freedom to read marathon - 02/28/10

Reading from Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck at the Millennium Library. The Freedom to Read Marathon was presented by the Winnipeg Public Library and the Manitoba Writers' Guild.

"In 2000, Terry Lewis, a member of the Reform party’s national executive council, complained about the use of this novel by Winnipeg’s River East School Division and called for the book’s removal from school reading lists. Lewis, who distributed 10,000 copies of a pamphlet arguing against the book, said that Steinbeck’s frequent use of “God,” “God-damned,” and “Jesus” in profane and blasphemous ways offended Christians and couldn’t possibly have any educational benefit. The River East School Division took no action. This objection and its disposition echoed an incident in Alberta in 1994, when a member of the legislature demanded that the novel be withdrawn from all high school reading lists in the province."

Photo Credit: Gloe Cormie (author of Sea Salt, Red Oven Mitts and the Blues).

Post date: 2010-03-04 01:26:44 UTC

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