From: Date: Thu, 7 Jul 1994 10:16:36 -0800 From the National Coalition Against Censorship, April 1994: (NCAC can be reached at 275 7th Ave. NY NY 10001, ph=212-807-NCAC, fax=212=807-6245.) NCAC BOOKS OF THE MONTH An occasional snapshot of the stories behind and the current status of some challenged book NCAC has been helping to defend. "The Drowning of Stefan Jones" by Bette Greene (Boling, Texas) In a sadly ironic decision, a school board banned a young-adult novel about intolerance. Among the charges was that the book, about a town's prejudice against a gay couple, will encourage the reader 'to embrace the homosexual lifestyle as acceptable.' Bantam Doubleday Dell. Status: BANNED. "Families" by Meredith Tax (Fairfax, Virginia) Through the eyes of a six-year-old, this charming and funny piece of children's fiction shows different families. The book is part of the Family Life Education Program (under attack by local far-righters) and has been challenged by a parent who claimed that "nowhere in this book is the word marriage emphasized." Little, Brown, and Co. Status: PENDING. "The Devil and All His Works" a textbook (Kalispell, Montana) The fire-and-brimstone advocates of censorship in Kalispell saw fit to have a library aide fired for lending this book. She pulled the book out of her personal collection when two students requested it for a class-approved project on witchcraft. The principal claimed she distributed "pornographic" materials, and the library aide lost her job and reputation. American Heritage. Status: BANNED. 218 Books on Gay and Lesbian Issues (Chapel Hill, North Carolina) Choice was the key concept in a multicultural reading program at the local high-school. Yet, when one student demanded that the gay and lesbian unit be eliminated as unsuitable to her religious beliefs, the school caved in rather than pointing her to a different option in the program. (Various publishers). Status: BANNED. "Shiloh" by Phyllis Naylor (Grayson, Louisiana) A young boy who tries to shield a dog from its abusive owner is the focus of "Shiloh." Because the parents of one fourth-grader cried "foul language," the school board banned the book, even though a policy of challenged materials had not yet been created. School board members are now working on creating such a policy, which will be applied to "Shiloh." Meanwhile, the book is banned from the classroom. Bantam Doubleday Dell. Status: SUSPENDED. "Asking About Sex and Growing Up" by Joanne Cole (Anchorage, Alaska) "All the information in this book is written as if it is an instruction manual," is the complaint against this children's book. Such charges against sex education are now commonplace; however, a ballot proposition to have Anchorage citizens vote on the availability of a book in an elementary school library is unique. William S. Morrow. Status: PENDING. "Tamelane" (Newcastle, Pennsylvania) The timeless Scottish folk tale has been banished from an elementary school library. The "many references to witchcraft and the occult" are alleged to have caused a child "emotional trauma." Status: BANNED. 47 Titles (Riverside, California) Members of Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum believe Richard Wright's "Black Boy" is "racist" and "denigrates mothers," that a Kate Chopin story portrays marriage as oppression, that a narrative about Rosa Parks "questions authority." "Concerned parents" are threatening to sue the Desert Sands school board over 15 books used in a California assessment text. (various publishers). Status: PENDING.