Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

kpete

(71,867 posts)
Wed Oct 2, 2013, 07:44 PM Oct 2013

How an 8-year-old girl got some sexist kids' books yanked from the bookstore

How my 8-year-old daughter got some sexist kids' books yanked from the bookstore
BY CONSTANCE COOPER
Our family was browsing in a bookstore when my daughter called out, “Mama, you have to look at this!” Usually this is a happy cry, but not this time.

She'd found a pair of books. One was Boys Only: How to Survive (Almost) Anything! Its cover showed a boy confronting a crocodile. The other book was the girls' version. Its cover had one girl fluffing her hair while wearing a rhinestone-studded miniskirt, and another riding on a zip line while talking on the phone.



It wasn't until my daughter compared the tables of contents, though, that she became irate to the point of tears. In case you might find this as morbidly fascinating as I do, I will reproduce the pages here:
For boys:

Warning!
How to Survive a Shark Attack
How to Survive in a Forest
How to Survive Frostbite
How to Survive a Plane Crash
How to Survive in a Desert
How to Avoid a Polar Bear Attack
How to Survive a Flash Flood
How to Treat a Broken Leg
How to Survive an Earthquake
How to Survive a Forest Fire
How to Survive in a Whiteout
How to Survive a Zombie Invasion
How to Survive a Snake Bite
How to Survive If Your Parachute Fails
How to Survive a Croc Attack
How to Survive a Lightning Strike
How to Survive a T-Rex
How to Survive Whitewater Rapids
How to Survive a Sinking Ship
How to Survive a Vampire Attack
How to Survive an Avalanche
How to Survive a Tornado
How to Survive Quicksand
How to Survive a Fall
How to Survive a Swarm of Bees
How to Survive in Space


For girls:

Warning!
How to Survive a BFF Fight
How to Survive Football Trials
How to Survive a Breakout
How to Show You're Sorry
How to Have the Best Sleepover Ever
How to Look Your Best for a Party
How to Survive Siblings
Scary Survival Dos and Don'ts
How to Handle Becoming Rich
How to Keep Stuff Secret
How to Survive Tests
How to Survive Shyness
How to Handle Sudden Stardom
More Stardom Survival Tips
How to Survive a Camping Trip
How to Survive a Fashion Disaster
How to Teach Your Cat to Sit
How to Turn a No into a Yes
Top Tips for Speech-making
How to Survive Embarrassment
How to Create a Diversion
How to Survive a Crush
Seaside Survival
How to Soothe Sunburn
How to Pick Perfect Sunglasses
Surviving a Zombie Attack
How to Spot a Frenemy
Brilliant Boredom Busters
How to Survive Truth or Dare
How to Beat Bullies
How to Be a Brilliant Baby-Sitter



,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


She insisted we had to tell the manager how unfair these books were, and a nearby employee heard her and asked if she could help. Kudos to Half Price Books: the employee was horrified. She agreed that the books were offensive, and although we hadn't requested it, she yanked all copies (boy and girl) from the shelf. She also gave my daughter a coupon, which she used on a YA fantasy novel.


