Would you want your 9-12 child to read a book that mentions a dog getting snakebit on the scrotum? Under what conditions? I probably would have read this book at home to them but I am not certsin I would want it in the libraries, and I do not think it would have been appropriate to the classroom setting. I think the word is essentioal to the plot, as I understand it. Parents of readers, and others, please respond, this is creating quite a stir.
[question posted by GardenGerty]
responses and comments:
wow this is controvertial...maybe because kids always go a bit purile at that age ..they want to show that it is just a normal part of the body..this is what i suspect..but i think if i were writing the same book i would choose another part of the body..but hey that's me..a lot of people would find it distasteful for kids of that age to be exposed to this.. [yanjiaren]
Yes kids are like that at that age, and I think I'll go with yanjiaren on this one. Pick another part of his body, there are so many controversies out there why let a children's book stir things up to high heaven. Maybe to sell? Just a question not a judgment [Anniedup]
Hang on...because I'm kind of confused. What book is this that is banned? Because you didn't mention the title. I think if it was a Newberry Award Winner it couldn't be that horrible. Maybe the area where the dog gets bit is a little inappropriate. I guess for me to be able to give my opinion on the book I would have to read it first, and determine whether or not I think it's inappropriate. [dopey22girl]
It looks like this book is The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, and apparently the "s-bomb" was dropped on the very first page of the book. Amazon doesn't have a preview of it, unfortunately, or I'd have read it just to see what the fuss is about. I think it probably would have been more appropriate to just have the dog get bitten elsewhere, since it doesn't seem to have been an essential part of the story. [akuseru]
No I certainly would not want my children at this age to of read this particular book at all, I think that it is disgusting and should be banned in schools and libraries as it certainly does not sound appropriate at all for any child to be reading this kind of book and even myself I would not read such a book. [kathy77]
Sh*t, another banned book. Personally I think that is ridiculous. Kids are watching nature shows full of such events. At least mine did. Some of their dads watch those hunting shows with them in the room where people are blowing Bambi away. Some of the *kids* are blowing away Bambi! I don't see why a dog getting snakebit on the scrotum is so controversial. Are they saying that kids shouldn't notice dogs have scrotum? I'm sorry, I am not gettin' it. [cremechese]
What I read stated that the incident of the dog being snakebit on the scrotum was based on a real life incident. Thought I would add that to this discussion. [GardenGerty]
I haven't heard of this. I think a book aimed at that age group would probably handle the subject ok. I could actually see the word "balls" used before scrotum though. I think kids that age tend to know about anatomy enough to at least know that it's a sensitive place and that the dog is probably really hurting. If the book is more graphic than that, I think I'd avoid it at school, but maybe encouraging kids to read it at home would be good. [cjthedog64]
I read this on the news. I think people are plain alarmists! They should read the whole book and then judge it and decide. Just for one little word that is the proper name of a body part, all this scandal??? too much Square minded people if you ask me. I hope that people would take the time and read it. That's what one of the people that awarded the prize said: read the whole thing to the end, and then decide if the book should be banned from Public Libraries and schools... [berlinlife]
I find it difficult to respond when i am on the other side in a discussion but as i have said before i have to be true to myself and say it like it is......I think you are over reacting and as teacher for many years and listening to 9-12year olds for years and years they are not as naive as one would expect and i am talking about my experiences years ago ...today 2007 they may be children but you would be surprised about just how much they know .....There have been so many naughty books in the school curriculum for more then 50 years and most of us managed to grow up without repercussion .But this could be brought up at the next school meeting and discussed to see what the general mood for whatever it is concerning parents could be addressed . Also the teacher is sometimes over looked talk and discuss the book with her and there may be a satisfying solution for all concerned . Good Luck [maddy37]
I've never even heard of this book so maybe I'm misunderstanding a bit. If part of the plot revolves around this word and how a little girl doesn't understand what it means then isn't that a demonstration of how shielding children can cause more harm than good? I personally don't believe in book banning at all. Parents need to make sure the books are age appropriate but that it. Children in that age range are old enough and smart enough to be exposed to that word without creating some sort of emotional trauma. [foxyfire33]
