Canada’s book-burning temperature is far lower than Fahrenheit 451

An inappropriate assignment

 

Photo by Jonny Caspari on Unsplash

By N. Invictus (an anonymous Canadian teacher)

“A book is a loaded gun in the house next door...Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man?” Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 

Books have always been my favorite pastime since I was a child. My parents were avid readers and instilled the love of reading in me early on. I enjoyed reading, rereading, contemplating the characters, the events, and the storyline, pondering over the concepts of good and evil, paying attention to the intricate details in the pictures, and taking meticulous care of my books. I was the kind of child who delved deeper into the stories and took the words literally. This approach also carried over to my experience with watching movies. Even though I was too young when I watched Fahrenheit 451 in the 70s, the message of the story resonated with me and has stuck with me forever. 

During my life, there were at least three instances when regretfully I had to let go of my books. The last two times occurred when government guards were dispatched to break into homes and imprison those who possessed books that they deemed objectionable. After all, I was living under a totalitarian dictatorship and that was expected. Amidst the shouts and banging echoing from the street, my mother and I hurriedly gathered our books and reluctantly set them ablaze, compelled to do so before the guards would arrive. I was barely a teenager, and both of us were in tears. The scenes from Fahrenheit 451 flashed before my eyes as the flames consumed all the written words that we considered liberating but could have resulted in our imprisonment. 

The most recent occasion was over two decades ago when I moved to Canada and had to leave my books behind. However, the hope was that in a free society, the notion of removing classic books from the shelves would never cross anyone's mind. It would be inconceivable to censor and ban books that are an integral part of a nation's heritage or those that would offer opposing perspectives and encourage intellectual exploration. Moreover, it would be unimaginable to consider the shared stories of childhood, which foster a connection between the past and the future, as inappropriate or containing false information. Libraries and school libraries would serve as the guardians and protectors of this sacred sanctuary, preserving the invaluable bond between generations. 

I was wrong! 

Early this week ( June 26-30/2023), at a K to Grade 6 French Catholic School in Toronto, the library staff asked a few of its senior students (Grade 6) to help them in the school's library. Naturally, the book lovers—those passionate about reading—jumped on this opportunity and volunteered to help. However, they were assigned the deplorable task of disposing of books instead! The children were presented with a pile of books, some of which were from children's favourite stories and even classics such as Caillou, Franklin the Turtle, Scooby-Doo, Geronimo Stilton, Magic Schoolbus, Magic Treehouse, and Clifford the Red Dog. All of these titles are familiar to me as they were my own children’s favourites. They used to spend hours immersed in these books, sharing the journeys of these characters and learning along the way. The students were excited by the load of books that brought memories back to them. They eagerly looked through them, expressing their love for these books. The idea of taking them home or sharing them with family and friends was appealing, so they asked if they could keep the books instead of throwing them out. They wanted to save the books, preserve them, and thereby protect their newly founded heritage. The answer they received was a resounding "NO." When they asked for the reason, they were told that these books contained inappropriate content and false information. 

The reasons provided to the students are deeply troubling and unacceptable. It is indeed a shame, and one could argue that it is a grave injustice. Such actions should not have been allowed or tolerated, as they undermine the principles of transparency, open dialogue, and intellectual freedom that should be upheld in educational settings. 

The library staff instructed the children to tear out the covers of each book as part of the process to prepare them for recycling. The students, who were avid readers, who loved libraries, and who grew up with books while being raised to respect them, who cherished each and every one of their favorite childhood classics sat there and took a book out of the pile, one at a time, reluctantly tearing off the covers feeling as if their hearts were being ripped out in the process. 

That is until one of them picked up a book that appeared to be the Bible. At that point, the child said he/she would not do it and passed it on to another child whose reaction was the same. The book was then passed on to another child, and each of them cringed at the sight of the book they considered to be Holy and refused to tear off its cover. They had had enough. The library staff took that book away and the day went by. 

Upon returning home, one of these children shared his/her dreadful experience with his/her parents, who rightfully became livid at the thought of a Catholic school instructing its students to tear off the cover of the Bible! After an after-hours unsuccessful phone call attempt, the parent finally confronted the administrator in person. The administrator presented the book in question and claimed that it was not the Bible but rather a commentary on the Bible! In addition, the administrator claimed that the school was following an order from the School Board and the Ministry of Education to dispose of certain books from a “list” with no specific publication year and books published prior to 1985. However, they failed to present any supporting evidence. 

The officials who orchestrated this incident seem to assume that: 

● Students lack sufficient intelligence and would be harmed by classic child-appropriate books that represent simple day-to-day life, and have educational values through fantasy and adventure-themed stories. 

● Parents are simple-minded and are not capable of making the right decisions for their children regarding the kind of books they may choose. 

Or one may deduce that: 

● Staff have no spine in standing up to any potential complaints from parents who argue that their child might be traumatised by being exposed to stories featuring a mouse named after a cheese or a young boy navigating his simple family life, a teacher who takes kids on field trips on a school bus, etc. 

● Staff, including school board personnel, school administrators, teachers, and librarians, have no agency in discerning what is good from what is evil nor the autonomy to act accordingly. 

This story ends with the administrator later apologizing to the parent, admitting that what they asked the children to do was a mistake. They corrected themselves by stating that there was not a "list" but rather a "criteria" used by a "board librarian" to determine which books should be donated and which ones should be recycled. The administrator promises to convey the parent's concerns to the board. Nevertheless, the fact remains that this should not have happened. If the child had not informed his/her parents and if the parents had not taken action, the school would have gotten away with it. 

This is a recent experience of one student and their parents. Having said that, if you are reading this, you know that this is not an isolated incident. The banning and later rewording of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," challenging the "Little House on the Prairie" book, the accusation that “Dr. Seuss's” books are hurtful, and the attack on “Tintin” books are just a few examples. In January 2021, during our staff meeting an administrator told the teachers that we need to control which books and materials students should or should not read. To be clear, this administrator was not concerned about the age appropriateness of the books for high school students, rather the emphasis was implicitly on top-down political and ideological topics. 

We have fallen so low that even our Catholic schools deem a commentary book on the Bible inappropriate! Regardless, no rationale can justify getting the children to do the dirty work of ripping books and censorship at our schools and in our libraries. 

It is high time for parents to step up their game, become louder, join grassroots movements (there are many of them), form coalitions, write to the Ministry of Education (many times), bombard his office with letters, write open letters, tweet, delegate at school board meetings, and do whatever they can. The war on our values and freedom is on and out in the open. The opponent has no mercy; they are targeting children and that alone should tell you something! Loading the libraries with sexually explicit books akin to pornography, promoting self-hate and supporting all sorts of so-called family-friendly storytimes while propagating historical self-hate, mediocrity, and inculcating learned helplessness, thus draining the essence from childhood. Even if you believe you can raise and protect your own children according to your standards and values- and maybe you can, your children will still be living and growing up in this war alongside those who have lost their love for reading, have forgotten the concept of freedom, and have become obsessed with self-identification. That is not what you want for your children, nor for your grandchildren. I know all too well. I lived that life and fled from it, or so I thought! 

Do not let our story’s ending align with the sombre words from Fahrenheit 451: “Remember, the firemen are rarely necessary. The public itself stopped reading of its own accord.” 

___

Thanks for reading. For more from this author read, The colours of the rainbow, not pretty in the sky

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