links and more:
http://www.constancecooper.com/2013/10/how-my-8-year-old-daughter-got-some.html
90 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
How an 8-year-old girl got some sexist kids' books yanked from the bookstore (Original Post) kpete Oct 2013 OP
You're raising a great daughter! n/t pnwmom Oct 2013 #1
not me kpete Oct 2013 #4
cool kid. cool mom and cool bookstore employee cali Oct 2013 #2
Why is it sexist? Everyone knows bees and sharks only attack boys! Ian David Oct 2013 #3
"How to Teach Your Cat to Sit"? I'd like to read that chapter, actually petronius Oct 2013 #5
I once taught my cat to lay around the house and do nothing... n/t PoliticAverse Oct 2013 #8
Yeah, that's the easiest trick I taught my cat. Hayabusa Oct 2013 #67
I used to have a cat I taught to sit. He had a habit of standing in front of my little B&W tv when kestrel91316 Oct 2013 #11
I am more interested in the how to survive parachute not opening.. EX500rider Oct 2013 #19
I don't know how to feel about this... TeeYiYi Oct 2013 #6
Small difference... Scootaloo Oct 2013 #7
I agree. kcr Oct 2013 #12
Thank you, Scootaloo... TeeYiYi Oct 2013 #13
It's really just a drop in the bucket Scootaloo Oct 2013 #14
Aah... Ok, thanks. :) ..nt TeeYiYi Oct 2013 #15
nancy drew and hardy boys may have specific genders but they are not overtly sexist. drew is seabeyond Oct 2013 #25
I used to read my sister's Nancy Drew's JBoy Oct 2013 #31
i did the same. really enjoyed the drew books and really liked the hardys too. seabeyond Oct 2013 #33
in print, in words, side by side. there is no ambiguity in this one. a poster argued pink was seabeyond Oct 2013 #23
It's not because of evolution. It's because girls like lipstick. Duh. Orrex Oct 2013 #39
you got a cackle on that one. or all of society since the day of their birth tell them pink is what seabeyond Oct 2013 #40
Yeah, it starts early. Orrex Oct 2013 #56
I'm not sure that that's really a difference at all Orrex Oct 2013 #49
I would have bought up the whole stock of the boys book quinnox Oct 2013 #9
Book banning kinda bothers me, inspite of the sexist content. Shrike47 Oct 2013 #10
If we were talking actual literature - as opposed to this silliness - then I'd agree with you. nomorenomore08 Oct 2013 #16
Banning books "for the kids" is cool joeglow3 Oct 2013 #30
Generally speaking, no. And most parental complaints about library books can probably be considered nomorenomore08 Oct 2013 #62
Whose to say what "actual literature" is? I mean I read stuff like that when I was a young'un Erose999 Oct 2013 #55
True, and there's nothing wrong with a little "light reading." nomorenomore08 Oct 2013 #64
LOL, so you get to decide "actual literature"? LOL! Missing the point I think! n-t Logical Oct 2013 #78
I can hold whatever opinion I want. And so can you. nomorenomore08 Oct 2013 #79
An item's position in a market place predicated in part on social awareness is not... LanternWaste Oct 2013 #47
My wife bought this book for my daughter. rug Oct 2013 #17
Next on to Mark Twain! whistler162 Oct 2013 #18
Banning books... hardcover Oct 2013 #20
It is not banning books whopis01 Oct 2013 #21
Keep telling yourself that joeglow3 Oct 2013 #38
So by that logic, would any book that a bookstore chose not to carry would be a banned book? whopis01 Oct 2013 #80
Or, you can choose not to purchase the book. Throd Oct 2013 #51
Read the headline again. It is a book banning fantasy cthulu2016 Oct 2013 #66
it is insulting to every girl and to women. i do not get why people cannot recognize how fuckin seabeyond Oct 2013 #22
Lover Boy recently came home with a book with strictly defined gender roles in it & I'm OK with that Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2013 #85
i am hoping this was play to a serious issue. but ya... i imagine in both regards. seabeyond Oct 2013 #86
I'm cooking a lot more now that I'm home most days but he is by far the better cook. Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2013 #88
Sounds yummy. Hubby the better, more creative cook though over the years I have gotten good, too. He seabeyond Oct 2013 #89
And the Hardy Boys had more exciting adventures than Nancy Drew. Nye Bevan Oct 2013 #24
Those books are insulting to both girls and boys Silent3 Oct 2013 #26
There certainly should be no frivolity, Nye Bevan Oct 2013 #28
Huh? Silent3 Oct 2013 #43
Well, the girls have the "Twilight" stuff to look forward to in their tween years. Nye Bevan Oct 2013 #45
Who precisely voiced that particular premise? LanternWaste Oct 2013 #48
not comfortable with this dembotoz Oct 2013 #27
I read the Hardy Boys in the 70s and LOVED them. Nye Bevan Oct 2013 #29
Without them, it would have been years before I knew what "lanky" meant. JBoy Oct 2013 #35
What about "portly" Chet Morton? ProudToBeBlueInRhody Oct 2013 #36
I remember reading "While the Clock Ticked" Nye Bevan Oct 2013 #44
Perhaps the young girl was preconditioned by parents to be offended. Hmmmm. NYC_SKP Oct 2013 #32
Just great.. Upton Oct 2013 #34
I think stores have the right to make those decisions for themselves ProudToBeBlueInRhody Oct 2013 #37
yep...an 8yo girl "banned" a book in a retail store noiretextatique Oct 2013 #41
I agree. Little girl (and mom): I'm offended. Therefore, nobody else should be able to see it. NYC_SKP Oct 2013 #42
People can order it through amazon or get it elsewhere too. No bookstore is required to carry every uppityperson Oct 2013 #68
The child didn't request that the book be removed. Mariana Oct 2013 #82
I'm not comfortable with this either... cynatnite Oct 2013 #50
ah, girls and womens greatest supporter here to show.... what? get that girl. bad bad girl. seabeyond Oct 2013 #52
I agree. Don't like a book? Then don't buy it, don't read it. Throd Oct 2013 #53
Behold the power of 8-year-old girls! gollygee Oct 2013 #57
Don't like a book, don't buy it. Your eyes, your choice. The Straight Story Oct 2013 #60
I thought the books were a bit too comic-book like. Here's a better pair of books, IMHO: NYC_SKP Oct 2013 #46
Hooray for banning books! Because everybody should just be able to get rid of the books they find Erose999 Oct 2013 #54
+1 B Calm Oct 2013 #58
This is hardly book banning or book burning. Not even close. Silent3 Oct 2013 #61
Encouraging a bookstore to remove a book? So what if the fundies are offended by science books? Do Erose999 Oct 2013 #83
^ cthulu2016 Oct 2013 #63
A private bookstore can decide what books they want to carry. Those books are readily available, uppityperson Oct 2013 #69
+1000! n/t Skip Intro Oct 2013 #70
You can agree or disagree with the store's response - I guess I'm ambivalent myself. nomorenomore08 Oct 2013 #71
As offensive as that is all around, the worst part to me is that girls apparently need to be able to Counterpoint PA Oct 2013 #59
Good for her. Private book stores have the right to carry what they want and if they don't want to uppityperson Oct 2013 #65
It sure must suck to own a bookstore nowadays, though FrodosPet Oct 2013 #76
What sort of personality disorder makes a person tell stores what books not to carry? cthulu2016 Oct 2013 #72
Thank you! Well said. Mojo Electro Oct 2013 #75
You should read the OP. Mariana Oct 2013 #81
Now, don't let facts get in the way kcr Oct 2013 #87
Not respected is an understatement. Mariana Oct 2013 #90
My neice has a "No Boys Allowed" sign on her bedroom door - Skip Intro Oct 2013 #73
Story sounds fishy LittleBlue Oct 2013 #74
Okay, is it just me, or do the girls book seem a lot more grounded in reality? Tommy_Carcetti Oct 2013 #77
Where some people see sexist indoctrination, I see kids encouraged to read. lumberjack_jeff Oct 2013 #84

