Why wait until Banned Books Week starts next week to start celebrating the madness.
This time we go to Murphy, Oregon where things got a little heated at the Three Rivers School Board meeting.
At issue: Persepolis, an autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi about her experiences growing up during the Iranian revolution.
The ‘problem’: the book contains some questionable language and depicts scenes of torture and some parents want to be able to sign off and give their approval before their kids can enjoy it.
Apparently, one school board member (a librarian) was a little zealous in defending the book, frequently interrupting a parent as he read from it – she wanted to know if he knew what the book was about or if he was just going to read the portions to the board to show where he was offended.
As for where the challenge stands – the parents need to go through the district’s chain of command for requesting a review of “Persepolis,” which involves contacting the superintendent and director of curriculum. Then, if nothing happens, the parents can return to the board for possible action.
Oh, and by the way, Persepolis is on the suggested reading list from the Oregon Department of Education.
The book; however, is currently banned in two places – Chicago public school schools (for seventh graders) and in Iran!
Buy: Powell’s | Amazon | First Edition
More: Controversial book spurs battle at school board meeting Grants Pass Daily Courier: