[PW] Re: question about a banned/challenged book

[Bye, Dan J]

Further to this: 

>From School Library Journal, 1 May 2004:
(Censorship roundup)
"Helena, MT: The Helena Public Schools' materials review committee recently voted to keep the Eyewitness Book Horse (DK, 2000) by Juliet Clutton-Brock on the shelves of Smith Elementary School's library, despite a formal complaint by parent Roxanne Cleasby that the book promotes evolution as scientific fact. Cleasby, who says she wants her daughter to have the freedom to choose between creationism and evolution, has also urged district officials to include books in its collections that promote creationism."

Associated Press State & Local Wire, 1 March 2004:
"A woman who wants "Horse" removed from her 8-year-old's school because it promotes evolution had only one supporter and dozens of opponents at a hearing by a school district committee.
Roxanne Cleasby wants the Helena School District to remove the book, or at least Pages 8 and 9, from Smith Elementary, because it does not address creationism as an alternative theory to evolution.
The committee will submit its recommendation to the superintendent of public schools within 30 days. 
"It took about 55 million years for the present family of horses, asses and zebras to evolve from their earliest horse-like ancestor," reads Page 8 of the children's book by Juliet Clutton-Brock.
Cleasby said there is no evidence that the horse, as a species, actually evolved. She devoted most of her allotted three minutes to disputing the theory of evolution.
"There remain too many questions with evolutionary theory to present it as a fact," she said. "Children and adults need the freedom to question, ponder and seek this very fundamental question of how they came to be."
John Fenlason of the Hannaford Street Bible Church in Helena also said the book should not present evolution as a fact.
"Evolution is just as much a theory and a religious view as creationism is," Fenlason said. "I don't think creationism gets equal opportunity to be discussed. Let's give both sides that opportunity."
When the moderator turned the discussion over to supporters of the book, the line stretched to the back of the room. Some called Cleasby's complaint an "attack by extremists" on public schools and nothing more than "religious dogma.""

The Independent of 16 December 1992 had an interview with Clutton-Brock. It includes this:
"As one might expect of a scientist, Dr Clutton-Brock is allergic to prejudice. However, she does have one blind spot: ''I think the only thing I'm really against in life is Christianity,'' she blurts out.
My eyes open wide.
''The way whole continents were despoiled of their wildlife,'' she explains. ''It makes my blood boil. They think only man has a soul. They have no reverence for life.''
Yes, she had hunted as a child. ''A child of eight or nine is very adventuresome and enjoys killing animals. I certainly did. But you expect people to grow out of it.'' Obviously, a lot of trigger- happy Christians failed to live up to this expectation."

Not calculated to make herself more popular :-)


Dan


> -----Original Message-----
> From: project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org 
> [mailto:project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org] On 
> Behalf Of JT Thompson
> Sent: 27 September 2006 16:48
> To: list at project-wombat.org
> Subject: [PW] Re: question about a banned/challenged book
> 
> >The following title has appeared on lists of banned and challenged 
> >books over the years, and we have been unable to find out 
> why - what is 
> >the issue?  Does anyone know?
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Eyewitness-Horse-Juliet-Clutton-Brock/dp
> /0789457725
> 
> Looks thoroughly anodyne to me.
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