petronius

(26,576 posts)
5. "How to Teach Your Cat to Sit"? I'd like to read that chapter, actually
Wed Oct 2, 2013, 07:54 PM
Oct 2013

If only for the hopelessness...

But seriously, good job by your daughter (and you, by extension). Even though the boys' version is tongue in cheek and (I hope to god!) few boys will have to deal with that stuff, the stereotypes displayed there are hideous...

 

kestrel91316

(51,666 posts)
11. I used to have a cat I taught to sit. He had a habit of standing in front of my little B&W tv when
Wed Oct 2, 2013, 08:41 PM
Oct 2013

I had it on the dining table so he could watch basketball. I wanted to watch, too. So I made him sit down if he was gonna be right in front of it. He was really good about that.

Now I have one that I have taught to lay down on command so he doesn't pester me all night in bed. He gets it right about 3/4 of the time.

TeeYiYi

(8,028 posts)
6. I don't know how to feel about this...
Wed Oct 2, 2013, 07:55 PM
Oct 2013

Clearly it's sexist, but I dunno... Not sure it's any worse than the 'princess' or 'GI Joe' aisle of any given big.box.mart with a toy section.

I'm open to anyone who might be willing to spell it out for me.

TYY

 

Scootaloo

(25,699 posts)
7. Small difference...
Wed Oct 2, 2013, 08:11 PM
Oct 2013

Toymakers do not label the products by gender. They're color-coded and yes, clearly targeted... but that clarity is really a product of a whole collection of cultural preconceptions we have already, that the toymakers just capitalize (literally) upon. Hasbro, Mattel, Lego, these companies may market by gender, but they will never label their product by gender, as doing so would pare away a potential market (a lesson that people like myself have been teaching Hasbro for three years now )

On the other hand, these books do expressly segregate by gender. One is "for boys," the other is "for girls." And unlike toys, where really anyone can pick it up and get the same functionality out of it, the content of these books is obviously very different. Like... grotesquely different.