I think children are more aware of sexual words at that age than we adults think. I don't think that school libraries should have the right to tell students what is appropriate for them to read. The story doesn't sound particularly sexual. Kids are going to learn the word eventually, might as well have them learn it in the school system instead of the streets. [Transformed]
I wouldn't want my child to read about that. Why on earth would the author write that I wonder. I'm sure the dog could have been bitten somewhere else. I'm shocked that they would even publish it for that age group. [vmoore709]
If it's part of the book to forward the story what's the big deal? It's not like it's anyhting sexual or vulger, and quite honestly most kids hear worse on the school bus, at home or on TV. I've come to notice that adults seem to make a bigger issue out of these things than kids do. [soccermom]
Since half the population reading the book, including children, have a scrotum, what's the big deal? It's not slang,the more we keep some issues so secret and appalling we're going to create interest in just why those issues/words are so bad.It's a part of the body, what if a kid gets bit by a snake there, he won't know what to tell his folks.Knowledge and stories and situations should be left up to the reader as to what they can handle, and this is just about a term, not offensive and used correctly. [pendragon]
Well put, I agree completely. If they don't know the word by that age...well it's time they did. [mari61960]
I think it is really ridiculous to go on about this, as half the readers have one. Sure, they will giggle a bit, but at least they will have learned a new word. And why shouldn't it be in libraries, Danielle Steele has a few words in her books that will definitely turn your hair grey, and she's on the shelves. By the time I was 12, I have read all the 'dirty' words, and I'm not bragging about it, but I'm sure most 12 year olds are aware of them. [olaff123]
true and as with the harry potter books dont you feel some folks are just looking for something to complain about I do !all the harry potter books said was that good prevails in the end what is wrong with that !I myself am a christian but some folks just go looking for something bad every where and as the old saying goes if you look you will find! [revdauphinee]
I just hear about this on the news If the word is used in context I see nothing wrong with it however before id ok it for kids I d have to read it myself first! [revdauphinee]
I really don't see what the big deal is. I think by that age children should certainly know the word. It's not like it's vulgar or obscene. In our family even two year olds know the word scrotum. I remember being little and thinking that we were eating chicken boobs because they were called breasts...lol I asked my mother at 4 years old if they had milk in them..hehe These days there are pregnant 12 year olds..maybe if people didn't make up little nick names for our parts it wouldn't be such a big deal. It's just a body part as far as I'm concerned and it really is a frequent place bitten by rattle snakes...lol I think it would be offensive to use other adjectives. After all it's not like it's the main focus of the book. [mari61960]
Oh how funny, but I can see it happening, just as innocent as can be. Thanks for sharing. [GardenGerty]
As much as TV shows - especially the Funniest Videos ones - show men and boys getting hit in the groin, I dont think it would hurt by reading it to them - if anything it would make them feel sorry for the poor dog - especially the boys. Under 9 I would object, but over 9 years old they have seen it on TV already. [Bee1955]
What's the book? Newberry winners are usually so carefully choosen, I find it hard to believe one of them could be banned. [irisheyes]
Susan Patron, The Higher Power of Lucky. I think people should read the book before deciding, and I will probably see if the public library can get it for me. [GardenGerty]
oh jeeeez. so a book is getting banned because it mentions the word scrotum?? it's part of the human body and people need to get over it. seriously now. people these days are getting butthurt about the smallest of things it's borderline ridiculous to me. there are aids and hurricanes and people starving in africa and here we are whining about the word scrotum in a book. society has evolved into a bunch of whiny spoiled brats if you ask me. you should consider yourself lucky you're not the parent of one of the many kids who encounter teachers who molest them, or who kidnap them. come on...scrotum...my golly. [melissacus]
Perhaps it is my healthcare background and also my additional work with adolescent and children's mental health clients that finds the banning of this book absolutely ridiculous! Perhaps if we taught children at an early age (and age 9 is perfect) the correct names for their body parts then the terrible slang terms would cease. SEcondly, we continually see 11 and 12 year old girls pregnant these days...mostly because so many parents have their head in teh sand and don't tell their daughters about sex! What is the problem with a 9 year old knowing the word scrotum? I'm sorry, I'll quit ranting now! [crazynurse]
