Disclosure: Writer is a member of RenewED: Advocates for Student Excellence.
Warning: This article contains content readers may find disturbing.
Methow Valley News’ article this week about books at LBHS library is exactly why we need a second news source in this valley.
One of the first principles of reporting is- what is the story? Sometimes, it can change or upend the supposed assumptions. The question is, does MVN have the courage to scratch beneath…
Thanks Julia for this article…..I thought I would include my letter that wasn’t published by MVN
A recent MVNews article titled ‘School libraries cater to all student needs, interests’, featured the current high school librarian, who noted that no one has complained about the library collection.
I recently reviewed 109 book titles from the MVHS library. The book titles were captured from cell phone photos of the Graphic Novel shelves and the LGBT book shelf. Although they are only a slice of the library’s offerings, they reveal the thinking of the librarian who chooses them.
Parents should know that LGBT themes are integrated in the general Graphic Novel space such as; Check Pease: A young hockey player forms a crush on his handsome team captain Jack, Honor Girl: a 15 year old falls in love with her female camp counselor, or The Prince and the Dressmaker: celebrating a prince who cross dresses as Lady Chrystallia and takes Paris by storm. As these books are in the middle-school reader category, perhaps they belong on the LGBT shelf.
The Graphic Novels in general promote woke political ideas, highlight mental health problems, and skew female protagonist. A white, heterosexual male, would find the librarian’s choices insipid.
The LGBT bookshelf is open to middle school students too. Books such as the pornographic All Boys Aren’t Blue, Sissy and Flamer, can be found there. Interested parents could take these books out for review.
It’s a reasonable demand that school libraries choose books that are age appropriate and keep unsuitably adult material out of the hands of children.
Thank you, Marcie, for researching this.