I posted on facebook last night that my second grader brought home a book about UFO's from the school library. I was completely unprepared for the content of the book, and am seriously considering a visit to the school with book in hand this morning.
I'd really love to hear your thoughts on this one, so please consider posting your comments below - regardless of whether or not you agree or disagree with me or anyone else.
The book is called Exploring the Unknown: UFO Abductions by Neal Bernards (Lucent Books, 1995) and is part of a series of books.
It is written from the perspective of it may or may not be true. While I found much of the content to be of the nature that would make a child feel afraid or certain that a UFO is going to steal him or her from just about anywhere (home, swimming, out in the yard, etc), here are the pieces I found most concerning:
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| Story tells of people having needles stuck into their brains by aliens with "painful" medical procedures (Bernards, pg 13). |
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| Here is the story of a teenage girl who was visited and impregnated by aliens, returned to Earth, and recaptured again so they could remove the fetus from her . See fetus in jar. The aliens visited her again later so that they could show her the half alient / hachild, a little girl. The story says that she "cried and fought to keep the developing child, but the aliens took it anyway." (Bernards, Pg 29) |
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Here, an abducted woman is depicted as being in an alien nursery (notice the fetuses in the jars above) and asked to hold alien babies to show them how to bond with them. (Bernards, Pg 39) I'll let this one speak for itself (Bernards, Pg 38)  In this last image, a woman tells a story of visiting her grandfather's farm as a child (told under hypnosis). She was "cheerfully reaching fo rchicken eggs under the warm, feathery tummies of the hens, when suddenly she was someplace else... a pleasant, disembodied voice told her that a cut that would not hurt was going to be made on her leg; a little tiny piece of her was going to be taken." She said this was a deep cut she did not remember getting. (Bernards, Pg 32-33). |
Full Citation:
Bernards, Neal. Exploring the Unknown: UFO Abductions. San Diego: Accent, 1995.
8 comments:
This is very disturbing that our 2nd graders, or anyone in elementary can check this book out of an elementary library. I would take this book to school, show the principle and let him know that this is NOT acceptable. Wonder how many other ones like this are in the library. I think that we would be surprised! I think that the UFO stories are interesting, but I am an adult and can make my own decisions. An elementary student reading this kind of information will just end up with nightmares and being afraid to go outside!
omyword.... DEFINITELY not appropriate for children! I agree with you, that should be taken OUT of an elementary school library (and I dont even have children)! Don't even want to imagine my parents' reaction if I had ever come home with that...
That is absolutely horrible and has no place in a school library! How scary and completely inappropriate....my jaw just dropped at the first picture and it only got worse from there. I have a feeling that the school doesn't even know of the contents of this book. Do not hesitate to talk to the principal/media specialist about this one. Good Luck and keep us posted:)
That is completely inappropriate! I would definitely complain and find out how that book ended upbin the library. Do they even lookvat the books when they are donated or purchased?
That book needs to be removed. Today.
This would be more appropriate in a middle school setting, but a first grader being able to check this out? It's a little extreme. I don't believe in censorship, but something like this could have an undesirable effect on a child that young.
Very definitely not appropriate for 2nd graders, what were the school thinking?
I was in the principal's office this a.m. He was shocked, and none of these books are on the shelves as of this afternoon. I haven't heard anything official, but I would guess they have been removed. Thanks for your encouragement!
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