| CubaBooks & Resources FREADOM |
YACUBA Book Reviews |
Cuba4Kids Book Reviews |
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mmmTo Recommend Cuba Books for the Young nnnnnIncludes Open Forum for Librarians, Students and Parents October 1, 2006 -- Two new book review and online discussion groups have been launched for teachers and students that will highlight the best books and resources on Cuba for young people. “As a way to celebrate banned books weeks all year we are proud to lauch both Cuba4Kids and YACUBA,” said Walter Skold, the co-chair of FREADOM, the library group which is sponsoring the new project. “In light of the legal and social battles in Florida recently over several books for children, it is important that parents and educators know what kind of quality -- and substandard -- publications are available,” said Skold, “And to have an open forum where these resources can be discussed.” “We agree with the position of the Florida ACLU that the answer to inferior books is more and better books, not banning,” he added. Along with a service of professional reviews on the FREADOM website, the group has started the Cuba4Kids and YACUBA Yahoo groups where students, teachers, and parents can post their own reviews and have a dialogue with others who recommended materials. “We are proud to provide a professional service that promotes free speech and expands the national debate over the issue of what our kids learn about the tyranny of Fidel Castro in schools,” said Skold. “In Cuba, there is no independent library association, no open debate on the Internet about censorship, and the books that children read in the classroom are subject to total control by the ruling Party,” he added, “With dissenting parents or elected school boards non-existent.” FREADOM has assembled a team of professional librarians who have read widely on Cuba and who understand the issues children and young people need and want to learn about. They also understand that it takes more than pictures of smiling children to make a good children’s or young adult book or webpage. “While it is an intellectual freedom to publish all sorts of views on Castro's dictatorship, it is also an academic crime for teachers to recommend books that merely parrot pro-communist myths about Castro, Che, and the conditions under which Cubans labor,” Skold added. FREADOM maintains there are plenty of excellent books and web resources available for children and young adults that are balanced and accurate, and don’t read like Fidel dictated them to someone in his obedient writer’s union. ”Children like to see pictures of other children smiling, and that is a beauty of life, but we also teach our children not to lie,” said Skold. “Therefore, books that consistently misrepresent history (as opposed to an author making a mistake here and there), are poorly researched, or which merely repeat vapid Castro mythologies should not see the light of elementary school collections.” “Such prudent choices are NOT acts of censorship,” said Skold. “They are and exercise of wisdom and responsibility in book selection.” The first few reviews have been added to the FREADOM website and the Yahoo groups are ready for adults and young people to begin posting their own reviews. FREADOM is a 3-year old library group with an emphasis on Cuba that advocates for human rights and the freedom to read. The group hopes to solicit reviews from famous Cuban-American writers in the ongoing effort to celebrate literature and have open debate regarding what kids read about Cuba. Parents, students, and teachers are welcome to vistit the new discussion groups and FREADOM'S page of professional reviews: YACUBA - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YACUBA/ Cuba4Kids - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cuba4Kids/ http://www.4freadom.org/CRKids.html |