Sherlock Holmes Removed from School Reading List

Hamlet53 · 08-12-2011, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Sherlock Holmes' first adventure has been removed from sixth-grade reading lists in a central Virginia county.

Brette Stevenson, a parent of a Henley Middle School student, had complained that "A Study in Scarlet" is derogatory toward Mormons.

link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_925270.html

I suppose this would also apply to Riders of the Purple Sage?

wodin · 08-12-2011, 02:11 PM

As I recall my Sir ACD, he/she's right! Will they also ban Mark Twain?

Harry_Y · 08-12-2011, 02:16 PM

PC will be the death of US

HarryT · 08-12-2011, 02:17 PM

There's no doubt that it is VERY derogatory towards Mormons.

HarryT · 08-12-2011, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry_Y

PC will be the death of US

Not PC, I think, in this case. Not to expose young children to this type of material is justifiable. Would you want young children to read books which were blatantly antisemitic or homophobic? There's all the rest of the Sherlock Holmes canon available to them, and they're free to read this book when they're old enough to understand it's cultural context.

Dulin's Books · 08-12-2011, 02:26 PM

hmm... its a middle school though so that is grade 6/7/8 im sure i read all of Holmes through the first time in that range

carpetmojo · 08-12-2011, 02:28 PM

I always feel the "weaker" a creed/belief/way of life, or whatever, the more sensitive followers are to criticism, humour, commonsense or the cold light of truth............

'course, that's just my opinion........................

SensualPoet · 08-12-2011, 02:41 PM

I believe the action was to remove this particular novel from reading lists, not to ban the book from school libraries. Sixth grade is 11 and 12 year olds; I agree that there are a lot of Sherlock Holmes stories that could be substituted for this group without raising parental concerns. In this context, I'm not overly concerned.

RainingLemur · 08-12-2011, 02:43 PM

Eh, I can understand their train of thought. I don't 100% agree with it, but I don't think it's necessarily a BAD thing.

Billi · 08-12-2011, 02:50 PM

What is the historical truth of this novel? Was the story behind a pure invention of ACD or did he simply put into fiction what happened in reality?

HarryT · 08-12-2011, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Billi

What is the historical truth of this novel? Was the story behind a pure invention of ACD or did he simply put into fiction what happened in reality?

Wiki has this to say about it:

Quote:

According to a 1994 Salt Lake City newspaper article, when Conan Doyle was asked about his depiction of the Latter-day Saints' organization as being steeped in kidnapping, murder and enslavement, he said: "all I said about the Danite Band and the murders is historical so I cannot withdraw that, though it is likely that in a work of fiction it is stated more luridly than in a work of history. It's best to let the matter rest". However, Conan Doyle's daughter has stated: "You know, father would be the first to admit that his first Sherlock Holmes novel was full of errors about the Mormons". Years after Conan Doyle's death, Levi Edgar Young, a descendant of Brigham Young and a Mormon general authority, claimed that Conan Doyle had privately apologized, saying that "He [Conan Doyle] said he had been misled by writings of the time about the Church".

jgaiser · 08-12-2011, 03:01 PM

He put into fiction what he *thought* was reality at the time. Wikipedia has a single paragraph about the controversy on it's "A Study in Scarlet" page.

Billi · 08-12-2011, 03:07 PM

Thanks, Harry and Jerry, I think this is important to know when discussing the removing of this book from the school reading list.

MartinC · 08-12-2011, 03:07 PM

Holmes was also a cocaine user and played silly games with loaded revolvers. I'm surprised he got onto the reading list in the first place.

He was a smoker too.

Phogg · 08-12-2011, 03:12 PM

Lets also remove anything that mentions the Spanish Inquisition.
It's derogatory.

08-12-2011, 02:28 PM	#7
carpetmojo Wizard Posts: 3,117 Karma: 9269999 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5	Ummm................ I always feel the "weaker" a creed/belief/way of life, or whatever, the more sensitive followers are to criticism, humour, commonsense or the cold light of truth............ 'course, that's just my opinion........................

08-12-2011, 03:01 PM	#12
jgaiser Omnivorous Posts: 3,283 Karma: 27978909 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rural NW Oregon Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, KPW1	He put into fiction what he thought was reality at the time. Wikipedia has a single paragraph about the controversy on it's "A Study in Scarlet" page. Last edited by jgaiser; 08-12-2011 at 03:01 PM. Reason: Oh, well.. HarryT beat me to it.

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08-12-2011, 02:11 PM	#2
wodin Illiterate Posts: 10,279 Karma: 37848716 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: The Sandwich Isles Device: Samsung Galaxy S10+, Microsoft Surface Pro	As I recall my Sir ACD, he/she's right! Will they also ban Mark Twain?

08-12-2011, 02:16 PM	#3
Harry_Y Addict Posts: 305 Karma: 704492 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: NY Device: Kindle 3, Kindle DX, Galaxy Tab 2	PC will be the death of US

08-12-2011, 02:17 PM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	There's no doubt that it is VERY derogatory towards Mormons.

08-12-2011, 02:26 PM	#6
Dulin's Books Wizard Posts: 2,806 Karma: 13500000 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Portland, OR Device: Boox PB360 etc etc etc	hmm... its a middle school though so that is grade 6/7/8 im sure i read all of Holmes through the first time in that range

08-12-2011, 02:41 PM	#8
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	I believe the action was to remove this particular novel from reading lists, not to ban the book from school libraries. Sixth grade is 11 and 12 year olds; I agree that there are a lot of Sherlock Holmes stories that could be substituted for this group without raising parental concerns. In this context, I'm not overly concerned.

08-12-2011, 02:43 PM	#9
RainingLemur Spork Connoisseur Posts: 2,355 Karma: 16780603 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Nook Color	Eh, I can understand their train of thought. I don't 100% agree with it, but I don't think it's necessarily a BAD thing.

08-12-2011, 02:50 PM	#10
Billi Wizard Posts: 3,388 Karma: 14190103 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Berlin Device: Cybook, iRex, PB, Onyx	What is the historical truth of this novel? Was the story behind a pure invention of ACD or did he simply put into fiction what happened in reality?

08-12-2011, 03:07 PM	#13
Billi Wizard Posts: 3,388 Karma: 14190103 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Berlin Device: Cybook, iRex, PB, Onyx	Thanks, Harry and Jerry, I think this is important to know when discussing the removing of this book from the school reading list.

08-12-2011, 03:07 PM	#14
MartinC Hanger on Posts: 148 Karma: 1355233 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Dorset, UK Device: Kindle 3, Galaxy S, Sony PRS-505, Sony tablet	Holmes was also a cocaine user and played silly games with loaded revolvers. I'm surprised he got onto the reading list in the first place. He was a smoker too.

08-12-2011, 03:12 PM	#15
Phogg PHD in Horribleness Posts: 2,320 Karma: 23599604 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: In the ironbound section, near avenue L Device: Just a whole bunch. I guess I am a collector now.	Lets also remove anything that mentions the Spanish Inquisition. It's derogatory.