Will Iran Lift Book Censorship?

Here is an interesting potential turn of events, not to be expected by the west.  And although I never write of political goings-on, I thought this of sufficient importance to include the material in my blog today. 

The Iranian cultural minister Ali Jannati has said that the government will reconsider allowing books that had previously been censored in the country. According to a report in The Guardian, Jannati said that “books subjected to censorship or denied permission to be published in the past will be reviewed again.”

The move comes as a new president has taken power in Iran. Here is more from The Guardian: “The new move come under The minister’s words suggested an opening-up of the country’s publishing industry under new president Hassan Rouhani, who has already signalled his willingness to make changes by agreeing to the first presidential telephone conversation with the U.S. since the 1979 revolution.       

Under the former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran censored many books including Tracy Chevalier’s Girl With a Pearl Earring and Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.  

What do you think will be the outcome?  Please leave a comment on your thoughts about this all important human consideration.

Chicago Board of Education Defends 'Persepolis' Ban

The Chicago Public Schools have restricted students’ access to Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of her youth in Iran. CPS chief of teaching and learning Annette Gurley informed Publishers Weekly that Persepolis will not be taught in 7th through 10th grade classrooms until the CPS curriculum department can put in place guidelines for teachers “who are not familiar with the book [to] better help students navigate through” it.  Lowder wrote that “no decision has been made to remove Persepolis from 8th to 10th grade.  

 Citing case law, Lowder argued that school boards have “broad discretion in selecting the public school curriculum” and that the “Chicago Board of Education has taken no action to create a public forum in the Chicago Public Schools.

 A letter of concern was sent last week by six free speech advocacy organizations, including the National Coalition Against Censorship and the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression. 

 “While we are relieved that the book will remain available to older students, the restriction on access to junior high students is extremely troubling,” the letter from the NCAC and five other organizations stated, “The explanation that the book is ‘inappropriate for this age group’ is unpersuasive. The vast majority of Chicago middle school students are surely aware of violence and its devastating effects on people of all ages. Most have witnessed it on the news, if not in their own neighborhoods.”

Marjane Satrapi

“As soon as the news hit over the weekend, people wanted to buy it,” said Jason Smith, the owner of The Book Table in Oak Park, a nearby suburb. “It was also a main topic of conversation in the store – people were expressing shock.”

What is your take on the situation in the Chicago Public Schools?  Is any kind of censorship appropriate in a democracy such as ours?  Would the children of Chicago gain a deeper understanding of Iranian people by reading the book?  Your comments would be appreciated in this post.

Earth Day Guest Post at The Children's and Teen's Book Connection (Book Giveaway!)

Happy Earth Day to all of you around our wonderful planet who follow this blog.  From Austria to Hungary to Iran and beyond, we know this is not only an important day but symbolically, a crucial one.

To that end, I've written an Earth Day Guest Post on a wonderful and intelligent blog.  It is by Cheryl Malandrinos and is called, The Children's and Teen's Book Connection.

On behalf of Earth Day, Cheryl has organized a giveaway of my bestselling children's book, One Pelican at a Time:  A Story of the Gulf Oil Spill.

Simply stop by her blog and register, so we know where to find you if you are the winner.  It is our distinct pleasure that one of you have the book, enjoy it and use its message, one person at a time.