Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Are you there, God? It's me, Morrison

Maryland's North East Booster sounds the alarm over a copy of New X-Men: Imperial -- a book "illustrated like a comic" -- checked out of the Perry Hall Middle School library by a seventh-grader in special education classes.

The girl's mother, Michelle Gillespie, "said she found derogatory language, erotic images and talk of molestation in the book, which she felt also promoted violence":
"If my child went to school with something like this, they would be suspended or reprimanded. Ashley doesn't understand what these things mean, and I don't want to explain them to her.

"... I might be naive. But I thought there was a parent panel that looked at what library books were acceptable. I thought they choose authors like Judy Blume and E.B. White."
Has she read Judy Blume?

Principal Rick Archambault said he hasn't been able to examine the content, because Gillespie hasn't returned the book:
"We try to provide books that motivate students to read, and that includes comic books."