I would like to call out some factual errors in Mr. Jerry Chapman’s letter from March 23, 2024.
Mr. Chapman quotes a book he claims is found in the children’s section of DCPL: “Fly On the Wall” by Remy Lai. He paraphrases that on page 88 of this particular book, two characters have a discussion about private parts and sexual actions. I would like to offer some corrections.
“Fly On The Wall” by Remy Lai is found in the children’s section of DCPL — I went to see it in person. The passage on page 88 however has no sexual content. It is about villains on TV laughing maniacally. As a matter of fact, there is no sexual content at all in “Fly On The Wall” by Remy Lai. Common Sense Media rates it as perfect for kids 9+ and states the most iffy content is the words “deep doo-doo.”
Because I have research skills that I learned in high school (thanks to public school, thanks to libraries!), I find it likely that Mr. Chapman was quoting “Fly on the Wall” by E. Lockhart which is a Young Adult novel about a teen girl who imagines what it must be like to be a fly on the wall in the boys’ locker room. I can’t confirm this though because DCPL doesn’t have this book in its physical collection.
In his letter, Mr. Chapman challenges that parents, not the library, should decide what their kids read. As a mom, I am doing just that. The library is an undiscriminating depository of books. There are many books there that I do not want my kid reading, and others that I find have problematic content. Some of these books are in the children’s and young adult sections. It is my job as a parent to talk to my kid about these topics and books. I would not want to deny other families with different values than mine access to reading material they find appropriate. I hope that one day by teaching my daughter how to do her own research she too will fact-check a letter submitted to local news.
Written by
Jennifer Vogel
