By HOLLY GASKILL
Two books will be removed from the Norwell High School library after a unanimous vote from the school board.
These titles — “As Nature Made Him” by John Colapinto and “Fast Girls” by Emily White — were determined to have inappropriate content without significant educational value by the district’s reconsideration committee.
The committee is made up of a teacher, a media specialist, a central office employee, a high school student, and five community members. Each book was evaluated by a rubric considering the book’s cultural significance, educational value, correspondence with academic standards, and overall appropriate content.
Any resident of the district may file a reconsideration request form for review.
The reconsideration committee brought 15 titles to the board during their meeting Tuesday, with recommendations to remove three titles and keep the remaining 12 books. The board did not approve removing nor retaining the third title — “Identical” by Ellen Hopkins — due to insufficient reasoning provided on the scoring rubric.
Several committee members, including Media Specialist Angie Smith, were present to answer questions about the recommendations. Smith emphasized the committee read the books thoroughly, considering multiple viewpoints.
Board member Chad Kline commended this committee for having a thoughtful disposition with their review. “We have to understand — is there a learning opportunity in this book that could be beneficial to somebody?” Kline said. “But at the same time, we’re also a school, and maybe it belongs in the public library, which might be a better place for them to go get it.”
“It’s not really about what you can get rid of, but if they’re questionable, do they really need to be there?” said Superintendent Mike Springer.
Both books removed reportedly included graphic sexual themes.
“As Nature Made Him”, published in 2000, is a biography about David Reimer, who had received gender reassignment surgery as a baby after a failed circumcision. Reimer was raised as a girl until age 15, then chose to live as a male when he learned of his medical history.
The submitted rubric notes the book talks about gender theory, sex reassignment, and the psychological impact on Reimer’s life, including explicit accounts of childhood sexual abuse. Nussbaum wrote: “Although I ultimately believe this book’s subject matter is beyond what is appropriate for high school students, I do recognize its value in a conversation, debate, or research regarding the impact an individual’s genetics play in his or her gender identity and function.”
“Fast Girls”, published in 2002, discusses the archetype of promiscuous women through interviews with women about their experiences. The stories are told through the lens of young adulthood and feminism.
The submitted rubric conveys that while these discussions may be valuable, the methods White uses are inappropriate for a high school audience. There is reportedly excessive explicit language, graphic sexual content, and criticism of school. Committee member Julie Rupp wrote: “(White) also had a chapter where she stated that if rumors were spread about a girl, the girl had no choice but to become the person that the rumors were about.”
These 15 books were the first of 39 originally submitted to the committee. Smith emphasized that the board has slowly and thoroughly read and discussed these books.
“It’s a thoughtful process,” Smith said. “It takes time, so it’s taken a little longer than I think we maybe expected … If we did decide to remove, it was a gut-wrenching decision.”
The following books were approved to return to the library:
• “Because I am Furniture” by Thalia Chaltas
• “Dancing Naked” by Shelley Hrdlitschka
• “I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This” by Jacqueline Woodson
• “Margaux with an X” by Ron Koertge
• “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas
• “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” by Benjamin Alire Saenz
• “When Jeff Comes Home” by Catherine Atkins
• “Child Abuse: Opposing Viewpoints” by Louise Gerdes
• “Child Abuse: Opposing Viewpoints” by Jennifer Hurley
• “The White Separatist Movement” by Mary E. Williams
• “Citizen Klansman: The Ku Klux Klan in Indiana 1921-1928” by Leonard J. Moore
• “The White Power Movement: America’s Racist Hate Groups” by Elaine Landau.
These committee’s recommendations, excluding the one book, were approved by the board in a 4-0 vote; Kline, Angie Topp, Gene Donaghy, and Traci Neuenschwander were present and Corey Krug was absent.
holly@news-banner.com
