written novels for children such as the autobiographical When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

There are many books written about this subject for young people and young adults.

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When SonofEva was in public elementary school, his school library did not allow any books that mentioned same sex couples parenting. It is possible that may have been decided because of the prevailing bias of parents at that school. I also understand that this policy has been thrown out the window since we were there six years ago.

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@Setanta,

Quote:

children need to know all about the "bad" parts of history if they are to have the tools to judge their world.

YES! I agree completely.

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@Eva,

Eva wrote:

It's a public elementary school library, David.

Some school districts draw up their own lists of books that are not allowed in their school libraries.
Others leave it to the discretion of principals/librarians at each school.

Either way, boomer, if you want him to read something that isn't available at school,
you can always take him to the public library instead.

Right; either that, or a bookstore.

I spend more time in bookstores than in the public library.

David

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@boomerang,

no i loved that kind of stuff, we had the children's edition of the world book encyclopedias and a series called how things work, so i had some preliminary info on the wars, and how military equipment worked

i'd burned through those by grade two, so in grade three and four i was looking for more detailed information on subjects that interested me

from the how things work series, i remember being fascinated that jello was made using cow bones

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@Eva,

Eva wrote:

When SonofEva was in public elementary school, his school library did not allow any books that mentioned same sex couples parenting. It is possible that may have been decided because of the prevailing bias of parents at that school.
I also understand that this policy has been thrown out the window since we were there six years ago.

Maybe it was about the misadventures of Bill Clinton.

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@djjd62,

djjd62 wrote:

i was always battling with librarians when i was a kid, because i wanted to take out adult books, not necessarily inappropriate but the librarian thought above my age range, luckily my mom always sided with me, most of the stuff was like the time life history books, lots of pictures and more captioned writing than long passages of prose, i specifically remember
one woman at the local library thought the images in a World War II book might disturb me

That was none of her business.
Did u have the right to censor HER reading material ?????

David

0 Replies

@boomerang,

boomerang wrote:

...Should kids be protected from images and stories of war?

I think it's interesting that the most popular video games feature soldiers and battles but a kid wanting to read history about real soldiers and battles might be discouraged from it.

I get where you're coming from. But I think it depends on the book. IMO, many graphic images that depict death, dying, torture, killing, etc., whether they are related to war or not, are very disturbing and can be psychologically harmful for children. Some of the games that are out there are just cartoon violence, but some are more graphic and are rated "M" for mature audiences. I don't think those are good influences for children. If I were you, I would have no problem with Mo reading about battle strategies or biographies of military leaders. I think you might need to preview the books yourself. Every parent's threshold is a little different.

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"Inappropriate" history

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