One way or another, a Halsey woman promises to keep a popular cartoon book out of the Central Linn High School library.
Taffey Anderson says “The Book of Bunny Suicides” is not appropriate for anyone, but especially children. She inspected the book her 13-year-old son checked out of the library, and what she saw convinced her to never return it.
I plan on donating a copy of
I plan on donating a copy of this book to the Central Linn High School. It is ridiculous that this “Taffey” person can set herself up as a censor, especially at the high school level!
Sigh
Taffey Anderson is, apparently, an idiot. But so are some of the people who commented on this story at The Oregonian’s webpage: http://snipurl.com/4jr2a
More encouraging was this snippet posted by The Oregonian later today:
Graphic novels like “The Book of Bunny Suicides,” which one mother is threatening to burn, have helped boost reading rates at Central Linn High School.
Nice!
“Bunny Suicide”
Yes this is a pretty inane book, to put it mildly. In my opinion…it is even stupid, disgusting, and offensive…but I haven’t pulled it from my library’s shelves. It really doesn’t have a large circulation and as it is in paperback format, I’m sure it will become shabby soon and be weeded from the collection.
If someone doesn’t want their child to read it, well that is their prerogative, and I say good for you for supervising your child!
However (and you know there is one)….It’s not Daffy Taffy’s right to monitor what other children read! Daffy Taffy needs to butt out!
As for purposely taking library materials and refusing to return them…there is a state law concerning this, it comes under the heading of “THEFT”….and maybe she needs to be turned over to the law for purposely stealing library materials.
14 Checkouts
If care is not taken as to preservation, 14 checkouts is the average amount of wear to make a paperback not all that usable.
________________________
Stephen Michael Kellat, Host, LISTen
PGP KeyID: 899C131F
Ugh
I personally detest this book, since I have had two close relatives commit suicide. But I wouldn’t necessarily want it removed from the library. Ok, I want to, but I wouldn’t for ethical reasons.
precedent
Does this mean I can steal all the copies of “The Virgin Suicides” and feel good about it?
Please voice your complaints
Please voice your complaints to American library association at [email protected] to have them get involved.
An oregon based radio show titled the Rick Emerson Show called the librarian on 10/20/08 and the school was not hip to the story and were unsure what associated press was.
This situation has infuriated many people,cause in essence you could do the same to any book, EX. Bible,Mark Twain, or fahrenheit 451.
Why can’t the family just not rent the book and leave it alone.
Please Stop This
Thanks,
Sigfried
http://rickemerson.com
Tell the ALA
Is there some sort of ALA SIG that goes out and ‘tunes up’ these people.
Do they whack people too? I’d join the ALA again if I could be one one of those teams. Fly out and beat people up.
unfortunately…
This story is sadly another one that makes us non-Americans think that the biggest nuts are from the U.S..
book/ record burnings, strange lawsuits and evolution vs creation in the schools are some of the stories that we hear and as stated makes us think you are weird. I do know that there is no more nutcases over there than in Europe pr average, but it is sadly stories like these we hear.
I’ve looked up the book, and even though it’s not something that I consider as kneeslapping fun, it is humour and we have a lot of comics with a lot darker or twisted sense of humor. Some of the weirdest even got their own tv-show here in Denmark (wullfmorgenthaler).
The only time we had a debate on what to have in our libraries was when there was published a selfhelp book about how to commit suicide, but even then the libraries took it with a sense of humor and said that the only concern they had about lending it to people was if wouldn’t be returned. Sorry If that offends anyone…
I do know that there are sane and rational people over there, sorry to once again hear a story that puts you in a bad light.
golly
Do you have any other ways in which Denmark is superior to the United States? Ooo, let me get a pen.
Didn’t you all have rioting and violence in the streets over newspaper cartoons? I’m sure that’s different, though, right?
Probably shouldn’t respond but…
I guess you just want an argument.
First of I’m not saying that we are superior. Denmark superior to another western country? Not likely…
What I am saying If you would bother to read is that it is that kind of story that we hear and judge by.
And since you ask if our incidents over cartoons is different. Yes it is.
We didn’t have rioting and violence in the streets. It was all in the middleeastern countries. Here we see more violence after a football match…
You might have heard that it was here, and you create an image of what kind of people the Danes are based on that. The Danish People where not upset by the cartoons we where more wondering what all the fuss was about. Most of us had not seen the pictures and hadn’t the reaction been so overwhelming (in other countries) no one except the cartoonists would remember the picture.
The Danes have a very laid back attitude towards these things, which I tried to illustrate. But you choose to misunderstand.
I have this Image of John Lennon saying they where bigger than Jesus, which started the destruction of Beatles records.
Had he said it in Denmark it would have been considered a joke and have been shrugged of, like I guess most americans actually did. I doubt the reaction was so overwhelming as the media wants us to believe.
Again It is a question of who makes the noise and get noticed, not the sane ones who shrugs it off but those who as a minority judge was the majority should want and behave like.
