This is true parent advocacy in action. Erika is part of our Washington Parents United Chapter. We are formalizing chapters across the state and giving you the tools you need to research the books in your library! Reach out at [email protected] if you want to be on a book review team for your school district.CAUTION, Book reviews/quotes at bottom of post are explicit. The schools with these books are listed with each review.
Email to WCSD: Hello Mr. Bergeson and WCSD Board, I appreciate your invitation to email my concerns and thank you for looking into this serious matter further. PLEASE DO NOT DELAY IN REMOVING THESE BOOKS FROM ALL WCSD SCHOOLS. We cannot take lightly the impact we have on students and our responsibility to call out the greatness in them. I am a firm believer that this is done by providing children with good literature, filled with inspiring, morally strong themes and characters. As you know, what we feed our minds influences our behavior. It was mentioned in the meeting last night that there are already policies in place that can guide us in what books are brought into the district. Would parent review panels be helpful? The information I found on the books in the GRAMA request took a matter of minutes with an internet search. WE MUST DO BETTER. It is time to look closely at what is available in our school libriaries. Listed below are book review summaries. Thank you again for your immediate attention to this. Be advised that the following contains appalling/explicit information. BOOKS CURRENTLY IN WCSD LIBRARIES: "Out of Darkness", "The Hate U Give", "This One Summer", "George" It is greatly concerning that books with such explicit language and sexual content have been purchased/approved by WCSD and are available to students, especially in the three elementary schools that have "The Hate U Give." Here is a collection of parent reviews from Common Sense Media: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/…/the-h…/user-reviews/adult The Hate U Give (In Coral Cliffs Elem, Desert Canyons Elem., Majestic Fields Elem, Sunrise Ridge Int., Crimson CLiffs Mid and HS, Desert Hills Mid and HS, Dixie Mid and HS, Snow Canyon Mid and HS, SORA Online E-Book for all district Middle/High ) This book has explicit language, many sexual references and violence. "There is lots of foul language, and it broaches the topic of "going all the way" and sex, and pulling out condoms during a make out session, his hands in her pants" "The main theme is THUG LIFE meaning "The Hate U Give Little Infants F***'s Everybody".... There are 90 F*CK's and a variety of over 200 other words that the author uses for shock value and impact. Lots of chanting of "F*CK THE POLICE" and "MothaF*cker..." ." "s--t" "a--" "b---", "d---" "nigga" "Overall the themes in this book may create heightened racial polarization and risks preconceived vision of this culture and magnification of racial stereotypes to the next generation." "Out of Darkness" - Book Review (In Dixie Mid, Snow Canyon Mid, Crimson Cliffs HS, Hurricane HS, Pine View HS, and SORA online E-books for all middle/High schools) Set in 1936 East Texas in the months leading up to the 1937 New London School Explosion, the book explores a fictional relationship between a Mexican teen allowed to attend the white high school and an African-American teen who lives in the black neighborhood on the other side of town. Language include racial slurs such as the "N" word, "Boy," and "dirty Mexican," as well as occasional curse words, including "s--t," "c--t," and "f--k." The violence is disturbing, personal, and based in racial hatred. Additionally, the book explores the mature and intimate relationship between two teens. "age 17+ salacious and dark I am in chapter 64 of 175, far enough along to form an overall impression in five letters: ew, ick. The review that says this is about race is a half-truth. So far, that’s a minor ingredient in this the author’s recipe. By paragraph-count, this book focuses on gratuitous sexual situations that should be beyond many 9th graders: multiple, comprehensive-enough instructions on giving “hand jobs” (adult males training teen girls); female masturbation (protagonist) justified for pain relief and mental escape by a girl living through the trauma of being sexually abused by a stepfather; male masturbation by both the stepdad (villain) and love interest (hero); and the most vulgar of "locker room talk” I’ve ever read/heard (and I’ve not grown up in bubble, for sure). (Later on the author teaches young-adult males how to "go down" and give girls a "gift.") The sexualization is not romantic, but rather nasty. Some sexual situations unfortunately reinforce some racists stereotypes (I grew up in this general area, so I know from experience). If I was black or Mexican and thin-skinned, I might take offense. Most chapter headings are the name of a character—that’s a plot structure used by the author for some rather rough transitions (not great writing). The reader soon learns that it is sometimes a tip-off as to who might orgasm or be abused (or both). To say this book is about teaching kids about race is a little like buying a Playboy Magazine for the articles. Maybe a little salaciousness keeps a teen boy's interest, but this is way over the top. Intertwined motifs are sweat and semen. They recur in many chapters, both directly and indirectly. They are ghosts that haunt the protagonist. Diction is juvenile (think Beavis and Butt-Head). Amongst the salaciousness, the author likes to do things like this: Jerk of the wood-en window (masturbation of the villain in their house) The naked trees (the protagonist and hero eventually have sex in the woods) The author really is describing windows and trees, but used a deliberate word choice to try to be funny (maybe)… More formally (legally or clinically), I would say that this book: (A) appeals to the prurient interest of a minor in sex; (B) is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable for minors; and (C) is utterly without redeeming social value for minors or literary value for anyone." Out of Darkness - Book Review Caldecott Honor doesn't mean the same thing it used to... THIS ONE SUMMER (In Paradise Canyons Elem, Snow Canyon Mid, Crimson Cliffs High, Dixie High) https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-revie…/this-one-summer "This graphic novel (discusses) an unwanted teenage pregnancy is an integral part of the story, as do a miscarriage and a suicide attempt. Dialogue in This One Summer contains about a