Book Review: The Language Police

Title: The Language Police--How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn
Author: Diane Ravitch
Pages: 170, 255 including appendices and index
Review: The author makes her points quite clear, and for the most part I could not agree more--censorship in textbooks threaten the freedom of thought, as well as distort facts children are taught in order to appease pressure groups.

Occasionally, more often in the beginning, by proving her point, Ravitch comes across a bit ignorant. She is so adamantly opposed to changing un-PC words, I have to disagree when it comes to textbooks. For example, she does not understand the difference between "African slave" and "enslaved African." I am all for more accurate terms, though I do not believe in rewriting history so that everything is pleasant, and I do not believe in editing classic literature to your liking, both important points that Ravitch makes.

Because many people may believe that textbooks operate on a competitive market, that teachers have a say in what their kids read, and that textbook writers and publishers put in adequate amounts of research to compile material, this book is a must read to open some eyes. Its appendices are also interesting (list of banned words) and helpful (suggested classics reading list for grades 3-10). Although you have to look for it, the book also essentially mini-reviews individual textbooks, particularly history textbooks, and their slant.