To reconsider a classic: Is there a place for Harper Lee, Toni Morrison on PENNCREST library shelves?

Feb. 1—Captain Underpants and Atticus Finch walk into a library. ... But the library in question is located in PENNCREST School District, so this is not the beginning of the lighthearted joke that might be expected — nor is it yet clear whether the briefs-and-cape-wearing Captain or the beloved hero of "To Kill a Mockingbird" will be checked out of PENNCREST libraries anytime soon.

Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" series and Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" were both among 60 books pulled from library shelves over the past two weeks in response to requests for reconsideration filed in the district, according to a list provided by Superintendent Tim Glasspool.

By Friday, district officials had made their way through about half the list, Glasspool said in an email to The Meadville Tribune.

"At this time, we have placed aside one (1) book that was brought to our attention — 'Water for Elephants' by Sara Gruen," Glasspool wrote. "We still have 20-30 books under review. Many books have been returned to the schools and back into circulation."

Libraries open, book reviews continue

The district's three high school libraries — at Cambridge Springs, Saegertown and Maplewood — were once again open by Friday after a temporary shutdown that followed PENNCREST School Board's Jan. 12 meeting, according to Glasspool. At that meeting the board adopted controversial restrictions on library materials and board member Theresa Croll announced that she had submitted the first request for reconsideration of library books that the district had received.

The following week, district administrators and librarians met to discuss implementation of the new policy, according to Glasspool. Librarians were also involved with the review of books as additional requests for reconsideration were received.

The review focused specifically on the new board policy's prohibition of materials that include "visual or visually implied depictions of sexual acts or simulations of such acts; explicit written depictions of sexual acts; or visual depictions of nudity — not including materials with diagrams about anatomy for science or content relating to classical works of art," according to Glasspool.

The "Captain Underpants" series, though popular enough to have sold millions of copies, certainly doesn't qualify as "classical works of art." Do the books' repeated depictions of a grown man in nothing but tighty-whities and a red cape disqualify them from inclusion in PENNCREST libraries? Should the false rape accusation that drives "To Kill a Mockingbird" or some other element keep the novel off the shelves?

The answer on Tuesday appeared to be that both works would once again be available to students: The Panther Press, Saegertown Junior-Senior High's award-winning student newspaper, reported that librarian Mike Brenneman said "Captain Underpants" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" were among the books that had been reinstated.

According to PENNCREST policies adopted in 2021 following controversy over a display of LGBT-themed books at Maplewood Junior-Senior High, the district's assistant superintendent is responsible for developing book reconsideration procedures. Besides saying that librarians were involved in addition to district administrators, Glasspool declined to elaborate further on what steps are followed after a request for reconsideration is submitted.

'The Bluest Eye'

Among dozens of other books on the list for reconsideration was Toni Morrison's 1970 classic "The Bluest Eye," the story of an impoverished Black girl who endures a nightmarish home life within a racist society and desperately dreams of having the blue eyes she thinks would change things for her.

The novel includes frank descriptions of sexual abuse that are both discomforting and graphic, including the rape of the main character by her father — descriptions that would generally be considered inappropriate for inclusion in a newspaper story. One district resident found other passages from the book concerning enough to quote them at length to board members at their most recent meeting.

"This is the disgusting crap the people coming up here after me are going to try to defend," Daniel McComas of Troy Township said after reading two passages depicting the state of mind of the pedophile who is the book's most despicable character. "They're going to say it's necessary for the mental health of some kids in this school. It is not."

Permitting students as young as seventh graders to have unfettered access to such materials, McComas contended, is both wrong and illegal. And the scenes he quoted from "The Bluest Eye," he added, were "milder" than passages found elsewhere in the book or in other books in PENNCREST libraries.

"Is this really appropriate material for kids?" McComas asked before accusing teachers who would provide such materials to students of being "perverts" and "groomers."

'Harsh but incredibly valuable'

There isn't a single easy answer to the question of whether a novel like "The Bluest Eye" is appropriate for seventh graders, according to Bill Hunter, who chairs the English Department at PennWest Edinboro University.

