Banned Book Week

So Far from the Bamboo Grove

2007

Removed from the sixth-grade English curriculum at Dover-Sherborn (MA) Middle School due to scenes hinting at rape, violence against women by Korean men, and a distorted presentation of history. It is part of the state's recommended reading list for the grade level. The book is based on the real-life experiences of Watkins, whose father was a Japanese Government official. In a reversal of the above decision, the Dover-Sherborn Regional School committee voted unanimously to keep the book as part of a sixth-grade language arts unit on survival. The school is exploring other texts to bring balance to the unit in response to the criticism leveled against the book by some parents and community members.

Held at Marshall (Drinko Juvenile Collection - JF W335so)

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For more information contact Ron Titus