An Embarrassment to All Canadians
The Government of Alberta embarrassed itself and all Canadians when Education Minister Demetrios Nicholaides issued a directive in July to all Alberta school boards banning from all Alberta school libraries, both elementary and secondary, a wide array of books that met his definition of having any “sexually explicit content” or “non-sexually explicit content” whatsoever. His order exempted “religious texts or scriptures” since there are many passages in The Bible that would have met his definitions of what had to be banned.
Yesterday, the full extent of his action became clear as a yet unverified but seemingly authentic Edmonton Public School Board document was released by a former trustee listing books removed from all Edmonton public school library collections in compliance with the Minister’s order demanding removal by October 1, 2025. In addition to removing many award-winning young adult novels entirely appropriate for high school libraries is the jaw-dropping decision to ban books by numerous eminent Canadian and international authors, including winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Here are just some of the books that the Edmonton Public School Board has apparently banned:
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini which has been picked by The New York Times readers as one of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, Russian American author and philosopher whose books have sold more than 37 million copies. Atlas Shrugged is one of the most influential books of the 20th Century, shaping conservative political thought including that of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, English writer and philosopher, whom the Chicago Tribune named “the greatest 20th century writer in English." The Modern Library has ranked Brave New World fifth on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker, eminent American writer and activist honoured by receiving the Lillian Smith Award from the National Endowment for the Arts along many other awards for her work. The Color Purple won the Pulitzer Prize and the U.S. National Book Award and has sold more than five million copies.
The Diviners by Margaret Laurence, recognized as one of Canada’s pre-eminent writer who in 1971, was honoured by being named a Companion to the Order of Canada. The Diviners won the Governor General’s Award for Fiction.
Flamer by Mike Curato. A much-challenged book that, in its starred reviews, the School Library Journal wrote, “Curato has created a beautiful story of a teen who must decide if he will force himself into the mold of what he thinks a ‘normal’ boy is, or if he can allow himself to live life on his own terms. An essential book that shows readers that they are never alone in their struggles.” Flamer was the winner of the 2021 Massachusetts Book Award for Young Adults.
Forever by Judy Blume, honoured by the American Library Association with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. She also has been awarded the Library of Congress Living Legends Award and the 2004 National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. Forever won the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the Young Adult Library Services Association for its significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. It was featured on TIME Magazine's All-Time 100 Novels list in 2005, and in 2019, BBC News listed it among the 100 most influential novels.
Friend of My Youth by Alice Munro, Canadian winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature and the International Booker Prize. Friend of My Youth won the Giller Prize (Canada), the National Book Critics Award (US), Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book in Caribbean and Canada, and the Trillium Book Award.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Awtood, perhaps Canada’s most eminent living author who has received countless awards for her more than fifty books of fiction, poetry and critical essays, as well as honorary doctorates from 28 universities including Harvard, Cambridge, Toronto, Montreal, Sorbonne, and Oxford. The Handmaid’s Tale won the Governor General's Award and the first Arthur C. Clarke Award and was adapted into a 1990 film, a 2000 opera, and a 2017 television series.
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, one of the world’s most widely read authors, having sold more than eighty million copies of her twenty-eight books. She has received fifteen honorary doctorates, the PEN Center Lifetime Achievement Award, the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation. The New York Times Book Review described The House of the Spirits as a “spectacular… absorbing and distinguished work… a unique achievement.”
Curiously, Minister Nicolaides has consistently claimed that his directive was “not about banning books” and was “not censorship” – a claim made by censors throughout history. Yet that is precisely what it is. Now we see the reality for Edmonton public school students, especially those in high school who are denied access in school to some of the worlds finest literature as well as numerous respected books for young adults that address real issues that many students are facing in their lives. This is a shameful time.