"Making global statements like that is difficult," Hunter said. "Are there seventh graders who would benefit from the book? Yes. Are there seventh graders who would be traumatized by the book? Yes."

More generally, seventh graders are unlikely to seek out or understand Morrison's work, according to Hunter, who teaches courses in African American literature and adolescent literature.

"I think that needs to be dealt with in a way other than that no one should have access to them," Hunter added, "and I think that's the responsibility and the skill set of librarians."

The question of whether a seventh grader should be able to check out a book like "The Bluest Eye" may be complicated, but Hunter said there's no question when it comes to the book's importance.

"It's harsh," he said of the story, "but I think it's incredibly valuable."

'I don't care'

For some — including members of the PENNCREST School Board — the question of whether "The Bluest Eye" belongs on a library shelf where any district seventh grader can reach it is not complicated at all. The simple fact that the book contains passages like the ones read by McComas trumps any deeper meaning the book might possess.

The book is a bleak, heartbreaking tragedy in which Pecola Breedlove, the main character, is eventually driven insane. The descriptions of sexual assault that it contains are hardly endorsements. Quite the contrary, the book is a searing indictment of the society that allows such harm to be inflicted on girls like Pecola.

It's not clear that board members who voted in favor of the recent restrictions on library materials are aware of the book's critique of society or its indictment of institutionalized racism, nor is it clear that such an awareness would affect their evaluation of the book or others under reconsideration.

In an interview immediately after the board's Jan. 12 meeting, board member Fred Bryant said he was unfamiliar with "The Bluest Eye." But hearing two brief excerpts from the novel was more than enough to make up his mind.

"Do you see any academic value in talking about raping children?" he asked. "Do you see value in having a book that's being read by minors talking about raping little children in it?"

Bryant was unpersuaded when told that Morrison had received the Nobel Prize for literature. (Morrison was, in fact, the first Black woman to win a Nobel Prize of any sort.)

"I don't care what you think of the book, I don't care what you think of the author, I don't care if he's a Nobel laureate," Bryant insisted. "I don't care. It's wrong to give that book to minors."

Books without readers

While Bryant was uninterested in the deeper meanings of "The Bluest Eye" and the reputation of its author, board member David Valesky was uninterested in whether any of the books that have raised objections have actually been checked out by students.

"It doesn't matter," said Valesky, who heads the policy committee that proposed the updates to the policy on library materials. "I think it would be a waste of time for me to even find that out — our taxpayer dollars shouldn't endorse them in the first place. Why would I even care whether they're checked out or not? They shouldn't be."

Some supporters of the recently approved library book restrictions have expressed concerns that students could be harmed by exposure to books with explicit sexual descriptions in them. They have also argued that parents shouldn't have to comb through lists of thousands of books to determine which ones their kids are allowed to read.

If any PENNCREST students wish to read "Water for Elephants," the first book purged from district shelves, they have other options — it's widely available in Crawford County public libraries and for sale in bookstores or online. Contrary to suggestions from supporters of the restrictions and some board members, distributing the book to minors is perfectly legal. And, as Glasspool pointed out in an email to the Tribune, students are welcome to bring the book to school if they like.

"PENNCREST administration has not directed any employee to remove classroom books, or books owned by individuals," Glasspool said. The district's library materials policy "does not prevent student access to books in any of our area public libraries or prevent students to possess disputed books in school."

Glasspool also noted that the books targeted for reconsideration were not necessarily among the district's most popular.

"Some of the books in question were never checked out of the library and some not in the last decade," he said. "A few appear to never have been opened."

Perhaps that will change as many books reappear on district shelves and some do not. Historically, attempts to limit access to books in the U.S. have often resulted in increased demand for the books in question — people want what they can't have. If that happens in this case, the results could be beneficial, but missed opportunities will also result, according to Hunter.

"Anything that leads to discussion about books is inherently good but — as in my classes — if you're going to enter into the discussion, you need to read the book," Hunter said. "In a perfect world, the student would read the book, the parents would read the book, and they would sit around and talk about it.

"But," he added, "that ain't happening."

Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at mcrowley@meadvilletribune.com.