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MAY 12, 2006 at 3:52 AM
Posted by CHEESER
Source: Gwinnett Daily Post via Yahoo! News
A challenge to remove all of JK Rowling's Harry Potter books from the library shelves of Gwinnett Public Schools in Georgia has failed
.
The school board there voted Thursday to keep the books available. It was the final action for a petition that began in November and culminated at an April clash in which nearly 100 people attended to voice their opinions.
Laura Mallory, a parent of three children at an elementary school in the district, argued that the books encouraged witchcraft and demonic activity. It was later revealed that she had never read the books. School board officials said the process for determining the series' suitability was unbiased, and they sought mainly to decide if the books were obscene or not.
Still, removing the books would have opened the school system to "ridicule by many of its citizens as well as citizens of the nation," Su Ellen Bray told the Gwinnett Daily Post.
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Auror
Points: 2209
Scarlett Kent says:
Thank goodness the Gwinnett Public School board showed some sense. It never ceases to amaze me that people who have never read the HP books make so many false assumptions about them,and that they feel they have the right to determine what other people can read.
Posted May 12, 2006 at 4:18 AM EST
Points: 8028
deemz says:
Who would think of such a thing?! my god!! i cant beleive people actully thought about removing the books from thier librarys, even though i have all the books, i'd freak if they took all the books out of our library!!
Posted May 12, 2006 at 4:21 AM EST
Order of Merlin, 3rd Class
Points: 1508
Cute Petil says:
This is the most stupid insaine thing ive ever herd of! Its fiction for god's sake, not real! There are movies and other books out there, plenty of them which encourage much more witchcraft and demonic activity than what the HP books would ever intend on doing!
Posted May 12, 2006 at 4:22 AM EST
Wizard
Points: 575
Canis Diris says:
That is ludacrous! The person didn't even read the books!
Posted May 12, 2006 at 4:54 AM EST
Witch
Points: 871
caraMEL_penguin says:
This Reminds me very much of Huck Fin and schools tried to stop it from being read in schools because it was "racist" and whatever... they found that most of the people who were against the book didn't even read the book... in fact most of the people who DID want the book read were black teachers who lived in the south.
This is very similar to Harry Potter's situation... one of the thing that angers me is that they didn't even READ the book... how can someone judge the book if they haven't even read it!!! *grrrr* and then the other thing that angers me is that the book is FICTION... what is that people? FICTION... that's right it means the books NOT REAL and it is MADE UP... as much as I almost sometimes wished Harry Potter was real, its NOT... so why would it promote witchcraft and demonic whatevers... serriously people... FICTION.
So anyways... I'm very glad to hear that the school board put their foot down and is keeping Harry Potter books in the school. I feel that Harry Potter has opened up an new age for kids to read... I mean many children haven't read until they read Harry Potter, Harry Potter is the reason many children love to read now!!!
Harry Potter is a good thing and I think that many people on this site will agree with me!!! <333
Posted May 12, 2006 at 4:56 AM EST
Wizard
Points: 732
kewlguyhere says:
Good that it was stopped!
How can someone try to ban HP?
Posted May 12, 2006 at 5:01 AM EST
Order of Merlin, 4th Class
Points: 1252
Angelina blu Johnson says:
OH MY DAYS!!! Wow are they serious!!! you cant take Harry Potter off the shelves! Its just not Cricket!!! And they failed too! HA! Thats what you get for messing with JK n her Witchy Crew!!!
HARRY POTTER TO THE END!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted May 12, 2006 at 5:05 AM EST
Wizard
Points: 906
*The*Physical*Being* says:
well. like no duh, there was no soild case against thePotter series. Laura Mallory has issues, and needs to sort out her priorties
Posted May 12, 2006 at 5:06 AM EST
Dragon Rider
Points: 4437
~MalfoyPotter~ says:
Hahahaha.. Banning HP? impossible. HP is already dominating the world and our minds and don think that you can ban HP books from jsut a library. Muahahahaha... *evil laugh*
~MP~
Posted May 12, 2006 at 5:09 AM EST
Witch
Points: 633
snakeeyes says:
Too right, caraMel_penguin. Harry Potter is responsible for turning around the reading habits of a young generation who are increasingly dependent on electronic forms of entertainment. There are so many books out there that could be banned, if one was to take such a narrow-minded view as that woman. Like you said, there's Huck Finn, and also His Dark Materials, the Da Vinci Code, oh so many. Just because a book might not skate along what one person defines as acceptable terms, that's no reason to try and deprive everyone else from the enjoyment of reading it. "witchcraft and demonic activity" indeed. It's the 21st century, and people are quite able to make up their own minds, and not be of a "demonic" persuasion as a result of reading HP!
Posted May 12, 2006 at 5:12 AM EST
The Chosen Hobbit
Points: 2447
Enisnitch Baggins says:
Yeah, I heard many grown up people talking about Potter books encouraged witchcraft and demonic activity. I think they must read it before judging. Thank God my parents never forbid me in reading those books, since they're really open-minded people.
