The book-banning forces on the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. board were at it again recently, wasting more time and taxpayer dollars trying to deprive students of something they might want to read.
This complaint was filed by school board member Jason Major, challenging the young adult novel “People Kill People” by Ellen Hopkins. As The Republic’s Brad Davis reported, the novel is “a New York Times bestselling book which publisher Simon and Schuster describes as ‘a compelling and complex novel about gun violence and white supremacy.’”
Those are current events in our society. They are particularly relevant to young people. And among people who read books, “People Kill People” is highly regarded. More than 90% of Amazon reviewers give the book either a four- or five-star rating.
It’s no accident that PEN America, which champions free expression and tracks efforts to ban books in school and public libraries, listed the book among the 50 most challenged books in the US. People who think other people — particularly younger people — can’t think for themselves tend to target thought-provoking literature. And as we have seen locally, would-be thought police, including Major, are eager to forbid books already in the library.
But something strange happened on the long and feckless journey to determine whether the book Major challenged would stay or go from the library at Columbus East High School. As the BCSC board this week considered Major’s appeal of a six-member committee’s decision to keep the book in the library, he instead proposed some horse trading.
“Major is appealing that committee’s decision, but also suggested he would pull his request if the board enacted an additional policy that would create a separate space in the library for books that parents would have to opt-in for their child to view,” Davis reported.
“’My concern was really giving an opportunity for parents to opt into a section of the library that might be above and beyond the age of their child,’” Major said.
So, after challenging a book he admits he did not read, Major lost the plot and changed the subject. Other board members pointed out that what Major now was proposing had already been considered and rejected by the board.
East officials, following BCSC policy, agreed to keep the book. The six-person committee reaffirmed the decision on March 10, 2023. The committee explained its decision by writing, “The book is a cautionary tale about choice related to guns, racism, and relationships. It does not normalize the issues but instead, gives insight into various views and opinions related to the timely issues of immigration, racism, and gun control.”
In other words, the book speaks to the world students encounter now and will as adults. For that reason, BCSC should keep the book in the East library. The topics in the book are the very same you would find covered any day of the week in The Republic, on radio or TV broadcasts, online, or in conversation.
Grown-ups, especially those elected to serve as trustees for the local public school corporation, who represent all students and parents, need to find better uses of their time than wasting it on book reports.
