Rant: That librarian who told me The Color Purple was 'too heavy' for 8th graders

She said that right after I checked out Charlotte's Web for my little cousin, and I wanted to ask if she'd actually read the part where Charlotte gets left behind at the fair.

3 comments

3 Comments

riverh4912d ago

Wait, she said that after you already had Charlotte's Web in your hands? That's like saying someone can't handle a PG-13 movie when they just bought tickets to Finding Nemo. The Color Purple is tough but 8th graders read The Diary of Anne Frank and that's literally about hiding from Nazis. I remember my teacher had us read excerpts from The Color Purple in 8th grade and we handled it fine, kids arent made of glass.

the_terry12d ago

How do you think the librarian would've reacted if you brought up Diary of Anne Frank right then?

the_hayden12d ago

Gotta say @riverh49, you really changed my mind here. I used to think 8th graders were too young for stuff like The Color Purple, like they wouldn't get it or it would mess with their heads. But you pointing out Diary of Anne Frank made me realize I was being dumb. Kids that age are learning about genocide and war in class, so a book about family and growing up with tough stuff is actually on the same level. Plus Charlotte's Web is literally about death and loss too, so the librarian was just picking and choosing what's "heavy" based on vibes. I'm with you now, kids can handle real stories if we let them.