Book banned by Stanislaus County school district

A Stanislaus County school board voted to ban "Bless Me, Ultima," a celebrated piece of Chicano literature, from high school classrooms because it contains profanity.

"There was excessive vulgarity or profanity used throughout the book," said Rick Fauss, superintendent of the nearly 2,700-student Newman Crows Landing Unified School District. "The context didn’t ... make it acceptable."

English teachers, the community, the ACLU and author Rudolfo Anaya are outraged by the 4-1 vote on Monday.

"What are these people afraid of?" said Anaya, 71. "We have ample evidence throughout history of what happens when we start banning books, when we are afraid of ideas and discussion and analytical thinking. The society will suffer."

As trustees of the rural district weighed their ban, the 1972 coming-of-age novel was enjoying renewed popularity -- it was chosen by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of its  "Big Read" program, in which  communities read the same book at the same time, and is also the literature selection for this year's Academic Decathlon. The book is also on former first lady Laura Bush's Top 10 Must Read List.

-- Seema Mehta

Comments

[Steve Wimer]

Publish the book without profanity, and then integrate into the curriculum or put it in the library.

[Carol]

The kids actually WANT to read this book. School libraries should have multiple copies. Do the members of the Stanislaus County School Board read themselves?

[roman]

"We have ample evidence throughout history of what happens when we start banning books..."

Who's banning your book? The school board voted not to use it in their curriculum. An author should be a little more precise with her use of words.

[Deron]

I have yet to encounter anyone whose life was in any way hampered by reading some "profanity." Junior-high and high school students are mature enough to read the dialogue in its context. If the students aren't already using similar language, the book isn't going to make them start.

[Manuel]

What is the next book to be banned? Little Red Riding Hood? (After all she gets gobbled up by the wolf? Sleeping Beauty? (She lives with seven, uh a total of three and a half, men without a chaperone), the Three Little Pigs? (the wolf makes Cochinita Pibil out of them.

[John]

This will now become the most popular book in Stanislaus County.

[Rudy]

Lets ban the internet, TV commercials, and all the prime time TV shows, they contain more profanity and explicit sexual conduct then any book kids can get their hands on.
What the hell is this world coming to. Lets ban the bible, it is a book with no known authors, no authenticity, no varifiable translators from the original writings. Who knows what the original document says.
I guess there is nothing else to do in Stainslaus, they have to create controversy becuase these people have no lives.

[P J Evans]

"There was excessive vulgarity or profanity used throughout the book,"

I'd be willing to bet that the schoolkids already know and use all of those words. They aren't afraid of vulgarity, even if the school board is (and the school board sounds more like a clutch of maiden aunts than like the businessmen they presumably are).

[Kevin]

This is a publicity goldmine for the author. The kids are free to read it at home. They can borrow it from the public library or buy it and enrich Mr. Anaya. Mr. Anaya may be upset to have his book banned, but I bet he's also happily anticipating a huge increase in royalties.

[Gurney]

I'm always and ever amazed at how reactionaries and other tight-sphinctered persons wail about Big Gummint while laboring to control our lives at lower and lower levels.

And if anyone had any doubts, I'm happy to say Anaya is a great, great author. Terrific news that kids want to read him.

[Reina]

It's called "age appropriate reading". Not all books are appropriate for people of all ages. And then there's the fact that these students are minors - just because some parents allow their children unlimited access to profane reading material doesn't mean that all parents do. And restricting the school system from using the book in it's curriculum doesn't mean that they can't read it at all - that's a decision for the kids parents to make.

[JCinDenver]

The people on the school board who voted against this book should not be any where near childern or anyone else who is in a learning capacity. With their closed minds, they should go off to some cloistered cult campground in the middle of nowhere so they can pontificate to each other regarding their personal beliefs.

What part of 'freedom of the press' do they not understand? How about the right to the persuit of happiness?

[rebecca]

are they still letting them read The Catcher in the Rye?

[PAUL OLIVAS]

LET THE KIDS READ!

[Trev]

The absurdity of this is incomprehensible. We are happy for the media to churn out masses of uncensored adverts, full of explicit material and implications to sex, drugs and alcohol (but it is notable how in some countries, TV programmes are not allowed to show smoking or drinking alcohol before 9pm, as though that's going to stop anyone taking up the activities), yet we are suddenly outraged when a book filled with "vulgarity" is being used in schools.
Talk about inconsistency...

[Joe]

This is just a way for the school board to justify it's board members existence. They can think of no real ideas for theirselves, to contribute to the better of the students, so they go on a witch hunt and place the blame on a book. They are shifting the blame in hopes that no one sees their incompetence. How many jr. high kids use profanity or have heard it at home or some other place in this day and age? The cure is worse than the disease.

