Freedom to read

Seventh graders are studying the US Constitution with a focus on checks and balances as well as civil liberties. 

Inspired by our librarians’ work with banned books (and reframing as “books on belonging”), students are delving into the issue of censorship. Gordon's library team visited with seventh graders to share how their work connects with all students’ rights to see themselves and others reflected in literature.
 

Having studied how bills become laws this fall, students are now looking at documents like the American Library Association’s 1953 Freedom to Read statement in the context of the first amendment.

Each seventh grader is reading a banned book of their choice and engaging in robust student-led discussions of the themes that are engaging, relevant, and controversial. As students have realized, these books make them think, which may be the very reason they have been banned in some places. 
 

Their reading list includes:

• All American Boys by Jason Reynolds, which deals with racially motivated violence.
   
• Different Kinds of Fruit by 2023 Karla Harry Visiting Author Kyle Lukoff, which centers a non-binary teen and a trans parent.
   
• A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée, which depicts a Black girl coming into racial identity development during Black Lives Matter protest in her community.
   
• Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King, about a student response to censored reading material in their class.
   

This lesson is one of many conversations about democracy, dissent and decisionmaking happening at Gordon. A look at some that have happened since September is at www.gordonschool.org/democracy

On May 1st, Gordon will host a public conversation with author Cynthia Levinson and constitutional lawyer Sanford Levinson about their book, Fault Lines in the Constitution. Details and RSVP at www.gordonschool.org/levinson