I probably wouldn't let me nine year old read a book like this. Now, a twelve year old would understand a little bit better, but the word in question is a little risque for me. I would hope that this isn't on a school reading list because of that. For older students I can understand. When I was in high school I had to read Othello, and that story has incest and gore in it. He kills his father, sleeps with his mother, and has kids. When he realizes that it was his mom, he gouges out his eyes. That is a bit risque as well, but you just have to be a certain age to read it. [Tatsuya]
I think I would prefer to read the book myself before making a decision on whether it should be banned from the classroom, but with not having read it, I don't really think I'd have a problem with it if it's using the proper terminology. Perhaps another part of the dog could have been used, but really I see no problem with kids knowing the "real" words for anatomy and I can't see that it would cause that much of a problem. Knowledge is power and I think being educated about certain things helps to solve the curiosity and prevents children from exploring certain things on their own. [XxAngelxX]
The question should be-who has the right to ban a book? Do you want the Government or the School district saying what your child can and cannot read? Check out the list of banned books on the ALA (American Library Association) website. The Bible is on there, along with many others for reasons that you will not believe. As far as the word scrotum, it is anatomically correct and better than some other terms that may have been used. If you don't want your kid reading something that is your business, but no one has the right to say a book should not be in a library. If you can't trust your kids not to check something out that you object to-go with them. [creativemuse]
Are you allowed to mention the name of the book here? I would want to read the story first if there was any doubt. I don't think I would read it to a 9 year, maybe not a 10 year old, as they may not know the word scrotum, and that would require a whole lot of explanations. I would read it to a 11 and 12 year old. [jennybianca]
I don't agree with banning books. Who decides what should be banned and what shouldn't? So many want books banned because they mention a normal body part or a normal bodily function (I've seen some wanting to ban books because it has the word menstration in it) and yet they will allow others because they like the book. There is one book that is in almost every library I know, it mentions rape, sodomy, wars, has sexually based poetry in it, murder, self mutilation and a host of other things and yet it's still allowed. For the record that big book is The Bible. Leave the books in the library. If you have a problem with your child reading a book then you tell them they can't. You parent your child and let others parent their children. Let them decide if they want their child to read a book. Instead of demanding that a book be not allowed for any just worry about your own. That way everyone wins. [emeraldisle]
Wow, I can see the controversy here, but I think I'd let them read it. I mean for one, it is a part of a person's body. The body is not dirty, every guy has one, and almost every female will come into contact with one.lol. Kids know things earlier and earlier anyway. So by keeping the book from them doesn't not mean they won't know what it is. You'd be surprised at how many of those kids know what that is already at that age. [highflyingxangel]
I am both a parent and a elementary school teacher. I believe we give power to things we avoid BY AVOIDING THEM. CHildren infuse extra power in words when they don't fully understand the words, or when our reaction to them is aghast, or we chide them for using/knowing the word. For the age group 9-12, if we explain what a word like scrotum means, we diffuse the 'OOOOH!' factor, and just make it an anatomy term. Secondly, as a free society, founded on the principles of open expression, belief,we must defend the right of those who speak about things anathema to us lest we lose the right to speak our truth. When one is disenfranchised, we are all disenfranchised. [hamster1]
I think you have hit the nail on the head as far as words and power goes. When I worked at a preschool level with Head Start, we would have a certain number of children who were accustomed to getting attention by using unacceptable or even hateful words. When they saw that it did nothing to affect our relationship to them, the words diminished. [GardenGerty]