That's the difference. Targeted marketing based on assumed divisions vs. directly segregated marketing.

kcr

(15,295 posts)
12. I agree.
Wed Oct 2, 2013, 08:47 PM
Oct 2013

It's the fact that they are books that are expressing that certain ideas are only for boys while others are only for girls that makes this especially egregious. I'm not exactly thrilled about the marketing of toys, either.

TeeYiYi

(8,028 posts)
13. Thank you, Scootaloo...
Wed Oct 2, 2013, 08:56 PM
Oct 2013

I think I see what you mean. The difference being that toy stores may or may not actually label their aisles specifically by gender; thereby defining an expected male/female outcome. (Any kid can buy from whichever aisle attracts them.)

So, marketing to genders in such an obviously sexist manner is not acceptable in 2013...especially in books.. or is that true?

What about books that are marketed by gender? (Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys.) There are millions of them. That's how I see these comic books; one example of millions of other stereotypically gender based book marketing examples. Sexist without a doubt but there it is...

How do you pull these two comic books from the shelves without acknowledging the others? And what about sexism in video games, music, etc.

I guess my point is that sexism is rampant. I suppose pulling these two books could be conceived as a good start?... or is it really just a drop in the bucket?

TYY



 

Scootaloo

(25,699 posts)
14. It's really just a drop in the bucket
Wed Oct 2, 2013, 08:58 PM
Oct 2013

The story here is more about the awareness of the eight year old girl, and the reinforcement of that awareness by the salesperson.

 

seabeyond

(110,159 posts)
25. nancy drew and hardy boys may have specific genders but they are not overtly sexist. drew is
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 08:17 AM
Oct 2013

very active and accomplished in her stories. they are both treat as humans not gender. because they each represent a gender and reach out to a particular gender does not make them sexist nor unreadable for the other gender.

JBoy

(8,021 posts)
31. I used to read my sister's Nancy Drew's
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 09:41 AM
Oct 2013

After I'd finished my Hardy Boys'. The books were similar - a little more physical action in the Hardy Boys, but both series described adventure and showcased the resourcefulness of the protagonists.

 

seabeyond

(110,159 posts)
33. i did the same. really enjoyed the drew books and really liked the hardys too.
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 09:47 AM
Oct 2013

especially when they brought the two together.

 

seabeyond

(110,159 posts)
23. in print, in words, side by side. there is no ambiguity in this one. a poster argued pink was
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 08:14 AM
Oct 2013

preferred by girls biologically and evo psych could tell us why. :vomit:

 

seabeyond

(110,159 posts)
40. you got a cackle on that one. or all of society since the day of their birth tell them pink is what
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 10:38 AM
Oct 2013

they are.

but go figure.

cute

Orrex

(63,057 posts)
56. Yeah, it starts early.
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 12:09 PM
Oct 2013

Our hospital was pretty good about it. Lots of pastels but mostly yellows and greens. Of course, family and friends tended toward blue baby clothes for our boys, so...

One thing that I recall from our older son's very early days is that we made a point of carting him down both the "boys" and "girls" aisles. He showed NO interest in "girls" toys but practically burst out of the seatbelt to get his hands on HotWheels.

I know that this doesn't mean that boys inherently prefer boys' toys, but we were really surprised by the stark difference. We repeated the experiment a bunch of times with the same result.

On the other hand, when his brother was born he wanted a doll to have a baby of his own, so we let him pick one out, and he took to carting it around in a stroller when we went for walks.


Kids! Who can figure them?

Orrex

(63,057 posts)
49. I'm not sure that that's really a difference at all
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 11:45 AM
Oct 2013

In my entire life I have never seen a Barbie ad with a boy in it or a GI Joe ad with a girl in it. I'm not even sure that I've ever seen a HotWheels or Matchbox ad featuring a girl.

Although they seldom specifically say "for girls," these products are undeniably marketed along predictable gender lines, to the point that the distinction between "targeted" and "marketed" is trivial and academic. Even if the manufacturers don't target boys or girls specifically, the retail stores certainly do.