The board members need to get a life and need a reality check.

[2 cents]

profanity and vulgarity are indeed a probable part of the broad experience of many school children - but must the lowest common denominator always be the preferred and accepted standard of discourse? the fact coarseness exists does not make it the more desirable in every case - to read of such absolutist views as I see expressed here makes me think that this "censorship" sword cuts both ways and seems as likely to mean imposing one set of values as another and opposing set of values

[Steve Meister]

School Board (skool bord) n. - Five people trying to share one brain.

[markiejoe]

Someone needs to ban these four schoolboard members from being anywhere near schools or children in any educational context. They clearly have no idea what learning means nor what qualities make for good literature. Clue to the clueless: good literature does not depend on the absence of profanity. Get these book banners off American schoolboards and out of America's libraries before America's children are turned into vegetable-brains.

[Betty]

Is this schoolboard aware that Alice in Wonderland is a book that extols the fun of drug use?

[C]

Classic literature is important for child/teen development. Giving young people the respect to allow them to read about mature, real world (and yes, the real world is sometimes an awful place) situations shows today's youth that our educators care to let them make their own decisions as to how to feel about the content of what they read.

They are smarter that the school board gives them credit for and making this choice for them is not how to raise the next generation of critical thinkers.

[Joey]

Someone should turkey slap the superintendent.

[ritaanne]

Probably none of these words are new to the kids. Check out a list of books that have been banned or challenged over the centuries - the school board might get a real surprise from that list! Hope the local public library has lots of copies, because banning something almost instantly makes it more popular!

[Bob]

Make up your minds people, either use of profanity in schools is unacceptable or don't discipline children for using the same language in the hallways as you require them to read in the classroom. So don't send them off to the Vice Pricipal's office or detention for using some of the language they learned reading the book recommended by the former first lady in class. It's called hypocrisy, either it's unacceptable or it's acceptable. Face it, some people get the wrong message and don't know how to discern varying levels of personal and professional verbal interaction regarding politeness, manners and profesionalism as well as acting insubordinate, because of all the double meanings and conflicting messages we send to minors while they are still in their formative years. Can't we have them learn about literature without throwing when and when not to use profanity in the mix, not to mention upsetting the parents who don't want their children to ever use such language let alone learn it in a public school classroom largely funded by tax dollars?

Wonder why it's part of the academic decathlon literature? Because nearly all academic decathlon students are already at least freshman college level academically (i.e. virtually adult level). But we know they are not the average and below average student that make up the overwhelming majority of students at the public secondary school level. Teaching to a double standard of social interaction at the secondary school level (banning profanity while requiring reading profanity) seems like a bad idea for an overwhelming majority of children who are generally not mature enough intellectually, socially or emotionally (or legally of age) to make such decisions as when it is or when it isn't acceptable to use profanity. It simply sends the wrong or confusing message about language when the use of profanity is more likely to cause problems for children. IMHO it should be left to the college or advanced high school literature curriculum if it's used at all in an academic "required reading" setting. Funny how people are rising to defend Laura Bush's choice of literature that is criticized for use of excessive vulgarity and profanity but also defend her stance against sex education in schools. Go figure.

[Desire Knowledge]

It is truly a sad day in Newman. Another tidbit you should be aware of...the parent who complained is the middle school librarian and bonus, one of the 4 board members who voted in favor of the ban is the county librarian in Newman! Yes, the Nazi-Crows Landing Unified School District is ushering in the 4th Reich. Non readers (the Superintendent and board members) should have done a little research (like actually visited the high school campus & classrooms) and not just dictated their moral values on the rest of the town. But then every village needs an idiot..or 5!

[BS]

I'd be willing to bet big dollars that the real reason the book was banned was NOT for language but for the content.

Bless Me Ultima is one of the best written novels of the past 50 years. It is an endearing story of a young boy growing up with his Curandera grandmother. And therein lies the problem. There is a lot of content that concerns the "Old Religion", indigenous beliefs systems that oppose the Catholic Church.

I would recommend that everyone read this book, no matter your age. Trust me, it's NOT the language.

[Rosa M.Arroyo]

My 16 year old daughter read that book, by choice ,from a long list of books, provided by her AP English teacher, in Los Angeles Unified School District. I asked her if she felt the book had a lot of profanity and she replied " no more than, what I hear out the mouths of kids on campus". It is a fact that profanity is a part of kids daily language. My opinion is that kids who use profanity as part of their speaking skills, are not much of readers anyway. I don't think a book will contribute to that behavior. A book with no profanity would be a preferred choice of course for any parent, and in our home I am the one that gives, the "bendicion utima".

[Ramona Quimby]

So Bob, should we not read any book that has murder or rape or other crime? After all, those things are "banned" in our society just as students are "banned" from using profanity in schools. Your logic is seriously flawed, my friend.