If she takes the book with
If she takes the book with no plans of returning it isn’t that stealing?
those poor bunnies
If she is planning to save all bunnies from this sort of suffering, perhaps she should go about blocking this website from those poor innocent 13 year olds. Such bunny cruelty knows no bounds 🙂 http://www.keypad.org/bunnies/
Making fun of suicide
I feel that every person is entitled to free speech and this book fits that. However I feel that this book should not be in schools. Children have enough problems as it is. Making fun of suicide makes it seem as if it’s no big deal to commit suicide. I read the cartoons and do admit that it is humorous. However I was 13 and 14 when I attempted suicide and I know that I was very fragile and impressionable at that age. This book is not appropriate for any school. I am not opposed to it being in a public library. Yes children could find it there but how often do kids go to a public library since they have a library in the school?
I understand the mothers’ feelings but there are much better ways she could handle this situation. She could gather like minded mothers to gather and have a parent and school district meeting to talk about their concerns. She is only making things worse for herself and her son this is going to put unwanted attention on her son, and she is going to be forced to pay for the book for not returning it.
How controversial.
Well, this is on the topic of suicide which, I think is the worst thing a human can do, especially to theirselves. Elementary kids are too young for this book, especially if they’re illformed and curious, and of course, all kids are curious. The book isn’t informative either. Kids can’t learn anything except how to take a life. But kids should have fun and start having an idea of the world and it’s gruesomeness. So, sure. Let the elementaries have this book, but keep it on a high shelf and watch it very carefully. Maybe have a teacher read it, or have a guardian with the kid who would want to read this. Make sure the kids don’t read it by themselves, and that they know suicide is permanent. Let the elementary schools have it, but take really, really close precaution and strong restrictions. And like, also, let the parents know about it, too, just so it won’t be a complete shock. Maybe even have parental permission just to check the book out. You know. Just be safe. Kids are curious and stuff. Don’t take their curiosity away from them, but just make sure they’re always safe.
Seriosly?
I’m fifteen and I say it’s cute.
It’s not disturbing or unethical or whatever. It’s quite simply sardonic.
And adorable. It’s actually really funny, and it’s really really cute. It makes you want to give the poor things a hug.
Not everybody imitates everything they see, after all. Most of us have more creativity than that.
I’m sick of all the so called “adults” freaking out over the tiniest of things. It’s a book, not an instruction manual.
Bluntly, it’s retarded. If you think a little book like that is dark, then you must not get out much.
The idea isn’t being introduced, it’s just been elaborated.
Suicide will always be there, and any kind of taboo that exists in this shameful world we live in just makes things worse.
If you ban this book it just proves all the more that ignorance is running rampant.
So, Miss Perfect Mother,
why don’t you try accepting charming– Yes, charming— children’s books and stay out of the scandals, Mmk?
Ok, I think this is a funny
Ok, I think this is a funny book. I understand that suicide is aproblem, but the book is trying to look at a brighter side of it. And plus, it’s just a joke. Jeeze, seriously.
What, exactly, is the
What, exactly, is the “bright side” of suicide?
Both sides are wrong
I think I should point out that kids looking at pictures are not contributing to “reading” rates.
As much as I love the Bunny Suicide books, I agree with this woman that schools shouldn’t provide them to kids. Schools shouldn’t take any part in something that may desensitize kids toward suicide, death and violence. We have plenty of cultural forces doing that as is.
Yes, students can easily obtain the books in public libraries, book stores and on the internet, but if that’s a good reason to make them available in schools, we might as well stock the shelves with porn or books that make fun of a particular race, gender or religion. A case can be made for keeping violent, sexual, potentially offensive or otherwise ‘mature’ materials in a school library if these have some kind of educational validity; “Bunny Suicides,” though funny and entertaining to those mature enough to handle it, doesn’t have any educational benefits. The fact that the reasons these books should NOT be in schools outnumber the reasons they SHOULD be in schools should make the answer clear.
That said, if this woman wants to show her concerns are reasonable, stealing and threatening to set fire to the book is the wrong way to go. I have trouble taking people’s concerns about exposing children to violence seriously when, on the same breath, they advocate burning stuff out of anger. She should have contacted the school CALMLY and RATIONALLY, without disrespecting its rules and property, and laid out intelligent reasons why she finds the book inappropriate for school.
Seriously? She started a big
Seriously? She started a big uproar to protect the kiddies from this horrific book?
I, like many others, had never heard of this book before she decided she was going to advertise the book with her little stunt.
Teenagers flipping through this book are not just all of a sudden going to decide to kill themselves because there’s pictures of bunnies doing it.
When I was 13 and suicidal this book wouldn’t have given me any further ideas than what I could already find on the internet or that I’d already seen in movies and on TV shows.
I’m inclined to believe she is of the same opinion and that she is purely doing this for her own publicity. She has clearly stumbled across something which she felt would give her the 15 minutes of fame she has long been waiting for.
Congratulations Taffey and my condolences that you were unsuccessful when applying to appear on Jerry Springer.