Running with the Buffaloes banned

It should be banned because it's about running. How many people here would be up in arms if a book about anorexia were banned? How many lives have been ruined by both.

I'm buying and sending the school a copy of--

The Power of Community: CrossFit and the Force of Human Connection

agip wrote:

wiener - how old are you?

How is my age relevant to whether or not the kid is a wiener? You really haven't even tried to argue against my point. In fact, I'm not even sure that you have disagreed with anything I've said. Go ahead and tell me why you disagree with me if you do disagree (keeping in mind that I never made any argument as to whether or not the book should be removed).

Lay off the kid, he is autistic.

The mom called the news media; you know she did. The school sure didn't. She thinks she is going to be famous.

Thank God! My son earned a scholarship to a local private school where his honors literature class teacher chooses alot of her material from the "banned" list of the public schools. The list of banned books blew me away! Never would have guessed that liberals would be banning books, but PC rules I suppose. It's getting worse. Public schools, what a mess in so many ways.

Wiener - I disagree with this: "Yes, a middle schooler should have the maturity to know when to read and when to walk away. The kid clearly had this ability himself. He knew he didn't want to read it. Except instead of walking away and saying "I don't want to read this so I wont," he insisted that no one else read the book either."

My kid is a middle schooler. I know his friends. I would not trust these kids to basically raise themselves, as you are arguing. They make terrible decisions all the time. They need adults to put limits on them and teach them manners and good behavior.

Your age is only relevant if you are a middle schooler yourself, making a pitch for adult freedom. If that were true, then I would better understand where you are coming from.

So is the kid a wiener for 'telling on' the library? I don't think so - because he was right. That book should not be in a middle school library. It is generally a good thing when adolescents ask their parents for advice and guidance.

HE IS AUTISTIC!

To those saying the kid is a 'weiner', cut him a little slack because they say in the story that he has autism. To those saying that the mom is obese and disgusting, ummm.....

Really no big deal that RWTB isn't in their middle school library. I'm sure there are a many examples of GREAT literature that aren't in that middle school library either.

wow wow wrote:

This woman complainant is so out of touch it is unreal. Where is the father?

I see - a book about a group of college kids who work harder than 99 percent of college kids, and who literally go to the edge physically and mentally in trying to get better? In a world where boys are being coddled and not challenged to be mentally tough (not Rambo tough, but mentally tough) and disciplined, especially in school endeavors, this woman is completely out to lunch.

Great post as was the post about her weight. But I don't fault a woman for trying to be a good mom. The thing that disturbed me was the fact that they called him an "adopted son". I hate when people refer to their children as adopted. It generally is only used when there is something wrong with them.

private school thank God wrote:

Never would have guessed that liberals would be banning books, but PC rules I suppose.

Why do you think the people banning this book are liberal?

I suggest this book and Once a Runner to all of my serious 8th grade athletes when they are headed to high school. I understand the words are a little rough but I'd rather they read that than read stuff with blatant sexual references or drug use. I think the value of the book outweighs the slightly objectionable content. Considering the lack of good young adult non fiction available, these two books are good options. There is plenty of fiction (just google 8th grade reading lists and look at one... Almost all fiction). A dose of reality before high school might do them some good.

rojo wrote:

The thing that disturbed me was the fact that they called him an "adopted son". I hate when people refer to their children as adopted. It generally is only used when there is something wrong with them.

Good point. I didn't even notice that.

I thought maybe it would get banned because Lear is really not a very good writer. He is perhaps the most overrated running author. (It is not actually banned. Libraries make choices about what to purchase and make available everyday based on a wide variety of factors.) If you want good, passionate, insightful, and thoughtful running literature go back to Alan Sillitoe's timeless novella, _The Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner_. Or, another great running book is Patricia Nell Warren's _The Front Runner_. Now those are classic running novels. Chris Lear's _Running With the Buffaloes_ should not be in middle school libraries because it is not really a good example of good literature.

(Yes, I did read it as well as his equally uninspired book on Alan Webb's year at UM.)

G_D

By the way, any 12 year old kid can go to Amazon, find the Lear book, click on search inside this book and search f*ck and each page with f*ck comes up on the list. I just did it. So while I think having it in middle school libraries is not necessary because there are far better books they should be buying, thinking they can ban it is just silly. Every 12 year old has access to the internet and no one is going to limit access to Amazon and they can go see it all right there.

Another issue: I have kids and while I tell them at home not to swear, I really do not care all that much if my kids swear or not. This is rather small potatoes considering all of the other potential things I really do not want them to do as they get older, like getting pregnant (or getting others pregnant) or driving drunk, etc..... My dad swore all the f**king time while I was growing up and he is a terrific guy and was a great father, honest and hard working. Swearing and access to swear words is really a rather incidental and relatively harmless activity if you ask me.

G_D

what a wiener wrote:

The kid who checked the book out complained about the language and said that all books with such language should be banned. If it offends his precious sensibilities so greatly, why did he check the thing out? I mean, nobody takes a book out of the library without at least scanning the table of contents. Thus, I must assume that the kid brought the book home for the sole purpose of taking it to his mom so she could raise a stink.

Presumptions can be very dangerous things. Based on your comment, I presume you are an illogical idiot. I used to check out books all the time without scanning the table of contents. He probably saw the book, thought, "Oh, that looks interesting", grabbed it and started reading it at home. When he asked him mom what X, Y and Z meant (or she saw them for herself in passing) she decided to go prime time with it. That's what I presume. No 12-year old thinks the way you are suggesting he did, least likely of all, this kid based on what has been said about his autism.

I thought that this would have been about a college coach who banned his/her runners from reading that book.

Kids need to read. I was in the fourth grade when I started using expletives. Had the old mouth washed out with soap once and a while, and I learned. I am tired of parents outsourcing parenting responsibilities to the school district. Man/woman up! Take charge!

Side note: On a cross country trip to the Willamette Valley in college I had to have an older coach claim to be my grandpa so I could see an R-rated movie (was 18 at the time).

I think I read both "Catcher in the Rye", and "Huck Finn" around that age. I thought book-burning went out of style shortly after the Salem Witch hunts.

How many kids are going to read a running book, even with "naughty" words, for chrissakes? Most will die of boredom first.

I think I'll be glad when mothers like her gets their fat ass off the damn couch, turns off the TV, actually reads the book, and starts running.

"It's funny because he's fat!" -- "Mr. Chow" - Hangover

I loved that headline - "Curse Words Found in Middle School Library Book" - sounds like something from the Onion!

As to the "adopted son" thing - the mother and son had different last names, so it could have been a later in life adoption. They probably don't mean anything sinister by saying "adopted son."

My high school had a copy of "Once a Runner" signed by John L. Parker, Jr. I think that has an f-bomb or two in it, if memory serves correctly. I think it also mentions ole Colonel Angus.

“But the truth is, that when a Library expels a book of mine and leaves an unexpurgated Bible lying around where unprotected youth can get a hold of it, the deep unconscious irony of it delights me and doesn't anger me.”

"Banning books is like telling a man he can't eat steak because a baby can't chew it."

- Mark Twain (banned book expert extraordinnaire)

www.juggernautsthebook.com

Steve Adkisson wrote:

"Banning books is like telling a man he can't eat steak because a baby can't chew it."

- Mark Twain (banned book expert extraordinnaire)

So middle school is now the age of manhood? I thought it was 32 based on letsrun stats. Which is it? "Young enough to read, you enough to breed" or "Babies to the end"? Make up your mind.