Posted May 12, 2006 at 5:14 AM EST
Lily Potter
Points: 2450
~*~Millie~*~ says:
Haha people who say to remove the book but havnt even read them are just stupid
Also if they are just old enough to read the book.. they wont understand all of it anyway
The books are wonderful.. and Those people should not discourage there children form reading.. it's just WRONG
Posted May 12, 2006 at 5:48 AM EST
Head House Elf
Points: 2756
Dobby says:
Hahaha. Leave it to Georgia. I swear, not everyone in Georgia are Harry Potter haters. I know I'm not. :]
Posted May 12, 2006 at 6:03 AM EST
Wizard
Points: 708
gildavis says:
Since I live on the other side of Atlanta in Cobb county I'm really glad that all the Harry Potter books stay.
In my opinion, JK Rowling is one of the most important authors of the late 20th. and early 21st. Century and the bad knee jerk reaction to her story is is really crazy.
Magic in and of itself is not anti religious. It's simply a conduate for telling a classic story about good vrs.evil written ina captivating style. I believe that kids of all ages, even very old ones, like myself, will be enjoying this series of books for generations to come.
Posted May 12, 2006 at 6:20 AM EST
Wood's Quidditch Queen
Points: 3036
Princess Pigwidgeon says:
the books encouraged witchcraft and demonic activity. It was later revealed that she had never read the books.
I'm sorry, but in my opinion she is the witch :P
No, really there's no need to remove them!
Posted May 12, 2006 at 6:39 AM EST
Parselmouth
Points: 29083
Thestral Eyes says:
How can anyone go to such lengths to try and get some books banned saying theyre bad for the kids when they havent even read them? Its extreemists like that who realy get on my nerves, if shed actualy read them, then maybe i could empathise with her, but uugh! HP does not encourage demonic activity at all, its a fantasy book, nothing more. Nothing wrong with ncouraging kids imaginations.
Plus if she were to say that about HP, what about LOTR and other fantasy books with magic in them? Glad she was turned down anyway :D Bet we see more of this going on though in the future, theres always some *shakes head*
Posted May 12, 2006 at 6:43 AM EST
Auror
Points: 2945
Ariana Dumbledore says:
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but it is unfair of them to judge the books without ever having read them. Second-hand knowledge is almost always unreliable.
I am glad to hear that the children that attend those schools will continue to be able to make their own decision on whether or not they read the books!
Posted May 12, 2006 at 6:48 AM EST
Order of Merlin, 2nd Class
Points: 1786
sis <3 says:
"Laura Mallory, a parent of three children at an elementary school in the district, argued that the books encouraged witchcraft and demonic activity"
Oh my! that's sick! she's mental! I mean what in the.... is bad in HP books! What else arn't they allowed to read over there!
shocked!
-christina
Posted May 12, 2006 at 7:02 AM EST
Order of Merlin, 4th Class
Points: 1234
Krum says:
Yes that Lady failed. I am soo glad. Hahaha that crazy chrisitan women.
Posted May 12, 2006 at 7:06 AM EST
Prefect
Points: 302
Regulus Alphard Black says:
Hooray for Potter!! Most of the insane people that try to remove Harry Potter from schools haven't even read the books. it's just such a stupid idea.
Posted May 12, 2006 at 7:15 AM EST
Order of Merlin, 4th Class
Points: 1384
Mrs.Oddment-Tweak says:
That is great!
The Lady didn't even read the books?!
i'm glad they allowed it!
Posted May 12, 2006 at 7:15 AM EST
Professor
Points: 1104
Ravenclaw Tower Dude says:
"encouraged witchcraft and demonic activity", I'm a Christian, and I can honestly say that it does neither of these things, unless your some type of freak. Maybe if that woman read the books she would understand for herself that they in fact DON'T. And HP witchcraft versus real life witchcraft are two different things. And as far as demonic activity, there are no demons in HP. It's just a world where magic happens out of seemingly ordinary events.
Posted May 12, 2006 at 7:16 AM EST
The Bulgarian Seeker
Points: 9810
~KrUmS_gUrL~ says:
I do believe in my elemetry school teh new princeiple made all the harry potter books band becuase he is such a dran prick. I don't like him.. I don't think he ever read te books to see what they were about. :(
Posted May 12, 2006 at 7:18 AM EST
Student
Points: 275
Macabre Wizard says:
Oh yeah! That lady went DOWN! She just needed to keep her big fat mouth shut and now she has. I just wanted to smack her when I heard that she hadn't even read the books! *smack* Just like that! BOOM! And she's down!
Posted May 12, 2006 at 7:19 AM EST
Squib
Points: 194
Greek_(cypriot)_Potter says:
Thats the stubitest thing i hvae ever heard. I would be so sorry for the children of the school if the Harry Potter books didnt get back to the shelves.
Posted May 12, 2006 at 7:29 AM EST
Points: 3289
Crimson_Tears says:
Laura Mallory, a parent of three children at an elementary school in the district, argued that the books encouraged witchcraft and demonic activity. It was later revealed that she had never read the books
some people can be soo stupid... read it then judge it!!!!
-Leigh
Posted May 12, 2006 at 7:32 AM EST
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