SUNDAY, MAY 15 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ RE A
10. ‘It’s Perfectly Normal,’ by
Robie H. Harris and Michael
Emberley
What the book is about: This popular
sex education book teaches children 10
and older about their changing bodies,
sex and gender identity. It has sections
about sexual and emotional relation-
ships, sexual orientation and pregnancy.
It explains to readers that sex can be for
pleasure or for reproduction, and it can
be between people of different genders or
the same gender. The book contains nude
cartoons of people throughout, depicting
adults having sex. An updated version of
the book contains information for trans-
gender youths.
Why critics object : They say the book
is too graphic and sexually explicit for
children. In 2019, Arizona state Rep.
Kelly Townsend (R) unsuccessfully called
on schools systems and libraries to re-
move the book from their shelves, citing
its “drawn depictions of teenagers en-
gaged in sexual intercourse.”
One place it’s been banned: Rainier
(Ore.) School District, in 2017.
Excerpt: Sexual intercourse, or as it is
often called, “making love,” is a kind of
sharing between two people — between a
female and a male, or between two
females, or between two males.
Touching, caressing, kissing, and hug-
ging — often called “making out” — are
other kinds of sharing that can make two
people feel very close and loving and
excited about each other. People can and
do become sexually excited without hav-
ing sexual intercourse.
9. ‘The Bluest Eye,’ by Toni
Morrison
What the book is about: Published in
1970, this is the first novel by Nobel
Prize-winning author Toni Morrison. It
tells the story of a young African Ameri-
can girl, Pecola, in Ohio who grows up in
poverty with abusive and unstable par-
ents. Her escape is to dream about having
blue eyes, believing that would make her
more beautiful and loved in the world.
The story, narrated by Black girls, shows
how Pecola views herself in the world and
how the world sees her.
Why critics object : School districts
across the country have tried to ban this
book for decades. They have cited crude
language and graphic depictions of rape
and sex.
One place it’s been banned: Colton
(Calif.) Joint Unified School District, in
2020.
Excerpt: Pecola lost her balance and
was about to careen to the floor. Cholly
raised his other hand to her hips to save
her from falling. He put his head down
and nibbled at the back of her leg. His
mouth trembled at the firm sweetness of
the flesh. He closed his eyes, letting his
fingers dig into her waist. The rigidness
of her shocked body, the silence of her
stunned throat, was better than Pauline’s
easy laughter had been.
The confused mixture of his memories
of Pauline and the doing of a wild and
forbidden thing excited him, and a bolt of
desire ran down his genitals, giving it
length, and softening the lips of his anus.8. ‘Stamped: Racism,
Antiracism and You,’ by Jason
Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
What the book is about: This is the
middle school version of American histo-
rian and activist Ibram X. Kendi’s adult
book “Stamped from the Beginning.” The
adaptation is written with the young
adult author Jason Reynolds and is a
fast-paced read that examines the history
of racism and anti-racism by showing
how prejudice shaped the lives of five
historical figures. The book chronicles
how racism manifests itself in modern
society and introduces readers to anti-
racists, people who believe that there is
nothing “wrong or right about black
people and everything wrong about rac-
ism.”
Why critics object : Critics claim that
the book contains “selective storytelling
incidents” and does not include context
about racism against all people, accord-
ing to the American Library Association,
which included the title on its list of
most-challenged books of 2020. They
also take issue with public comments
made by Kendi, a prominent activist
known for speaking out against discrimi-
natory policies.
One place where it’s been challenged:
Berlin (N.J.) Borough School District, in
2021.
Excerpt: When I was in school and
first really learning about racism, I was
taught the popular origin story. I was
taught that ignorant and hateful people
had produced racist ideas, and that these
racist people had instituted racist pol-
icies. But when I learned the motives
behind the production of racist ideas, it
became obvious that this folktale, though
sensible, was not true. I found that the
need of powerful people to defend racist
policies that benefited them led them to
produce racist ideas, and when unsus-
pecting people consumed these racist
ideas, they became ignorant and hateful.
7. ‘Out of Darkness,’ by Ashley
Hope Pérez
What the book is about: Set in the
1930 s in a small but wealthy Te xas town,
this historical, young adult novel follows
the love story of a Mexican American girl
and an African American boy who con-
nect over their experiences of racism. The
story unfolds against the backdrop of the
1937 New London, Te x., school explosion
— one of the deadliest school tragedies in
American history. It killed nearly 300
students and teachers.
Why critics object : Parents have
called for the book to be banned because
of what they describe as pornographic
depictions of sex, with a particular focus
on one scene that refers to anal sex. A
video of a Te xas mother lambasting the
book at a school board meeting went
viral last year as she described why she
found the scene so offensive: “I do not
want my children to learn about anal sex
in middle school,” she said. “I’ve never
had anal sex. I don’t want to have anal
sex. I don’t w ant my k ids having anal sex.”
The school district later pulled the book
from its shelves. Responding to the criti-
cism, the author said the scene was taken
out of context and is from the viewpoint
of racist boys who are objectifying the
main character.
One place it’s been challenged:
School District of Osceola County (Fla.),
in 2022.
Excerpt: “Looking for the cigar facto-
ry?” Miranda said when the Mexican girl
walked past her on the way to the one
empty seat at the front of the room.
Miranda raised her eyebrows at Vanessa
and Gladys and Betty Lee. They laughed.
Some of us joined in. Most of us couldn’t
see the Mexican girl’s face from where we
sat. Still, we wondered could Mexicans
blush?SIMON & SCHUSTER CAROLRHODA LAB LITTLE, BROWN BOOKS FOR YOUNG VINTAGE CANDLEWICK6. ‘And Tango Makes Three,’
by Justin Richardson and Peter
Parnell
What the book is about: This chil-
dren’s book tells the true story of Roy and
Silo, two male penguins at the Central
Park Zoo in Manhattan who paired as a
couple. The penguins sing to each other,
wind their necks around one another and
sleep together on a nest of stones. Silo
and Roy can’t produce an egg, so they
take turns sitting on a rock. A zookeeper,
noticing this, brings them an egg that
needs to be cared for, and Roy and Silo
take turns sitting on it until they hatch a
baby penguin, Ta ngo. Ta ngo’s daddies
teach her to swim, play with her and
cuddle with their baby at night.
Why critics object : They say the story
is anti-family, promotes homosexuality
and is unsuitable for young readers. The
book has been regularly challenged over
more than a decade.
One place where it’s been challenged:
Independence, Kan., Public Library,
2020.
Excerpt: Roy and Silo were both boys.
But they did everything together. They
bowed to each other. And walked togeth-
er. They sang to each other. And swam
together. Wherever Roy went, Silo went
too. They didn’t spend much time with
the girl penguins, and the girl penguins
didn’t spend much time with them. In-
stead, Roy and Silo wound their necks
around each other. Their keeper Mr.
Gramzay noticed the two penguins and
thought to himself, “They must be in
love.”
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