On removing time-tested books from school libraries

Lord of the Flies, The Handmaid’s Tale, and To Kill a Mockingbird were removed from some libraries in Canada as harmful to some staff and students.

(Setting aside for a moment the idea that a book can be harmful.)

We will always make value judgments about the books we read and especially the books we require our students to read. And if our values as a society shift, or if we learn new things, or prioritize different issues, then that means that the books we read can change. The curriculum should not be static.

The upshot is that, occasionally, treasured classics will be the cost.

We discount the value of these books at our peril. Each has powerful lessons beyond the superficial characteristics of the protagonists. Each was a part of a conversation, an exploration of an idea, the argument over a philosophy, or a moment, that contributed to the greater debate and discussion in society and the development of our civilization. A good teacher will lead their students to understand and address those arguments, to debate and grapple with the ideas, and understand the context within which they were written. They will help a student to navigate that world, to agree or disagree with it, and to understand why.

They will not encourage them to avoid it, to ignore it, or to grow the arrogance that our generation is composed of people any wiser than those that preceded. In fact, we only stand on their shoulders, and but for them, we might not have learned their lessons. It is only our pride that lets us believe that we know better than the things that have resonated and impacted so many millions that time has not dimmed their value, but only shaded their cost.