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Show Book banning CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE "Literature of the Supernatural," a textbook which is a collection of stories written by Edgar Allen Poe, O. Henry, Ray Bradbury, Dante, Shakespeare and others, was challenged chal-lenged at the Jefferson County school libraries in Lakewood, Colo., because parents objected to many of the stories because they "promoted the occult, sexual promiscuity and anti-Americanism and that they attacked other traditional tradi-tional American values." The Jefferson Jef-ferson County School Board refused re-fused to ban the book. In Sallisaw, Okla., a senior high school biology teacher removed ' nine. pages from a textbook because be-cause they were "irrelevant" to the school's curriculum requirements. require-ments. The pages contained information infor-mation on reproduction and birth control. The teacher said he was . "trying to circumvent a problem, rather than create one, when students stu-dents were forced to take the books parents might find objectionable into their homes." Another textbook, "Portrait of America," was returned to the Racine, Wisconsin School District just one week after the school board voted to ban it. Members of the school board charged that the social studies book contained "judgmental writing,'1 and, in the words of one board member, "a lot more funny pictures of Republicans Republi-cans and nicer pictures of Demo- crats." The "God Squad," a group of three students and their parents, have challenged several books at the El Camino High School in Oceanside, Calif. "The Game of Wizards" was challenged because the Chinese yin and yang symbol is ' in the book. The complainant wrote "This is the symbol of Confucianism Con-fucianism and represents reincarnation. reincar-nation. This book also deals with transcendental meditation." The same "God Squad" challenged "The Popular History of Witchcraft" Witch-craft" because the book "glorifies the devil and the occult. Other well known books that have be sn challenged chal-lenged recently are John Steinbeck's Stein-beck's "Grapes of Wrath" because be-cause the "book is full of filth" and Salinger's "Catcher in the' Rye" because of the sexual references j and profanity in the book. Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was challenged j because the book promotes "secu-; lar humanism" and William Steig's ; "The Amazing Bone" was challenged chal-lenged because one parent objected ob-jected to the "use of tobacco by the ! animals." Probably one of the most fre- quently challenged books this year , is Shel Silverstein's "A Light in the : Attic," a book of children's poetry : which faces challenges for several reasons the book encourages ' "children to be disobedient," it : promotes "behavior abusive to : women and children, suicide as a way to manipulate parents, mock- ' ery of God, and selfish and disre- : spectful behavior." |