Margaret Atwood is taking purpose at Alberta’s controversial ban on faculty library books containing sexual content material with a brand new, satirical quick story after the famed creator’s novel “The Handmaid’s Story” was yanked from some cabinets as a result of province’s sweeping new guidelines.
In a social media put up on Sunday, Atwood mentioned for the reason that literary basic is now not appropriate in Alberta’s faculties, she has written a brief story for 17-year olds about two “very, excellent youngsters” named John and Mary.
“They by no means picked their noses or had bowel actions or zits,” she mentioned at first of her story.
“They grew up and married one another, and produced 5 excellent youngsters with out ever having intercourse.”
Atwood mentioned the duo paid no consideration to the poor and “forgiving your enemies and such; as a substitute, they practised egocentric rapacious capitalism.”
Atwood goes on to say that the duo by no means die as a result of “who desires to dwell” and so they lived fortunately ever after.
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“However whereas they have been doing that The Handmaid’s Story got here true and (Premier) Danielle Smith discovered herself with a pleasant new blue costume however no job,” she mentioned.
“The top.”
Final week, the Edmonton Public Faculty Board, certainly one of Alberta’s largest, introduced it was yanking greater than 200 books from its faculties this yr to adjust to a July order by Alberta’s schooling ministry to take away books from faculty libraries that carry “supplies containing specific sexual content material” by Oct. 1.
The board’s checklist of books it was eradicating gave the primary glimpse of the consequences of Alberta’s e-book ban in faculties.
The checklist additionally included Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Fowl Sings,” Aldous Huxley’s “Courageous New World,” and books by authors like Alice Munro and Ayn Rand.
On Friday, Smith mentioned Edmonton’s public faculty board had gone excessive in complying with the ban and the division’s checklist is a type of “vicious compliance.”
She additionally confirmed excerpts from graphic novels throughout a information convention — together with “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe — that prompted the brand new guidelines within the first place for the specific illustrations of sexual acts they comprise.
Public Faculty Board chair Julie Kusiek, in an announcement, mentioned the checklist meets the factors set out by the federal government and anybody sad with it ought to contact Alberta Training Minister Demetrios Nicolaides.
Different faculty divisions are anticipated to give you lists within the coming days.
Smith has advised Alberta’s schooling ministry might type a working group to work with faculty boards and undergo books to debate if the content material is suitable.
Atwood, Smith and Alberta’s schooling ministry didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon Atwood’s quick story on Sunday.
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