Tag Archives: Censorship

The Day They Came to Arrest the Book – Nat Hentoff

As a fast introductory note: at the time this book was published (1982) the politically correct term for a person of color was Black. I know things have shifted somewhat since then, but as I’m reviewing this particular book, I’ll use the term Black, as that is what is found in the book. “The Day They Came to Arrest the Book” is a classic young adult fiction novel about censorship. George Mason High School is the setting, and Nora Baines is the teacher who started it all. She’s a history teacher who believes that sometimes, the best lessons can be … Continue reading →

Vamos a Cuba Again (Or Political Correctness for Primary Grades)

An advisory panel to the Miami Dade Superintendent Rudy Crew recommended that the controversial children’s book, Vamos a Cuba, remain on school library bookshelves for now. After seven hours of discussion spread over two difficult meetings, the panel found that while the book appears to be lacking in content, there is no sufficient reason to remove it. The decision of the panel is a non binding recommendation to the superintendent, who has 5 days to decide if the book stays or goes. He has already stated that he has no intention of removing the book. He had been looking to … Continue reading →

Ban That Book, It Just Ain’t Right! Vamos A Cuba and the First Amendment

Book banning, or the attempts to remove controversial books from libraries and schools is nothing new. Various groups have attempted at different times to remove famous titles such as Catcher in the Rye and Huckleberry Finn. Reasons given have been obscenity, racist language, or acceptability of situations deemed immoral. A current controversy in Dade County Florida involves two books for elementary school children about life in Cuba today. Vamos a Cuba is for primary grades, written in simple sentences, and features photographs of Cuba and its people. It shows a pretty nice, simple picture of Cuban life. Cuban Kids is … Continue reading →