The Learning Tree challenged
A member of the Mobile county school board in Alabama is seeking to remove Gordon Parks' book, The Learning Tree, from this summer's reading list for upcoming ninth-graders at LeFlore High School in Mobile, reports the Alabama Press-Register. Fleet Belle, who says he has read sections of the book, wants it removed because of its "inappropriate and unacceptable" language. The novel, written in 1963, describes the life of a black youth growing up in Kansas in the 1920s and 1930s and the harsh racism he encountered. Parks had also achieved fame as a photographer.
posted by Stephen Denney | 5:27 PM
1 Comments:
I strongly disagree with removing this novel from the reading list. As this post states, Belle (who wishes to have the book removed) has only read sections of the novel. I have read the entire novel and realize the relavence of using that form of language in the context of the novel. It takes place in Kansas in the 1920's, where racism is a huge issue. The language used by the author, Gordon Parks, is not meant to be offensive, but to simply emphasize the way of life back then. Before making such a drastic descision, Belle actually read the novel and understand the reasoning behind its content.
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