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Last week, for the sake of one word, “The Higher Power of Lucky”—this year’s Newbery Medal-winning children??s book—was banned in many school libraries across the country. Apparently, librarians object because the author employs a word on the first page considered inappropriate for its young audience: “scrotum.” According to the New York Times, the book reads, “Scrotum sounded to Lucky like something green that comes up when you have the flu and cough...
First of all, banning an award-winning children??s book from public school libraries is counterintuitive. While awards and professionals are often wrong, in this case librarians have acted hastily. Censorship should be enforced on a case-by-case basis, not only because people mature at different ages but also because there is simply no definitive law that says that a child must be a certain age before he or she can encounter the word “scrotum.” Instead, in this particular case, the response demonstrates a knee-jerk reaction to one taboo word...
Furthermore, such action defies a judgment by those experienced in dealing with children??s literature—the Newbery Medal committee. Their opinion should have more weight than those of librarians, yet the latter are clearly giving themselves the benefit of the doubt...
...there is a difference between gratuitously employing “adult” words in a children??s book and complementing one’s narrative with the use of words that signify the mysterious adult world around the protagonist. If taboo subjects are brought up in a children??s book and dealt with in the proper manner, then it should not be censored...
...park seven miles away reveals riverbanks swarming with dedicated anglers who arrive for the 6:30 starting gun. Chamber of Commerce members offer free coffee as dedicated fishers compete for the honor of catching the largest lunker in their division (men’s, women’s, or children??s). Winners get a trophy—again thanks to the Chamber of Commerce—a picture in the local papers, and bragging rights for the entire year. But competition is intense because of the crowded fishing field. It is not unheard of for fishers of fish...