Jeremy R. Summerlin
Last week, news broke that Greenville County Schools had canceled their upcoming book fair due to new book-banning rules from the South Carolina Department of Education. Rule 43-170 prohibits books (“educational materials”) that contain “sexual content” or depictions of “excretory functions.” These broad and vague terms include the Bible, the Canterbury Tales, nearly all the works of William Shakespeare, and other modern classics such as Captain Underpants (and my kids' favorite characters). Since it's unclear what will happen to school districts, administrators, or teachers found to be in violation of the Department of Education rules, the Greenville School District has decided to cancel the book fair until they can work out the logistics of ensuring that all books brought during the book fair do not contain anything that offends the sensibilities of Columbia bureaucrats. They will also have to catalog all books in their classrooms to ensure they do not violate the new rules. My children attend Greenville County Schools. They love to read and be read to, and I take them to the book fair every semester. This is to encourage a love of reading and to stop them buying toys and books. These moments are precious and filled with shared passion for reading and books and arguments like, “Dad, if I squint my eyes closely, is that really a book?” The kids get excited about the newest books and graphic novels on display, and the oldest son even saves up and chooses the less educationally oriented books his dad prefers.
Greenville suspends book fair:Greenville County Schools 'pauses' book fair after new South Carolina rules go into effect
That’s okay. It’s even wonderful. I love watching my kids roam the bookshelves in the last few minutes before school starts. When that day comes when they’re as young as they are, the smell of new books fills their minds. But this year is different. As a parent, I fear for many things. Worries about my kids, their choices, their futures are never far from my mind. Because I want them to be safe. To learn. To love learning. To make good choices. To be kind. To show compassion and empathy. To be passionate. To have purpose. To know their own stories. And to read as if their lives depended on it. I am an avid reader, and one of my greatest joys as a parent is to share with my children the same love of books that has nurtured and sustained me throughout my life. We listen to audiobooks on the way to school and during car rides. I read to my kids in the evenings before bed. We go to the library whenever we can. I’ve filled my house with books. I share memories of being a child and ignoring the outside world, immersed in different worlds that seemed so much more meaningful than my own. I share stories I read; the ones I liked, the ones I didn't, the ones that resonated with me. And most importantly, I wonder aloud if the book met the standards of the South Carolina Department of Education. That's why the banning of this ridiculous book from Columbia University was… fear Not out of a desire to get my kids to love reading good books, but out of concern about what they would read.
I get it. There are some books my kids aren't ready to read yet. I'm not naive about that. But you can't teach reading discernment by banning books. If you want to train bank tellers to spot counterfeit bills, you don't let them look at counterfeit bills all day, you let them touch real ones. Give them the right ones, and they'll instinctively learn to spot the wrong ones in an instant, right at their fingertips. Want your kids to read good books? Read them good books!
Read good books with them. Take them to the library and explore together. Go to a book fair together (maybe not here). Share the books you read as a child. Find new books that will help you in the future. Their Read your favorite books for the beauty they contain. Read for the pleasure of reading. Read books about people and places very different from your own. Give your children all the good literature you can get your hands on, and let them instinctively see for themselves what good literature is. Let them feel it in their hearts, not because you said so, not because someone at Columbia approved it, not because it passed legal law. Give your children back their book fairs.
Jeremy R. Summerlin is a Greenville native and father of three children. He works as an employment attorney with the Houghton Law Firm in Pennsylvania.