dozen instances each of "s--t," "f--k," and "a--hole." "Boobs," "prick," "douche bag," "slut," and "butt" are employed a few times each. Adults are shown drinking wine, and older teens drink and smoke at an outdoor party." "should not be included in an elementary library. The subject matter is not appropriate 1)references to porn, oral sex 2) language. Very discouraging as an educator and a parent." "I was appalled at the content in this graphic novel. My 12 year old checked this book out from her school library via the SORA app for a so called "fun" afternoon read. The cover of the book nor the descriptive summary of the story line gave any signs that it might be inappropriate. After all, it was an "award winning" children's book. It was determined pretty quick that the content was ANYTHING BUT appropriate. Multiple use of profanity - and that wasn't the worst part. How about having your daughter read about "blowjobs" and "oral sex" and "porn" along with multiple other sexual innuendos! Common Sense Media says the book is for ages 13+ ?! No 13 year old should be reading this kind of material. As others have stated, this type of content would be rated R in movies. If they're not old enough to see it in the movies, they're not old enough to see/read it in a book. Shame on the app/library for making it available for innocent eyes to see & read... ESPECIALLY with no warning of the graphic nature of the book! There is plenty of time in a person's life to be exposed to such filth/material.... why push it onto such young kids?? Let them stay innocent while they can!! Totally unacceptable." GEORGE by Alex Gino (IN DIXIE HIGH) "While I understand there is an audience for this book-- children who are exploring transitioning -- I do not feel it is a significant literary work. The author is careless in the use of language, throws around gender stereotypes and presents characters who are underdeveloped. It is a junior high stories embedded in an elementary level book. I would definitely not recommend this book for anyone younger than 14 years old. Please note the following direct quotes where "she" refers to George who was born a male but is now a trans girl: “She immersed her body in the in the warm water and tried not to think about what was between her legs, but there it was, bobbing in front of her.” “Hey Rick. It looks like someone is finally starting to grow some balls.” “Nothing makes her more uncomfortable than when boys talked about what was in her underpants.” “George had been reading websites about transitioning since Scott taught her how to clear the web browser history on Mom’s computer.” “….what she has between her legs was nobody’s business but hers and her boyfriend.” “Boys are dirty and try to look up our skirt.” “She would do cartwheels leaving her pink underwear showing.” “She lifted her skirt to see her underwear, covered in tiny red hearts, she pulled it down, sat and peed, just like a girl.”
Tracie
11/17/2021 11:19:01 am
Pull your children from public school. Their very lives are on the line. Porn sends out the same addictive chemicals as crack cocaine. I have seen many marriages & families explode because of porn addiction by one spouse. These books are filled with more that destroys the mind than the crack of porn. Having children read this garbage knocks down a domino effect you can’t stop. It gets them to find more then more. Their underdeveloped brains will twist this information even more. They are incapable of seeing it clearly. Every civilization that has fallen has corrupted their children with sex, idols, and predisposed ideas of being an oppressor or a victim. Home schooling is not hard. It’s a better education than public schools. You can teach banking, credit, interest rates, how to know if a store is giving you a deal or not, real history that destroys CRT in one line. Give them a POV where they are eager to learn everything about a subject. Will not allow themselves to be censored or fooled by the government & big business who think we are their products & the machine that makes their personal bank accounts become larger and larger while our way of life continues to shrink. Do we want our children living under the thumb of government??? Or do we give them the skills to think, to think critically and not critizingly. America is the only place on the planet that anyone no matter their race, gender, religion, can come and build a life they choose. Right now the government is doing all the choosing and they are deliberately turning our kids into their own personal work force that only works for the politicians and big business. Do we allow them to take away our children while we are trying to raise them? Children are committing suicide at the highest rate in history. That’s not normal. So don’t let someone working on the side of government tell you it is normal. Children are being pulled in every direction. What parents teach, what schools teach, what they and their friends think of what parents and schools are teaching. All pull them in different ways to think. Children will go for the teaching that tells them the easiest way without telling them the consequences, that actually make it the hardest way. They are feeding our children’s side that wants to blame others for their choices & problems. They want children to see problems that aren’t there. We need to wake up to the fact the schools and government want our children to fail! They don’t want them to understand what we do, so they can’t fight back. They won’t fight back. They are being taught that government is their parent. The parent who recognizes how hard things are for them the parent that tells them sexual activity is exciting and wonderful. How long before our own children become pedophiles as grown ups? That’s one of the consequences to early introduction of sex. And there are a million more! Why are we fighting these indoctrination camps that are called schools, when each day they take our kids down even further. As it stands children are going to need real psychological help not the current government type of help. We need to work together so we can help each other keep kids out of public schools! Don’t allow your job to be the reason you keep sending your kids to only learn how to hate others, hide things from parents and learn all about sexual abuse. What kids learn in school with a full day. Can be taught in minutes for younger children and within a few hours for those in junior high & high schools. They don’t teach that much in a day. Parents can do better!
