Controversial Book to Stay in Toronto Schools

The Toronto District School Board’s director of education, Chris Spence, has upheld the recommendations of a review committee that examined complaints against a highly praised children’s book criticized for being one-sided and anti-Israel.

In March of this year, parent Brian Henry sent a letter to the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) stating that he was worried that The Shepherd’s Granddaughter by Canadian author Anne Laurel Carter was biased and could potentially lead to anti-Semitism while giving students a negative impression of Israel.

The book, described on the author’s website as a “moving narrative [that] describes the life of a Palestinian girl,” won the Canadian Library Association’s book of the year for children and was nominated for Ontario Library Association’s Red Maple Award 2010 for grades 7 and 8.

The review committee did not feel that the book warranted being taken out of schools, but after “reflecting upon the sensitive and controversial nature of the novel” came up with a list of recommendations.

In explaining his decision, Spence wrote in a letter to Henry, included in a memo sent to TDSB trustees, that “after evaluating this report and taking some time to personally read the novel, my decision is to accept the review committee’s nine recommendations.”

He added, “The Shepherd’s Granddaughter has the potential to engage our Grade 7 and 8 students (a critical age for the development of social consciousness about human society) in understanding the complex issues of their world.”

Several TDSB trustees, including Sheila Ward (Ward 14), Nadia Bello (Ward 22) and James Pasternak (Ward 5), have stated the book should be pulled from elementary school shelves for its unbalanced portrayal of the Middle East conflict.

Pasternak said The Shepherd’s Granddaughter is “an anti-Israel book that demonises Israelis and those who support the country.” He said that instead of presenting a balanced approach to the lives of Israelis and Palestinians, the book is a “diatribe against Israel.”

“This book is totally inappropriate for our system because is sets out as an option settling disagreement through violence,” said Pasternak. “Therefore I haven’t changed my view. This book isn’t appropriate for our system and it has to go, or at the very least by very restricted.”

Pasternak told Shalom Life that he is also uncomfortable with the photo on the book’s cover, which in his mind could easily lead a reader to believe that it is based on an actual story and not a novel.

“There’s also a quote on the front cover that uses the word ‘truth.’ There’s enormous deception. It’s [a novel] that is presented to readers as more of a historical textbook,” he said.

Pasternak added that the book suggests that if you have disagreements with people, “various levels of violence can be fine.”

“At the extreme, there’s one set of dialogue in which one family member suggests that suicide bombing is a legitimate option. There’s other passages throughout in which there’s ranging discussions about using violence in a justifiable way.”

Len Rudner, Canadian Jewish Congress Ontario Regional Director, told Shalom Life that CJC had been aware of the concerns regarding The Shepherd’s Granddaughter before the TDSB review committee was convened.

“It was our view that the book was certainly problematic in that it promoted the Palestinian narrative and it did so in a manner that we felt was a less than balanced way,” said Rudner. “We certainly did not think it was necessarily for the book to be removed from the shelves, nor did we feel that it was necessary for the book to be moved to a higher shelf.”

Rudner exchanged several emails with Henry, each side stating their position. “We very respectfully agreed to disagree. Mr. Henry feels that the book is problematic, but we felt that in this particular case [removing the book from schools] was not the best solution.”

CJC believes that all school boards should be more vigilant with vetting books that come into their schools via supplementary programs.

“We felt that it was important that school boards should be looking at these materials, whether they’re used in the classroom or not, that students have an opportunity to develop a properly grounded perspective on these difficult issues,” said Rudner. “These elements are very much the cornerstones of the recommendations that have been made by the review committee.”

Pasternak, who feels it is likely Henry will now appeal his complaint to the full board of trustees, is also going to push for the book to be on the agenda for the upcoming September 7 board meeting.

“We clearly have to screen the referrals from the Ontario Library Association,” he said. “This is the second time in almost four years that a book has entered our system in which suicide bomber is a suggested option to settle disputes.”