'Filthy Book' Attack Spotlights Date-Rape Novel

By Christa Fletcher

WeNews correspondent

Monday, December 13, 2010

A book-banning effort against "Speak," a young-adult novel about date rape, is creating an uproar. A campus group is making a documentary, a Twitter feed is discussing censorship and a library group expects the controversy to attract teen readers.

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Thousands Say Thanks

"When 'Speak' was published, there was some whispering that this was not an appropriate topic for teens," Halse Anderson said in an interview with the Springfield, Mo., News-Leader four days after Scroggins attacked the book on the newspaper's opinion page.

She added that thousands of readers had written to thank her for the book: "They said it made them feel less alone and gave them the strength to speak up about being sexually assaulted and other painful secrets."

The highly popular young-adult author, Judy Blume, a frequent target of book banning herself, has written to the National Council Against Censorship, based in New York City, on behalf of Halse Anderson.

Ockler, author of "Twenty Boy Summer," one of the three books condemned by Scroggins, blogged on her Web site in September and October about the dangers of censorship. She also emphasized the importance of healthy discussions among parents and their children: "Truly asking for parental involvement would mean encouraging parents to read the books in question, discuss issues and themes with their kids and come to their own decisions about what's best for their own families."

"I'm against book banning in schools," Daisy Whitney, author of "The Mockingbirds," a young-adult book published on Nov. 2 that also treats the subject of date rape, said in a phone interview. "'Speak' is a novel that has helped so many teenagers understand the emotions surrounding someone who has been through a traumatic experience. The reason some people have suggested banning 'Speak' also concerns me because in no way should rape ever be equated with sex."

Teachers, Librarians, Parents Protest

Paul Hankins, an English teacher from Indiana, started a Twitter feed called SpeakLoudly in response to Scroggins' complaints. A community of teachers, librarians, parents and publishers also founded SpeakLoudly.org with Hankins soon after, in September.

The controversy has also helped publicize the books under attack for censorship.

"Tell a teen that a book is banned or challenged and they will want to read it to find out why," said Yoke, of the Young Adult Library Services Association. "So, in one way, book banning actually piques many teens' interest in the controversial titles."

Vern Minor, superintendant of the Republic school district where Scroggins' complaint was received by the school board, told the News-Leader in September that "Slaughterhouse Five" was removed from the English course curriculum.

However, in a Dec. 6 e-mail with Women's eNews, he said: "We have not made any decisions on the books in question. Our discussions are currently focused on board policy, not the three books per se. We are really trying to look at this matter from a much broader perspective than just three books."

The school board hopes to set standards for book selection. They do not have a set time frame to implement the revised curriculum policies.

Candice Tucker and Brandon Bond, students at Missouri State, have started filming a documentary about the events, censorship and Scroggins' "radical views." Bond has also launched an advocacy group on Facebook called "No More Banned Books," where he hopes to fight against "the enemies of reason and tolerance."

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Christa Fletcher is an online writer and editor dedicated to promoting awareness about women's issues. Her work has been featured by Channel One News, InterviewHer.com, Marie Claire and she keeps a blog at ChristaWrites.com.