In short, the absence of an explicit "girls only" or "boys only" label is simply a technicality, in the same way that we might say that our society is race-neutral because we don't have "whites only" water fountains anymore.

nomorenomore08

(13,324 posts)
16. If we were talking actual literature - as opposed to this silliness - then I'd agree with you.
Wed Oct 2, 2013, 09:07 PM
Oct 2013

Ditto if the books were aimed at adults and not young children.

nomorenomore08

(13,324 posts)
62. Generally speaking, no. And most parental complaints about library books can probably be considered
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 04:55 PM
Oct 2013

bullshit - e.g. complaining about 'Beloved' because the themes of racism and slavery are "uncomfortable."

But in this case it was the child herself who raised an objection, and an understandable one. And it's not as if this is a book that teaches kids about some ugly realities of the world they live in - rather, it promotes stereotyping and general ignorance, which is the opposite of what any good parent should want their child to learn.

Erose999

(5,624 posts)
55. Whose to say what "actual literature" is? I mean I read stuff like that when I was a young'un
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 12:03 PM
Oct 2013

and I went on to a BA in English and I plan on becoming a librarian.

nomorenomore08

(13,324 posts)
64. True, and there's nothing wrong with a little "light reading."
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 04:58 PM
Oct 2013

All I was saying, is that it's not as if some great classic was taken off the shelves here. So I'm not gonna whine about it.

nomorenomore08

(13,324 posts)
79. I can hold whatever opinion I want. And so can you.
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 06:13 PM
Oct 2013

I have no power to "ban" any book, nor would I want to even if I did - I like books, and I think even bad ones have the right to exist. But the situation in the OP is hardly "book burning" or any such ridiculousness.

 

LanternWaste

(37,748 posts)
47. An item's position in a market place predicated in part on social awareness is not...
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 11:29 AM
Oct 2013

An item's position in a market place predicated in part on social awareness is not by any means "banning", it is simply your market place at work.

A company's own decisions to carry or not carry an item is also a wholly separate concept than banning.

 

rug

(82,333 posts)
17. My wife bought this book for my daughter.
Wed Oct 2, 2013, 09:12 PM
Oct 2013


When she brought it to school, the teacher yelled at her and took it away.

I told her she should let her daddy buy her books in the future.

hardcover

(255 posts)
20. Banning books...
Wed Oct 2, 2013, 10:15 PM
Oct 2013

No matter how much we don't like those books, it's still banning books. Where do we draw the line on which books should be banned?

whopis01

(3,463 posts)
21. It is not banning books
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 07:57 AM
Oct 2013

The retailer has a right to decide what books they will and won't stock. It is their bookshelf and they get to decide what books go on that shelf.

Choosing not to carry a product in a store is not the same as banning that product.

 

joeglow3

(6,228 posts)
38. Keep telling yourself that
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 10:03 AM
Oct 2013

Removing books from the forums one goes to in order to acquire books is cool, so long as it is not technically banning. All the better when it has the effect of banning, but we can claim we do not support "banning" books.

whopis01

(3,463 posts)
80. So by that logic, would any book that a bookstore chose not to carry would be a banned book?
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 06:24 PM
Oct 2013

Does the retailer have no ability to choose what goes on the shelves?

What if they had a book that wasn't selling well? Just because it hasn't sold yet doesn't mean that someone isn't interested in reading it - so we better not "ban" that book by pulling it off the shelf, right?

If this were a public library, I would agree with you. But it is a private business. You simply can not force a business to carry a product which they don't want to carry. Or force them to drop a product which they wish to carry.

What you can do is shop there or shop elsewhere - and you can let them know exactly why you are making that choice.

cthulu2016

(10,960 posts)
66. Read the headline again. It is a book banning fantasy
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 04:59 PM
Oct 2013

The OP is experiencing all the excitement of a good book-banning, and also exaggerating.

The fact that the facts don't match the tone and headline do not make the OP better. Just rotten in more directions.

