Slaughterhouse-Five And Twenty Boy Summer Back In Missouri Schools, With Restrictions

By the Associated Press

REPUBLIC, Mo. (AP) - Two months after removing two books from its curriculum and school library, a southwest Missouri school board has voted to allow them back into the library - but with strong restrictions on who will be allowed to check them out.

The Republic school board voted in July to remove Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five" and Sarah Ockler's "Twenty Boy Summer" from the school after a man who does not have children there said the books taught values contrary to the Bible. That decision triggered heated debate in Republic and prompted Monday's decision to revise the school's book policy.

Under the revised policy approved before a packed meeting room, the board agreed to allow challenged books to be kept in a secure section of the school library. Only parents who want their children to read the book will be allowed to check it out.

"It does keep the books there in the library, and if parents want their kids to read the book, by all means come and check it out," said Superintendent Vern Minor. "It still puts the decision in parents' hands."

A year ago, Republic resident Wes Scroggins complained about the appropriateness of those two books as well as "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson. On July 25, following Minor's recommendation, the board kept "Speak" and removed the other two books.

Members of the group Reclaiming Missouri For Christ attended the board meeting. President Mark Riser said he supports making the books available with parental permission.

Comments

[thebigbike]

12:28 AM on 09/27/2011

one of the biggest membership warehouse chains, just put a hardback edition of Slaughterhouse 5 on their tables. there must be some recent event that brought it to the public's attention and stimulated demand (wink wink nudge nudge)

[Rich914]

08:24 AM on 09/24/2011

Slaughterhouse Five is part science fiction part historically accurate eyewitness account of the bombing of Dresden, by the author, who was actually there as an American POW. The amazing literary accomplishment is that the reader more readily accepts the science fiction story of a man who is abducted by aliens and lives nonconsecutive moments, than the factually accurate and independently documented events toward the end of WWII. Having read it over a few times, I don't see how the book challenges or teaches anything hostile or against spiritual values found in the Bible.

[triplettam]

11:50 AM on 09/22/2011

When these books were originally banned (Celebration of Banned Books Week is next week folks), only one of the school board members had read either book (we don't know which one). Which is more telling than which books were banned. How can you ban a book without knowing what it's about? The assault on intelligence we are seeing these days just leaves me dumbfounded.

[Anna Nicole Dahmer]

03:15 PM on 09/22/2011

i agree, it's shocking how ill-informed everyone seems to be.

[triplettam]

03:26 PM on 09/22/2011

Oh, look who showed up. What's up darlin'? Good to see you. Yes, it is shocking. But next week I do my presentations on Lenny Bruce. So--hopefully--the bar will be raised for a moment here.

[bzimmerman]

10:38 PM on 09/22/2011

Even if they had read it, they'd have seen only the smut, violence and godlessness.

These are the same people who rail against too much government involvement in our lives.

[dmgoss]

10:24 AM on 09/22/2011

Here's where the opportunity to do some good parenting in the face of an institutional failure comes in. Read the books on the banned list with your kid; confront the issues that prompt the outrage; discuss the phenomenon of moral relativism with your child; make sure they understand how important being open to the multitude of perspectives our society has created, and that this is one of the great freedoms we enjoy as Americans; show how contrary to our pluralistic values banning books, and their unique perspectives, is, etc, etc. Teach your children to think critically. It's more central to the health of our society than just about anything else.

[Peter Nuhn]

09:32 AM on 09/22/2011

I only read Christian banned books. I only watch Christian banned films. I only listen to Christian banned songs. Keep up the good work Christians. Your taste in banning art is excellent as always. Thanks.

[Squirdlock]

08:33 AM on 09/22/2011

the conservatives' war on brains never ends

[LabRat]

08:21 AM on 09/22/2011

I always figured book bannings from school systems were a plot by literature teachers to coax kids into reading certain books. It's more effective than requiring them.

[dmgoss]

10:25 AM on 09/22/2011

See South Park episode re. "Scroty McBoogerballs".

[BigWillyG]

04:50 PM on 09/22/2011

Was just thinking of that. Cartman- "They lured us in with promises of vulgarity."