Christy Johnson
11/18/2021 07:32:43 am
Very well said! I agree... I do not currently have any children of school-age but if I did I would be homeschooling them for sure. I did homeschool my kids in their later grades when I was living in California and I am now a Tutor in Cedar City and helping parents who are new to homeschooling. Thank you for such a well thought-out comment. If anyone would like to get in touch with me they can reach me at [email protected]
Sean Peck
11/17/2021 12:26:00 pm
Looks like St George needs to ask themselves why they thought a book by/about Tupac is okay for elementary and middle school students. Remarkable.
Gail Watts
11/17/2021 06:43:37 pm
I would like to know if there are teachers or people that can teach mothers and grandmothers to homeschool. It would be hard because the subjects they teach in school over our heads. Also is it costly?
Ashley Ulmer
11/18/2021 01:21:13 am
I have a degree in early childhood education and honeschool my children. I am only in year 2 and am far from being an expert at it (it's different than teaching a classroom full of kids) but I'm happy to share what I know and show you how I do it (I share my curriculum for free and have a pamphlet on the basics of teaching). It's really far less frightening and far more rewarding than most people know. Feel free to contact me if you'd like to chat. My email is [email protected]
Christy Johnson
11/18/2021 07:28:10 am
Thank you I will contact you directly.
Jayme
12/9/2021 09:15:58 am
Look up homeschool help and even funding from an online program called https://www.mytechhigh.com/ . Used it and loved it!
Cameron
11/18/2021 06:15:51 pm
First thing I see when looking at this website is a "vigil" for those "killed" or "maimed" by the COVID-19 vaccine. I do not deny that unintended side effects and complications exist when undertaking literally any medical procedure. But as a fully covid vaccinated adult who was shot full of many vaccines throughout my life (including about 20 in 15 minutes in boot camp), I'm pretty sure this "vigil" is going to be just another excuse for COVID deniers and anti-vax nutjobs to spew their bullshit. Admittedly I'm not surprised that parents in Utah might believe or fall for that insanity, but it saddens me how far we've fallen.
JM
11/18/2021 08:37:51 pm
Hi! Cameron, clearly this isn’t an issue that bothers you. Please move along. Your mock outrage isn’t going to change any parents minds about what they would like their children to be reading.
Cameron
11/19/2021 09:38:07 am
I believe knowing how my tax dollars are spent is very much an issue that I should be concerned about, and seeing people waste those tax dollars on pearl-clutching, book-burning outrage like this is exactly the kind of thing I am concerned about. I understand some of these books may be a bit above the age range of most elementary, and some jr high kids. But removing books from schools because they are supposed "LGBT propaganda" or "racially charged" (read: historically accurate for the time period and location depicted) or "oh no this book has the word shit in it and my innocent babies can't know that words like that exist" is the epitome of helicopter parenting that is going to be detrimental to children and the society they are learning to integrate with. Yes, schools are an important part of teaching children about the world. But no overworked school teacher, course subject, or library book is going to have as great an impact on those kids as their parents are. Kids, especially in their adolescence and teenage years are going to rebel in one way or another, because that's how they learn who they are and what they want to be. Talk to your kids like reasoning, intelligent people about difficult topics like those present in many of these books, don't just shunt them out and try to shield your children from unsavory topics. Your kids will be better off for it.
Willow
11/21/2021 01:42:42 pm
Just curious - are you a parent? And what does the covid shot have to do with the topic? Also, are you ok with the word “nigga”?
Lindsey Monson
11/19/2021 08:36:11 pm
Too many stay at home moms with too much time in their hands. Don’t you all have a hair appointment you need to go to rather than bother the police with your Karenings?
Toni
11/21/2021 02:45:39 pm
I’m curious…did someone call the police about the books? I never saw that mentioned. Making accusations like that without proof is hearsay. I grew up reading the classics. I learned so much from these amazing books. Much of what I read formed my character. I grew up in multi-racial schools and neighborhoods. Martin Luther King was and is a hero of mine. The “n word” was a forbidden word. Not anymore I see. How far our culture has fallen. Comments are closed.
|