 

seabeyond

(110,159 posts)
22. it is insulting to every girl and to women. i do not get why people cannot recognize how fuckin
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 08:10 AM
Oct 2013

Last edited Thu Oct 3, 2013, 05:07 PM - Edit history (1)

insulting this is. your daughter was minding her own business. she was not out to find an issue. and there, in front of her face, we have a publication that was ALL about insulting your daughter and a whole gender.

hugz to this girl. she found her voice. and at a young age. she recognized a problem, and at a young age. now she will see it for the rest of her life. we cannot undue what we learn and how the world sees us. she lost that innocence.

 

seabeyond

(110,159 posts)
86. i am hoping this was play to a serious issue. but ya... i imagine in both regards.
Fri Oct 4, 2013, 12:50 PM
Oct 2013

have loverboy grill you up the fresh catch. gotta take a couple spices, lemon, wrap it up in foil and sit on a fire. hubby is a great cook. ya, fuck those roles.

Nuclear Unicorn

(19,497 posts)
88. I'm cooking a lot more now that I'm home most days but he is by far the better cook.
Fri Oct 4, 2013, 01:01 PM
Oct 2013

He and my brother were actually musing amongst themselves about opening a restaurant together with LB cooking and bro managing the business side. Sadly, it won't be happening any time soon; the numbers just aren't there right now.

He did try a recipe like you described but his involved stuffing the fish with lemon and herbs then packing it in kosher salt before wrapping in foil. After it grilled the salt was a crust you broke off; it pulled the aromas of the herbs and lemon through every flaky piece. OH MY GOD! I married well.

 

seabeyond

(110,159 posts)
89. Sounds yummy. Hubby the better, more creative cook though over the years I have gotten good, too. He
Fri Oct 4, 2013, 01:09 PM
Oct 2013

Talked about starting business and doing the cooking. I take the finances and manage the outside part of restaurant. Play off our strengths.

Silent3

(14,961 posts)
26. Those books are insulting to both girls and boys
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 08:32 AM
Oct 2013

The first thing people will probably notice is that the topics for girls seem so comparatively wimpy to the topics for boys, but I also think the girls' book sounds a lot more practical (where it isn't being frivolous) and grounded in reality, with the boys' book concentrating on rare or even impossible (vampire attack?) situations, as if a boys' life should be all about throwing himself into crazy, dangerous situations.

Silent3

(14,961 posts)
43. Huh?
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 11:09 AM
Oct 2013

Do you really think my comment implied that in any way, shape, or form?

The problem is making it mostly fantastical danger stuff for boys, and mostly frivolous and mundane for girls, instead of a balance of each for both.

Nye Bevan

(25,406 posts)
45. Well, the girls have the "Twilight" stuff to look forward to in their tween years.
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 11:13 AM
Oct 2013

Certainly fantastical. Dangerous? I would assume so, based on the fact that vampires are involved, but I have heard that vampires these days have become somewhat wimpy.

dembotoz

(16,708 posts)
27. not comfortable with this
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 09:14 AM
Oct 2013

yes i do think the books are awful

but removal from the shelves makes me shudder
the solution is

BETTER GIRLS BOOKS

nancy drew and the
hardy boys were written a long time ago
the hardy boy books were dated when i read them in the late 50's
i loved them but they were dateFd.

Authors will write what sells--everyone likes to eat and buy stuff.

i don't think girls got a bad shake in the harry potter books
in hunger games the lead character was female-confess i did not read or watch the books or movie.

What books are out there.
i know what to buy for my grand son
not so sure for my grand daughter.

Nye Bevan

(25,406 posts)
29. I read the Hardy Boys in the 70s and LOVED them.
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 09:35 AM
Oct 2013

I eagerly scoured the library shelves looking for ones I had not yet read.

Maybe not great literature but books like that inspired a lifelong love of reading in me.

JBoy

(8,021 posts)
35. Without them, it would have been years before I knew what "lanky" meant.
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 09:57 AM
Oct 2013

Their friend wasn't just "Biff Hooper", he was always described as their "lanky friend, Biff Hooper".

 

NYC_SKP

(68,644 posts)
32. Perhaps the young girl was preconditioned by parents to be offended. Hmmmm.
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 09:43 AM
Oct 2013

That happens; children a reflection of their parents.

I would prefer to have heard that the girl, rather than be shocked and upset, would have said something like, "look Mommy, more of that gender specific marketing crap we talked about!"

Art, including literature, including children's literature, is a reflection of culture.

True, it also reinforces cultural habits, but at least these are books, that can be read.

