 ATHLETIC SHORTS -- One student in Kansas felt the book was racist in 2004. Three experts offer their opinions. Misc. Adult Completed Read an Excerpt Comments about ATHLETIC SHORTS. Excerpt Is ATHLETIC SHORTS "racist?" STATEMENT ONE I couldn't remember any racism in Athletic Shorts because it's been years since I read it. So I reread a bunch of it tonight, and finally came across the story Telephone Man. I'll try to keep this short: It's not a racist story. It's a story about a racist. Moreover, the main character starts to figure out that maybe there's a possibility of a non-racist point of view by the end of the story. Racism isn't a good thing, but you can't erase it by not writing about it in literature. If anything, the opposite is true: you can make a start at making it better by writing about it. Crutcher's introduction to the story makes it clear that this is where he's coming from, and also that people will disagree, and he chooses to take his chances with that. Ian McKinney Assistant Manager Young Adult Services Allen County Public Library 200 E. Berry St. P.O. Box 2270 Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2270 260-421-1200 x1255 This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it http://www.acpl.info/yas/ STATEMENT TWO If they are talking about the telephone man story, It is not racists. It is trying to teach about racism and how it is a learned behavior. The author even states the use of the "N" word may upset some people, but it had to be used to get the point across. Having grown up in the south. I understood his need for the defining of the character and the character's father by the language and vocabulary used. This was my first and only challenge when I was at a middle school and I lost that battle. I still feel strongly that the school committee was being to overly protective. Ty R. Burns Library Media Specialist / Technology Liaison Cypress Springs High School 7909 Fry Road Cypress, TX 77433 STATEMENT THREE Chris Crutcher is one of those rare and wonderful people: a writer gifted with the ability to tell the real stories of teenagers (and adults) in a powerfully compelling manner. His books are incredibly thought-provoking, riddled with honesty, and not one page shirks from his mission to tell the truth about our lives. Adults and teens alike would do well to read Crutcher and engage in an examination of the seeds of hatred and prejudice that live in us all. To ignore, hide, or suppress works of literature that bravely face both the high and low moments of human existence can only result in an oppressive and fundamentally undemocratic society. If Chris is brave enough to write the books, we should be brave enough to read them and think critically about what they have to say. Erin Downey Howerton Head, Young Adult Department Hays Public Library 1205 Main -- Hays KS 67601 -- 785-625-9014 www.hayspublib.org groups.yahoo.com/group/ksyalibrarians |
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