Controversy surrounding what books children should have access to is nothing new. Several classic and contemporary works have met with opposition or even been banned, from “Catcher in the Rye” and “Huckleberry Finn” to Angie Thomas’ “The Hate U Give.”
Each year, the American Library Association releases a list of the top 10 most challenged books to inform about issues of censorship. Most book challenges go unreported.
Disputes surrounding what literature children should have access to are recurring and persistent. In recent months, these issues were raised in Columbia County when Harlem resident Katie Allen spoke before the Board of Education on July 13 citing a lack of transparency regarding what she called “sexually-explicit material” included in Columbia County media libraries under a diversity policy.
MORE: AU Professor Weighs In On The Controversy Tied to Six Dr. Seuss Children’s Books
Allen started a petition requesting that the school board remove “items containing themes on sexuality, homosexuality and/or transgender ideology” from media centers and libraries or otherwise add a statement to the board’s media policy. The petition has received over 80 signatures.
The book that gave rise to this particular controversy is the graphic novel “Drama” by Raina Telgemeier. The 2012 book is marketed to elementary and middle school-aged children. The story is about a middle-school girl and her adventures as part of a school theater production.
“Mostly it’s about friendship dynamics,” said Darla Linville, associate professor at the college of education, education foundation and qualitative research classes at Augusta University. “The drama in the title is that the kids are in a play, but they’re also going through this friendship drama themselves.”
[adrotate banner=”30″]
That drama includes navigating childhood crushes and the related feelings. That drama also happens to include one scene in which two boys kiss.
“Drama” is a children’s book about friendships that happens to address LGBTQ+ themes. This has given rise to the current controversy about what is appropriate for Columbia County students. Rebecca Harper, also an associate professor at Augusta University’s college of education, believes the question is nebulous.
“We don’t give our kids enough credit for what they can handle,” said Harper. “What’s appropriate for one sixth grader might not be appropriate for another.”
Harper and Linville both teach in the department of advanced studies and innovation. About four years ago, the two professors started a book club with local teachers and media specialists.
Because of a research project they were engaged in at the time, all the books chosen had LGBTQ characters and themes. Titles included “Luna” by Julie Ann Peters, “Boy Meets Boy” by David Levithan and “Drama.”
The diversity implicated in Allen’s petition was central to how the titles were chosen for the book club.
[adrotate banner=”19″]
“What we found was that there were a lot of teachers, specialists and instructional coaches in the area who really wanted to include diverse literature in their teaching libraries,” said Harper. “But they didn’t have access to it, or they didn’t know what titles, and so it became an opportunity to see some examples of books at various reading levels, various topics.”
Both Harper and Linville are convinced that the fact that these books introduce children to LGBTQ issues and themes, even if age-appropriately, is central to a lot of opposition to “Drama” and books like it being made available in schools.
“Who gets to determine what’s appropriate, what metrics are we using?” said Harper. “When you think about this particular book that is being challenged because it’s sexually explicit. There’s a kissing scene between two boys. So does that mean we have to go through all the books in the library and see if there’s any kissing scene at all?”
Linville, whose research is in discourses, language and behavior about sexuality and gender in schools, emphasizes that literature that addresses themes is important because it reflects the experiences of many young people.
[adrotate banner=”54″]
She notes adolescent psychology research from the Family Acceptance Project conducted by San Francisco State University that shows that young people who have adults in their lives who affirm their sexuality or gender identity are less susceptible to suicide, drug use and risky behaviors, and have more positive outlooks about marriage and family.
“I think it is incumbent upon us as adults, educators, and also parents to listen to what they’re telling us about themselves and their experience, and be responsive to that,” said Linville.
“What’s appropriate is for us to engage in a conversation with young people about what they’re thinking, what they’re feeling, what they know about themselves and what they need from us as adults,” said Linville.
MORE: Augusta Libraries Have Busy Summer Schedules
Literature, education and how to engage children are always likely to provoke intense discourse. For Linville, Harper and many other educators and readers throughout Columbia County on either side of a controversy like the one surrounding “Drama,” keeping that discourse diverse is a key to easing that intensity.
“We need more voices in our curriculum, more stories, and that’s one way that we begin to understand one another,” said Linville. “Especially if interpersonally we’ve come to a conflict point and we can’t get past it, hearing each other’s story, especially in literature, is a great way to begin to think about other people’s experiences.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter with The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
[adrotate banner=”56″]