BTW, any parent can opt his/her child out of reading any book.

[Schimpff]

Banning books is a way to educate slaves. If a nation of slaves is what you want, that is what you will get.

[Bob]

Ramona Quimby, I never said do not read any book that details prohibited or unlawful behavior (nice example of assuming an unstated premise or if denial in one setting is asserted then all settings are considered denied: the logical fallacy of composition).

If a parent wants to have their child read such literature how can it not be the prerogative of a parent to do so? In that instance the parent is aware, approves and can be held responsible for any negative consequences that result when less than mature children act out from "getting the wrong message" when exposed to profanity because they gave it to their child. I argued about laws, juveniles/minors and public acts with public funds (i.e. compulsory public education of children), and paying off lawsuits that result from parents that don't agree, sue and win. Since an overwhelming majority of college students are ADULTS NOT JUVENILES, that's why I suggested it was a better setting for REQUIRING the reading of such texts because adults are responsible and bear the consequences of their own choices and acts, and are generally more mature. How is that construed as any book that describes unlawful behavior should be banned in any setting, even to adults? At least get the context right.

Profanity is like a "loaded gun," incorrect usage can have dire consequences. See how people, especially defendants, who go off on a profanity laced diatribe in a court of law ends up (or even certain social situations). Besides isn't the whole idea to have children (NOT ADULTS) learn how to understand the discipline of literature, i.e. how to read, understand concepts re: writing, and compose essays, the written word, etc. Can't that be done with CHILDREN, in public schools, without the use of profanity and the pandora's box, and taxpayer liability, that opens up?

My alluding to Laura Bush was in regards to how the last administration shoved their own fundamentalist Christian religious beliefs don't our throats at taxpayer expense and how I've never heard of a fundamentalist Christian church that approved the use of profanity, hence the double standard/hypocrite reference.

[Michael]

The only reason why books like these are banned is because they are about Chicanos (Mexican-Americans) and they don't want kids to know the truth! Instead, they want kids to think that we are illegal immigrants from Mexico who want to break in the USA and cause havoc. Hmmm? Do we need ANOTHER Chicano Civil Rights Movement (like the one from the 1960's that is virtually IGNORED in our American history books). All we hear about is Blacks this and MLK that. I know that that's good, but about us? We were HEAVILY discriminated against and we were in our homelands as opposed to those pilgrims!

[Joseph Hahn]

I'm a student in a district where this book is not only in the library, but is part of the English 10 Honors curriculum. We have recently received an assignment to write an essay about the challenging and banning of the book. Bless Me, Ultima is a great book, which tells of a young boy growing up. Ironic isn't it? How the book about growing up is censored. High School Students shouldn't be banned from reading a book simply because there a curse words in it. Not only to students already say (or at least know) these words by this age, but they also understand what the word means. If you ban a book you are keeping them from learning about the views of other people. If everyone thinks that one way of thinking is the correct way, aren't we just repeating the horrific events that have happened in the past?

[Adriana]

I'm a high school student at los altos and i read Bless Me, Ultima. I personally loved the book and was glad my teacher assigned it. I was disappointed to hear the ban on this book because I find it is rare for a teacher to assign a book about latinos. Since I am a latina i was personally offended by the ban. I hope they realize they made a HUGE mistake. The story has a point and the profanity isn't a problem. Students use it in everyday language and it will not change who they are.

[Backspace]

Hmm.... Let's think a bit:
I'm glad I read that sophomore year. No trouble for this year.
I hate Fauss, can't he just pester the Elementary schools? We have two of them, so he can take his pick. Just wish he'd stay away from Orestimba!

One side says let's ban a book, the other says don't.
One says there is bad stuff in the book, others say that the bad stuff is present everywhere else.
A paraphrased quote:
I may not like what you are saying, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it.
So, yeah.
Now regarding the fact that I despise the book, it has no bearing whatsoever in this analysis of the book:
There are many concepts to it, including opposing religions, profanity, perceived stereotypes, references to explicit content, as well as showing how a boy in a specific background grows to maturity and is exposed to life in ways similar to the way children are today.

I personally don't see a reason to ban the book, thankfully that's settled. But, excluding it from school curriculum made a big mess for teachers who were in the middle of teaching it in the class.

Hmm, let's look to the connections to the Constitution and subsequent Amendments:
The first is in regard to the freedom of speech, press, and religion, yes?
So if people ban the book for the vulgarity it violates this amendment, as well as if they want to ban it for conflicting religions. That means "I am free to chose my own religion, or lack thereof." So if anybody wants to force you to be Catholic, Christian, or some other, ancient religion, kick them to the curb!

On to the next comment!