If you don't want your kids to read a particular book, find, dandy, make certain you read the books first and decide but to not have it in the library, sorry honey, not your call or anyone elses. What comes into your house or what your kids read, call away - do your thing - review the books. Banning books means No One gets it and that's not in any one person's purview. I get annoyed when some group or other starts trying to ban books. Banning books is not the job of the public. Directing your children's reading - that is your job. Making it hard for anyone else to get the book - foul play. [APMorison]
This has been a fun, and thought provoking day regarding this discussion. For the record, my kids are 27 and 30, and people often thought I was too free with what they read, or saw on movies, but I watched the movies in question with them. I find, thinking about this book, that I identify with the description of what the girl felt about the word "scrotum". I was an avid reader, found a crime novel my dad had, and I was young enough I could not get the meaning of "torso" from the context, did not own a dictionary, other than elementary school level, and it did not have that word. I was sure it was a dirty word. We give words power. I find I am more protective of the students I am around than I was of my kids, because I went to the library with them, and read with them. I do know that some books are on a parental approval or age restriction, in some libraries, and that might be a good solution. I have read all of the posts and thank you all for your good discussion. [GardenGerty]
I don't feel it's fair for others to tell me what books should and shouldn't be banned. I think that is up to me, and how I feel regarding them. I don't allow my children to watch certain t.v. shows, though other parents think they are perfectly o.k. It's the same premise. A banned book is a silly concept to me. I know that a book being banned makes me want to read it even more. I also know that I have encouraged my children (the ones who can read at least) to read banned books, and I read banned books to my other children. There are many classics and really good books on the banned list. Why take that from my kids? Think of what htey are missing out on? And at least they said scrotum and not something else. Would it have been better to say testicles? [serialmommy]
At home is the best place, but the teacher should be prepared to explain if it is read in school. I am not for banning it as that just makes the book more interesting and popular. I was so sheltered that even at 31 I am having difficulty functioning. [dancia2007]
I already responded, but secondarily, there is waaaaaay worse stuff than that in the Bible! (and we promote the BIBLE to children)..... rapes, women being cut into pieces, people being stoned to death and drowned, suicides, a universal flood that killed everyone except 8 people on earth, a woman who fell to the pavement and was eaten by dogs, tons of religious wars, raping of women during wars, someone who plunged a knife through someone when they were in a tent lying down, Abraham and Sarah lying about how they were related, a man who murdered his friend so that he could have his wife, Abraham commanded by God to kill his son on an altar and then miraculously a substitute appears (an innocent ram).... and the list goes on. No one thinks to question that, though, because so many are Judeo-Christian. I guess this would be why the Bible is on that banned list (or so I hear). [dancia2007]
Hey lady, the 1920's are over! What is so wrong about a scrotum? Every male has one. Are you going to raise your child telling them that their genetalia are wrong and dirty? You should teach your child to respect their body, not confuse them or keep them in the dark about it. Are you trying to give your child a psychological complex so they grow up to be a sex offender? The scrotum is a natural part of the anatomy. It is a highly probable scenario that a dog gets bitten on the scrotum by a snake. I really do not see what is so wrong about this book. Raise your child to be a well adjusted member of society, not a sheltered moron that thinks the world is all peaches and cream. [marcau]
I've heards that in some U.S.A school libraries The Diary of Anne frank has been banned because in somne parts she's writing about menstruation and her sexual development. Even when I'm typing these words I have no idea if they will be considered mature in MyLot. I think you should not judge a book before you have read it from cover to cover and of course it's the parent's task to explain things. from what I've read with google I think the persons who want to ban this book use the word as a copout because this book tackles difficult subjects like addiction and the death of a parent. Don't destroy the essence of a book because of one word. Don't forget that kids learn a lot from television. Maybe they have even heard of the word at some stage in say a program on vets. [mobyfriend]
I have a 12 year old and I don't think I would want anyone banning a book that she would read. I believe as a mother I have taught her by now right choice from wrong choice so she wouldn't pick a book that was a wrong choice. Besides they see worse on TV everyday with cable. I don't believe in the old burning of the books. [TriciaW]
I haven't seen the book so my opinion has little worth. However, I don't see the problem. [dhouston]