Please take this girl the the news stand and see what she thinks of Vogue and Elle magazines, etc.

Upton

(9,709 posts)
34. Just great..
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 09:49 AM
Oct 2013

lets just ban and rip off the shelves every book we don't like..

Does this mean it's okay for the children of Christian fundamentalists to go into stores and demand that books on evolution not be sold?

I'm not comfortable with book banning in any form

ProudToBeBlueInRhody

(16,399 posts)
37. I think stores have the right to make those decisions for themselves
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 10:03 AM
Oct 2013

And we have the right as consumers to take our business elsewhere if they refuse to sell those books we want.

I understood why CVS didn't want to deal with the Boston Bomber stuff. You just go down the street and buy it elsewhere.

Now libraries....I think that's a different story.

 

NYC_SKP

(68,644 posts)
42. I agree. Little girl (and mom): I'm offended. Therefore, nobody else should be able to see it.
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 11:02 AM
Oct 2013

It's bullshit.

uppityperson

(115,674 posts)
68. People can order it through amazon or get it elsewhere too. No bookstore is required to carry every
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 05:00 PM
Oct 2013

book. And many books are available that aren't in bookstores.

Mariana

(14,830 posts)
82. The child didn't request that the book be removed.
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 06:42 PM
Oct 2013

Neither did the mother. Read the OP, please

"She agreed that the books were offensive, and although we hadn't requested it, she yanked all copies (boy and girl) from the shelf."

 

seabeyond

(110,159 posts)
52. ah, girls and womens greatest supporter here to show.... what? get that girl. bad bad girl.
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 11:51 AM
Oct 2013

no speaking up for her. not that she did a single damn thing but speak up. learn young. SOME men just do not want to hear what she has to say.

just great....

gollygee

(22,336 posts)
57. Behold the power of 8-year-old girls!
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 12:14 PM
Oct 2013

They are all powerful, but marketing execs who push incredibly biased material on us are weak victims!

The Straight Story

(48,121 posts)
60. Don't like a book, don't buy it. Your eyes, your choice.
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 12:31 PM
Oct 2013

That said, I wouldn't buy it myself (if my daughter wanted either one I would for her though - sure she could read beyond the words 'boy' when it came to zombie survival).

I don't see the books as more stereotyping than I do some folks here when it comes to other things.

 

NYC_SKP

(68,644 posts)
46. I thought the books were a bit too comic-book like. Here's a better pair of books, IMHO:
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 11:14 AM
Oct 2013

The Daring Book for Girls the Dangerous Book for Boys: (I have the boys book)




http://www.dangerousbookforboys.com/


Erose999

(5,624 posts)
54. Hooray for banning books! Because everybody should just be able to get rid of the books they find
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 11:55 AM
Oct 2013

distasteful.



I agree that those books are sexist, but I don't think letting them be pulled from the shelves is the right response. Maybe you could have written the author/publisher, or tried some other way that would educate rather than just censor.

Silent3

(14,961 posts)
61. This is hardly book banning or book burning. Not even close.
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 02:48 PM
Oct 2013

While it's generally good to encourage the free flow of information, real censorship involves either government restrictions or unchecked private intimidation to block self expression.

Private citizens are hardly obligated to facilitate or encourage speech or other expression that they find distasteful or immoral, however.

Erose999

(5,624 posts)
83. Encouraging a bookstore to remove a book? So what if the fundies are offended by science books? Do
Fri Oct 4, 2013, 12:09 PM
Oct 2013

they get to have those removed as well? Simply taking stuff off a store shelf does little to help our agenda. The books are available at every other store in town and you've done nothing to challenge/refute the ideology behind them. A better idea would be to organize an awareness campaign about the books and shame the author/publisher into changing or discontinuing them.

uppityperson

(115,674 posts)
69. A private bookstore can decide what books they want to carry. Those books are readily available,
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 05:02 PM
Oct 2013

just not carried at that bookstore any more. I bet I can find other books they don't carry also.

nomorenomore08

(13,324 posts)
71. You can agree or disagree with the store's response - I guess I'm ambivalent myself.
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 05:05 PM
Oct 2013

But this kind of hyperbole is a bit much.

