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A librarian's comment about page count changed how I approach challenged books
Last month I was complaining to a librarian in Austin about how long it takes to read every challenged book before I form an opinion. She said, 'You don't have to read the whole thing to understand why someone wants it gone. Look at the one page they circled.' That hit me differently. Now I start with the flagged passages and the reasons on the challenge form, then work outward. Has anyone else shifted their review process after talking to library staff?
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sage_moore376d ago
So you are basing your whole opinion on one page someone circled and a complaint form? That seems lazy, honestly. If someone flags page 47 of a 300 page book because it has one swear word, that tells you nothing about whether the book is actually good or harmful. You are letting whoever filed the complaint set the terms of the debate before you even start. Like I get not having time to read everything cover to cover, but skimming random pages because some parent got offended seems like you are just looking for a shortcut to feel informed. Maybe read a few chapters, check the overall message, or at least read the whole chapter that page sits in. Otherwise you are basically reviewing a book based on a screenshot someone took out of context. That is not a smart strategy, that is just a faster way to be wrong.
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