[independentcynic1228]

12:51 PM on 09/22/2011

I agree. When the school district I was in started getting complaints about teachers making kids read George Orwell, it made you want to find out what was so wrong about it. And honestly, I find it hilarous that in many of these same libraries where certain books are banned, you can find Stephen King and other authors with more colorful language and sexual content in their books. But who knows. I've spent the last 15 years still trying to figure out why George Orwell was so controversial, especailly when his theories and ideas pretty well portray where things have been going in our society.

[syrinx14]

02:43 AM on 09/22/2011

I'm running right out and buying several copies of all these books and sending them for Christmas presents this year. It's just too much that groups like these think they can tell me and my children what books they can and can not read, books like say, Webster's Dictionary, To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn and everyone will just get in line and let them get away with that. Here's to not getting in line!!

Here's people banning a book about book banning. I like the high school kids making a petition. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUq2d2OFRkk

Here's a list of banned books by the American Library Association. Don't forget to go out, buy every one and don't forget to purchase the dangerous, subversive, misguided and offensive, "Draw Me A Star" by Eric Carle, a book for 4 year olds and up. I'm getting this one for the kids. http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/2000_2009/index.cfm

[carmenalex]

09:46 AM on 09/22/2011

thank you so much for the information. As a teacher, I applaud you.

[carmenalex]

09:49 AM on 09/22/2011

I cannot believe Julie of the Wolves is on there, I homeschool a student until he can go back to regular school and I made him do a book report on that one. I just informed him of the books status and he said "cool!" LOL!

[Blackorpheus]

11:21 PM on 09/21/2011

Ah, burn 'em. They're dirty, they're decadent. They're just books.

[MtnGeek]

10:16 AM on 09/22/2011

Don't burn them ... it's bad for the environment and they're really hard to read after they've been burned.

[Blackorpheus]

03:12 PM on 09/22/2011

Environ--what!

[Joseph Camel]

05:54 PM on 09/22/2011

They don't got to burn the books they just remove em while arms warehouses fill as fast as the cells.

[acumenguy]

07:33 PM on 09/21/2011

Really, I didn't realise that modern day school districts were still "banning" non-pronigraphic" material. I wonder, do these idiots ban the Greek tragedies. Now, thats some HOT stuff!!

[daughterusmc]

09:51 PM on 09/21/2011

shhhhh!!!! do not mention oedipus, or phaedra...they have no idea.

[bobbrowntown]

02:09 AM on 09/22/2011

how about shakespeare with underage and interracial love. shhhh.

[inkongirl]

07:06 PM on 09/21/2011

I've read them both, my 13 year old daughter has read Twenty Boy Summer. They're good books, and how sad that one ultra conservative seems to be able to make the rules for an entire district.

[BigWillyG]

05:53 PM on 09/21/2011

Why bother banning Slaughter-House Five? It's so boring nobodies going to read it unless they're forced to anyway much like that overhyped censorship favorite Catcher in the Rye.

[bobbrowntown]

02:06 AM on 09/22/2011

disagree, I read Slaughter house five and god bless you mr rosewater and nearly everything vonnegut wrote. his existential questions were timeless. as much or more so than the tolkein books which are read because of the movies.

[MtnGeek]

10:18 AM on 09/22/2011

Those are two classics which are really enjoyable to read. More to the point, personal taste should not dictate censorship.

[Cyndi Soderlund]

04:20 PM on 09/21/2011

Yes, I can see where the anti-war sentiments in Slaughterhouse Five go against the bible's teachings, as the bible seems to approve of war and violence of all types.

[frdafury]

09:54 PM on 09/21/2011

and let's not forget that the Bible is big on slavery while we are at it. That seems to want to make a comeback in this day and age with these folks.

[GraceNotes]

03:49 PM on 09/21/2011

By requiring the parents to accompany the kids to the school library to check out the books, they have almost guaranteed the books will not be read.

[MtnGeek]

10:19 AM on 09/22/2011

Except every book store and public library will have copies. Do these people think they can ban the book from Amazon?

[GraceNotes]

11:09 AM on 09/22/2011

Yes, indeed. Banning books is such a quaint, 20th Century idea, isn't it?

[BlackJAC]

03:36 PM on 09/21/2011

What exactly is so objectionable about Slaughterhouse-Five that would provoke its banning?

[LitDr2B]

06:37 PM on 09/21/2011

Apparently some scenes of a s.exual nature.

Of which, of course, the Bible has none.

[MtnGeek]

10:20 AM on 09/22/2011

It is very anti-war, otherwise I am not sure where someone would take offense.