Counterpoint PA

(275 posts)
59. As offensive as that is all around, the worst part to me is that girls apparently need to be able to
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 12:19 PM
Oct 2013

apologize but not boys.

uppityperson

(115,674 posts)
65. Good for her. Private book stores have the right to carry what they want and if they don't want to
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 04:58 PM
Oct 2013

carry something, so be it.

Good for this girl.

If someone wants the book, order it online or ask the bookstore to order it for you (many will do such a thing).

FrodosPet

(5,169 posts)
76. It sure must suck to own a bookstore nowadays, though
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 05:39 PM
Oct 2013

This is one of those "damned if you do, damned if you don't" moments for them.

Perhaps, as Trotsky said, the production and distribution of books and other information products should be nationalized. Then product availability would be determined by people hired by democratically elected leaders performing scientific analysis of the nation's knowledge and entertainment needs, and not based on capitalist market forces.

cthulu2016

(10,960 posts)
72. What sort of personality disorder makes a person tell stores what books not to carry?
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 05:06 PM
Oct 2013

Who acts like that? And brags about it??? Really?

I have more objection to various publications than most, but I have never complained to a bookstore about carrying books I don't like because it is Westbrook Baptist Church type behavior.

It is what disgusting, horrible people do.

That poor child may well grow up to be a real jerk, through no fault of her own.

Mojo Electro

(362 posts)
75. Thank you! Well said.
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 05:19 PM
Oct 2013

I was beginning to think practically everyone on this site agreed with this utter nonsense!

Mariana

(14,830 posts)
81. You should read the OP.
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 06:30 PM
Oct 2013

She [the employee] agreed that the books were offensive, and although we hadn't requested it, she yanked all copies (boy and girl) from the shelf.

kcr

(15,295 posts)
87. Now, don't let facts get in the way
Fri Oct 4, 2013, 12:59 PM
Oct 2013

There's some righteous anger going on.

I love how a girl speaking out about sexism in a book, bad. But someone comes on DU and talks about how they switched Anne Coulter's books on the bookshelves making them harder to find, or brags about how they successfully got Fox News turned off somewhere, and nothing but praise! Speaking out about sexism isn't respected here.

Mariana

(14,830 posts)
90. Not respected is an understatement.
Fri Oct 4, 2013, 01:58 PM
Oct 2013

Why the fuck do they feel the need to slander an eight year old child?

Skip Intro

(19,768 posts)
73. My neice has a "No Boys Allowed" sign on her bedroom door -
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 05:07 PM
Oct 2013

this meant to keep my nephew and his friends out of her room

I had a friend when I was a kid who had a little shed in his parents backyard that we all hung out in that had all kinds of signs on it, including one that read, "No Girls Allowed."

That is typical of children. Many girls find boys gross and many boys find girls gross. Most grow out of it, I guess.

I don't see those books as offensive. Even if I did, who the hell am I to decide for everyone in my town that they can't see, purchase or own them because I find them distasteful?

Not a good lesson for your daughter, imho.

 

LittleBlue

(10,362 posts)
74. Story sounds fishy
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 05:10 PM
Oct 2013

I bet it never happened or the mom put her up to it. Something just sounds fishy about an 8-year-old offended by a book like this. I'm guessing the mom saw the book and she was offended.

Tommy_Carcetti

(43,053 posts)
77. Okay, is it just me, or do the girls book seem a lot more grounded in reality?
Thu Oct 3, 2013, 05:46 PM
Oct 2013

The girls have babysitting, fights with friends, bullies, speech making, dealing with sunburns, etc.

The boys have surviving shark attacks, polar bear attacks, parachute failure, lightning strikes, vampire attacks, zombie invasions.

Okay, actually they both have zombie invasions for some strange reasons.

But seems like the girls book are a lot more practical than the boys book.

I don't know. The story itself I find annoying. Not a big fan of pulling books off shelves.

 

lumberjack_jeff

(33,224 posts)
84. Where some people see sexist indoctrination, I see kids encouraged to read.
Fri Oct 4, 2013, 12:19 PM
Oct 2013

Fundamentally, boys and girls tend to have different interests, and promoting reading requires different (with some overlap - apparently zombie attacks are a non-gendered topic of interest) approaches.

Part of the reasons that boys aren't succeeding in school is that the curriculum is limited to that with which their female teachers are comfortable.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»How an 8-year-old girl go...