{"id":652,"date":"2013-03-23T17:09:27","date_gmt":"2013-03-24T00:09:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bannedbooks.world.edu\/?p=652"},"modified":"2016-07-01T16:29:05","modified_gmt":"2016-07-01T20:29:05","slug":"banned-books-awareness-persepolis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bbark.deepforestproductions.com\/column\/2013\/03\/23\/banned-books-awareness-persepolis\/","title":{"rendered":"Banned Books Awareness: \u201cPersepolis\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The United States\u2019 third-largest school district, Chicago Public Schools, denies that it banned the book, saying that it \u201conly removed copies from classrooms.\u201d They can euphemize it any way they like, but it\u2019s still censorship.<\/p>\n

Labeling the graphic novel as \u201cinappropriate,\u201d CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett also ordered mandatory training for any high school teacher who wishes to continue using the illustrated story of Marjane Satrapi growing up in revolutionary Iran \u201cdue to the powerful images of torture in the book,\u201d she stated in an email sent on March 13th<\/sup> to all CPS principals.<\/p>\n

The CPS Office of Communications has refused to explain to the public or the press how this incident took place, why Persepolis<\/em> has suddenly become controversial after being read by thousands of teachers and students since its publication, and has even refused to confirm that the censorship order had gone out at all. Luckily, for you, my dear readers, you can view a screenshot of the email here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This just so happens- perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not- to also come on the eve of a massive closing of many of the district\u2019s schools.<\/p>\n

Satrapi, who is in Germany, criticized the district for pulling a book that has been approved for use in their schools for nearly a decade and for requiring \u201cspecial training\u201d for teachers. \u201cFor me, the worst in all of that is it\u2019s absolutely the biggest insult to the intelligence of the teachers,\u201d she said last week to the Chicago Sun Times.<\/p>\n

She has visited Chicago several times, including a 2004 trip when she signed copies of Persepolis<\/em> at some CPS schools; so Satrapi couldn\u2019t believe problems arose in the district saying, \u201cEven in Texas I didn\u2019t have trouble with [it].\u201d<\/p>\n

The book is Satrapi\u2019s illustrated recollection as a child and teenager during the Iranian Revolution; the 2007 animated film version won awards and critical acclaim.<\/p>\n

On its own website, CPS even lists Persepolis<\/em> as a good resource in the 2012-2013 Literacy Content Framework for seventh graders, along with Sandra Cisneros\u2019 The House on Mango Street<\/em>; also listed is Charlotte Bronte\u2019s Jane Eyre<\/em> for 11th graders.<\/p>\n

So what changed?<\/p>\n

The book was removed after agreeing with a complaint from a teacher and principal in the Austin-North Lawndale network.<\/p>\n

Lane Technical High school students waved signs along Western Avenue after school on March 15th, chanting, \u201cNo more banned books!\u201d and \u201cLet us read!\u201d as they stood amid freezing rain. Several said they had already read Persepolis<\/em> as seventh graders.<\/p>\n

No parents have complained about the book either, according to Valerie Mason, who has taught Persepolis<\/em> at Lane Tech for the last five years to 11th and 12th graders. In fact, many parents have asked to borrow copies after talking with their children about the graphic novel.<\/p>\n

Student Katie McDermott didn\u2019t see the language or images as problematic because the class had a guide for discussions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we don\u2019t create opinions, we won\u2019t have individualism,\u201d McDermott said. \u201cIf (students) can\u2019t voice themselves, then we won\u2019t have a country that\u2019s individualistic,\u201d said the 18-year-old, who helped organize the student protest.<\/p>\n

Junior Matthew Wettig even contacted Satrapi for the school paper, The Lane Warrior<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know how she could possibly know about it,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I just thought not only it\u2019s my duty as a human being but as a journalist to shed light to her on the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Members of the American Library Association and the Freedom to Read Foundation joined the protest.<\/p>\n

The Chicago-based ALA, in a letter<\/a> to Byrd-Bennett, Chicago Board of Education President David Vitale, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, expressed its ethical and legal concerns regarding the situation and asked for an explanation for the policy change.<\/p>\n

The Chicago Teachers Union also expressed its surprise over the ban.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only place we\u2019ve heard of this book being banned is in Iran,\u201d CTU financial secretary Kristine Mayle wrote in a statement<\/a>. \u201cWe understand why the district would be afraid of a book like this, because it\u2019s about questioning authority, class structures, racism, and gender issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to additional comments to the CTU\u2019s press release, the district is now claiming that Persepolis<\/em> is banned \u201conly from seventh grade classrooms but will be available in school libraries,\u201d but the hidden catch is that 160 of its schools don\u2019t have libraries- \u201cand they know that,\u201d said CTU spokeswoman Stephanie Gadlin.<\/p>\n

For more information on the Banned Books Awareness and Reading for Knowledge project and the complete list of titles covered, please visit the official website at http:\/\/bbark.deepforestproductions.com\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Sources: Chicago Sun Times<\/a>, Daily KOS<\/a>
\n\u00a9 2013 R. Wolf Baldassarro\/Deep Forest Productions<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United States\u2019 third-largest school district, Chicago Public Schools, denies that it banned the book, saying that it \u201conly removed copies from classrooms.\u201d They can euphemize it any way they like, but it\u2019s still censorship. Labeling the graphic novel as \u201cinappropriate,\u201d CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett also ordered mandatory training for any […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[40,70,73,106,169,215,253],"class_list":["post-652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-change","tag-banned-book","tag-censorship","tag-chicago-public-schools","tag-education","tag-iran-revolution","tag-marjane-satrapi","tag-persepolis"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bbark.deepforestproductions.com\/column\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Persepolis.jpg?fit=382%2C500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbark.deepforestproductions.com\/column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbark.deepforestproductions.com\/column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbark.deepforestproductions.com\/column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbark.deepforestproductions.com\/column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbark.deepforestproductions.com\/column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=652"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bbark.deepforestproductions.com\/column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1341,"href":"https:\/\/bbark.deepforestproductions.com\/column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652\/revisions\/1341"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbark.deepforestproductions.com\/column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbark.deepforestproductions.com\/column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbark.deepforestproductions.com\/column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbark.deepforestproductions.com\/column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}