(NAME-MCE) Genocide Book Pulled: Coloroso's Publisher Weighs In

Sat May 24 09:46:34 EDT 2008

Quill & Quire  

Canada's magazine of book news and reviews
5/23/08
_http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/?p=2030&akst_action=share-this_ 
(http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/?p=2030&akst_action=share-this) 

Coloroso’s publisher weighs in
Posted in: _Censorship_ 
(http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/category/censorship/) , _Children's books_ 
(http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/category/childrens-books/)  

Over the past week, the Toronto District School Board’s _decision  to pull_ 
(http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v5/content/subscribe?user_
URL=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080516.wbook16/BNStor
y/National/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20080516.wbook16&ord=85846623&brand=theglobeandm
ail&force_login=true)  Barbara Coloroso's Extraordinary Evil from a Grade 11  
course has continued to draw criticism from the literary community. 
Yesterday,  Coloroso’s publisher, Penguin Canada president David Davidar, joined in the 
 condemnations. 
Here is an open letter from Davidar, addressed to the Toronto District School 
 Board’s director of education Gerry Connelly: 
Dear Mr. Connelly, 
As the publisher of Barbara Coloroso's Extraordinary Evil: A Brief  History 
of Genocide, we regret the Toronto District School Board's  decision to drop 
the book from its list of resources for a Grade 11 course  called Genocide and 
Crimes Against Humanity. Board documents describe Ms.  Coloroso as a renowned 
educator and the books' inclusion in the reading list  in the first place 
attests to its value as a legitimate contribution to the  study of genocide. 
Dropping the book from the list is apparently based on  vociferous objections by 
segments of the Turkish Canadian population who  reject the genocide designation 
to describe the atrocities committed against  Armenians in 1915, and who 
dispute Ms Coloroso's credentials as an historian.  In fact, Ms Coloroso has never 
claimed to be an historian and in the  Introduction to her book, she 
emphasizes that she is writing as an  educator, a parent, and a former nun. All three 
of these influence and colour  this text. 
We suggest that the Board follow the philosophy outlined in the April 29th  
Review Committee Report, which states "Grade 11 students can appreciate, and,  
more importantly, should appreciate that history is a contested area without  
suggesting that everything is relative. Genuine historical controversies do  
belong in a high school curriculum and can be beneficial in giving students an  
in-depth understanding of complex events and in teaching students critical  
thinking. While we laud the Board's decision to implement such a course, and  
to continue to include the Armenian genocide as part of that course, we urge  
you to reinstate Ms. Coloroso's book onto the course reading list. Many voices  
have been recorded on the tragedies of various genocides, the voices of  
historians, eyewitnesses, novelists, human rights groups, social scientists,  
journalists and even Canadian generals. Ms Coloroso's voice should be among  them. 
Sincerely, 
David Davidar
President and Publisher
Penguin Group  Canada

***

Reference: 

GENOCIDE BOOK PULLED FROM HIGH SCHOOL READING LIST
Unnati  Gandhi

The Globe and Mail
_http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080516.BOOK16/TPStory/Nati
onal_ 
(http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080516.BOOK16/TPStory/National) 
May  16 2008
Canada

A book about genocide has been pulled from the  recommended reading
list of a new Toronto public school course because of  objections from
the Turkish-Canadian community, the author  says.

Barbara Coloroso's Extraordinary Evil: A Brief History of Genocide  was
originally part of a resource list for the Grade 11 history  course,
Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, set to launch across the  Toronto
District School Board this fall.

The book examines the  Holocaust, which exterminated six million Jews
in the Second World War; the  Rwandan slaughter of nearly one million
Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 1994,  and the massacres of more than a
million Armenians in 1895, 1909 and  1915.

But a committee struck to review the course decided in late  April
to remove the book because "a concern was raised regarding  [its]
appropriateness. ... The Committee determined this was far from  a
scrupulous text and should not be on a History course although it
might  be included in a course on the social psychology of genocide
because of her  posited thesis that genocide is merely the extreme
extension of bullying,"  according to board documents.

Director of education Gerry Connelly did  not return calls seeking
comment yesterday.

Ms. Coloroso, a  best-selling author of parenting books, said she wasn't
surprised her work  was removed, given that "ever since the book came
out, the Turks have mounted  a worldwide campaign objecting to it,
which is not surprising because of the  denial of the genocide."

She said what upset her was not so much that her  book had been pulled,
but that it was replaced by works by Bernard Lewis and  Guenter Lewy,
whom she refers to as deniers of the Armenian  genocide.

"I knew when I wrote Extraordinary Evil that I would anger  some
genocide deniers," she wrote to Ms. Connelly. "I am disappointed  that
a small group of people can bully an entire committee. ..."

The  Council of Turkish Canadians is opposed to the course for
classifying the  Armenian killings as genocide and inciting anti-Turkish
sentiment. It has  gathered nearly 11,000 signatures on an online
petition calling for changes  to the course. Turkey has denied the
killings were genocide, saying they were  First World War casualties.

Kevser Taymaz, president of the council's  board, said yesterday the
book's removal was "one positive move" by the  school board, but added
the Armenian massacres should not even be considered  as part of course
that is entitled "Genocide."

"The course is  one-sided. If they want to introduce the events of
1915, it should be giving  the historical truth from both sides and
let the students  decide."

Aris Babikian, executive director of the Armenian National  Committee
of Canada, said Armenian-Canadians feel the course as it stands  is
headed "in the right direction."

"But we have some concerns about  ... the inclusion of Bernard Lewis
and Guenter Lewy as reputable scholars. It  will be unjust to the
hundreds of scholars who have researched the Armenian  genocide."

***

"Extraordinary Evil" by Barbara Coloroso was published in the USA by  Nation 
Books in Aug. 2007
_http://www.nationbooks.org/book/160/Extraordinary%20Evil_ 
(http://www.nationbooks.org/book/160/Extraordinary%20Evil) 

***

Lucine Kasbarian
_lucinekasbarian at aol.com_ (mailto:lucinekasbarian at aol.com) 
_http://www.azad-hye.net/directory/directory_details.asp?dird=48_ 
(http://www.azad-hye.net/directory/directory_details.asp?dird=48) 
___________________________________

"Truth  and news are not the same thing."

-- Katharine Graham,  President
Washington Post Co.
(1917 --- 2001)

 (mailto:project-censored-l-owner at sonoma.edu) 

**************Get trade secrets for amazing burgers. Watch "Cooking with 
Tyler Florence" on AOL Food.      
(http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4&?NCID=aolfod00030000000002)