Letters

Some readers are concerned about 'inappropriate’ language

SLJ has been my primary reviewing site for the past 18 years. Until recently, I have felt secure that an excellent review of a book guaranteed that I could safely buy it for my K–5 schools without reading every page. I do not live in an ultraconservative community or serve overly protective families and am able to provide a wide variety of materials in my school libraries.

In the past few months, I have found that virtually every book that is ranked fourth through eighth grade has language that raises my level of concern about suitability for my fourth and fifth graders. No longer can I place a book in the hands of my students knowing that they will not encounter inappropriate language that will send parents to the school board with complaints.

I just purchased Porcupine by Meg Tilly based on your favorable review. The first four pages have several expressions that make me think that your review’s age recommendation was wrong, especially as the jacket refers to it as YA level. I selected The Higher Power of Lucky in spite of concerns across the country and recommend it with warnings to parents and teachers, but I carefully read the book. I do not have time to read every single book I buy. I need more information from SLJ reviewers about the language in a book, besides plot, characters, and setting. With a limited budget, I cannot afford to make purchasing mistakes.

I trust SLJ reviews to guide my selections, but I continue to be surprised by inappropriate language and behavior. I realize that modern realistic fiction includes content that is more realistic than I would like, but I would prefer to know about it before I make my purchases. Fortunately, I read most new purchases, so I have so far prevented potential difficulties with students and their parents. Please forewarn us when books may be inappropriate.

My most recent purchase was Getting It by Alex Sanchez. The summary of the plot included the friendship that developed between two boys, one gay, one straight. Based on the review, I believed it to be a positive approach to a sensitive subject. I was not prepared for the sexual innuendos and constant references to “getting laid.” It’s not the first book that I deemed inappropriate despite SLJ rating it appropriate for seventh grade and up. I hope that you can include an alert in future reviews so we can avoid spending our limited funds on books that we can’t use.

I understand the concerns voiced in the two letters above, and am always searching for a solution. While we do mention incidents of explicit sex, we have yet to find a way to mention every situation or action that might offend someone, somewhere. At the same time, we expect our readers to do some reading between the lines. If a novel is called Getting It and features teenage boys, then some sexual innuendo can only be expected.

We mention strong language if it appears throughout the work. But words that are unacceptable in one home—or community—can be commonly used in another. Most kids are aware of what’s acceptable in their family, and they’re going to see and hear a lot more on the school bus or the walls of the school bathrooms than in these novels. We will continue to alert readers to potential problems as we see them—but please don’t ask us to be word police.

In your review of the DVD The Patriotic Spirit: Patriotic Songs in ASL, your reviewer commented, “The problem is that the language used is actually Pidgin Signed English (PSE), not ASL.”

ASL is a language that uses visual-gestural signs that don’t necessarily follow spoken English word order. PSE uses the same ASL visual-gestural signs and does follow spoken English word order. ASL performers signing songs customarily place ASL signs in English word order as the lyricist intended. This is not a “problem”—it is fundamental and goes without saying. Moreover, PSE is an outdated term. Today, when ASL follows English word order, linguistic experts and the Deaf Culture call it “contact signing,” and it is utilized by the vast majority of parents, teachers, doctors, and speech therapists who interact with Deaf people. If you ask a Deaf person what she “signs,” she will respond, “ASL,” because it is the “culturally correct” term, even though she often signs her ASL vocabulary in spoken English word order. This is especially so when communicating with hearing people.

Sign language and song is poetry in motion. Our ASL DVDs are inspirational study tools for those interested in learning sign language, and they demonstrate the eloquence of the unspoken word through the visual interpretation of song.

Booklist (March 2008) said our ASL performer “impeccably signs.” Others familiar with Deaf Culture have said, “The Patriotic Spirit is a beautifully signed video. Hayden Riley signs with so much elegance and emotion that it is truly a work of art. The option to watch the songs in slow motion is an excellent learning tool.” To read more illuminating comments about our ASL DVD collection, and to watch preview clips online, please visit ASLonDVD.com.

I was dismayed after reading “Land of 10,000 Publishers” (March 2008, pp. 54–57). Not only did your author get the story wrong, but she also missed a great chance to tell the colorful history that helped form the K–12 library marketplace. Most distressing, Ms. Kirch omitted a very important fact of that history. And worse, she was told the truth but for some unknown reason didn’t report it.

James Mackin was George Peterson, Sr.’s 50/50 partner in Creative Education when it began back in 1932. Jim and George were lifelong friends and business partners and were equally responsible for changing the landscape of children’s publishing during their 35 years at the helm of Creative Education. George Jr. was interviewed for the story and told the author all about his dad, as well as his godfather, James. The fact is, along with George Sr., Jim Mackin likely had more to do with today’s K–12 children’s book marketplace than any other company owner has over the last 50 years.

Your author also contacted me to get my read on this little piece of Minnesota history, but my call back to her was never returned. I have since emailed her and was informed that she was told not to mention Mackin, as the story was about publishers only. Alas, as my dear friend and mentor James C. Mackin often said, “It’s OK. We’ll just keep doing the right thing.” So, it’s really not on behalf of Mackin Library Media that I write, it’s about doing the right thing in memory of Jim Mackin. Mr. Mackin, even though he would not have been offended to be omitted, should still be given his due.

Correction: In our May 2008 Scales on Censorship column, “What’s Going On” (p. 30), we stated that Nitro High School is located in Charleston, WV. It is actually located in the small town of Nitro.