Because of the word "lesbian" in Jasminka Petrović's novel "This is the scariest day in my life", several parents forbade all their children, sixth graders, to read it. The novel was included in the curriculum by decision of the National Education Council as supplementary reading. Let them read the book first, and only then comment - recommends Ljiljana Marinković, publisher
Several parents of students in the sixth grade of the primary school "Ljuba Nenadović" in Belgrade, in Čukarica, forbade their children to read Jasminka Petrović's novel This is the scariest day of my life, because the word "lesbian" appears in the first chapter.
The disputed word appears at the beginning of the novel, when the mother of the main character, fifteen-year-old Strahinja, worried that she is suffering from breast cancer, shows a neighbor in the bathroom a lump she felt. Strahinja sees them, and concludes that his mom is in a relationship with a neighbor and that she is a lesbian.
Ljiljana Marinković, director of the "Creative Center" that published this novel in 2008, tells the "Vremena" portal that "that scene is a comedy of confusion, and that is more than clear in the context of the book." It is not clear to me why the word 'lesbian' would be controversial for anyone, and especially for a fifteen-year-old. We have explained a hundred times so far what it is actually about, and after all that I can only say that people should first read the book and then comment. A quasi-protective attitude towards children cannot benefit them in any way".
Since it was published, the novel This is the scariest day of my life has already caused controversy several times because of the word "lesbian". In one of them, conducted in a live television program, the guest was a psychologist who advocated against readings in which the incriminated word is mentioned, regardless of the fact that, as she stated, she does not know the novel she is discussing.
This current concern of parents that their children will acquire a sexual orientation that does not suit them (the parents) because of the word "lesbian" was found out from the text of the sixth grade literature teacher from the school "Ljuba Nenadović", Gordana Opalić "How parents forbade children to read the school book reading". It was published on the Green Classroom portal, and the media reported it.
Amazed by the parents' reaction, Professor Opalić explained that it was a novel This is the scariest day of my life included in the curriculum by the decision of the National Education Council as supplementary reading, and that she recommended it to students because "literature is a field in which you can talk with students about life situations, prepare them for the world they live in, accustom them to everything that expects them, and these are not only beautiful things".
"Why do you think that children at the age of sixth grade are not mature enough to talk about breast cancer?" asks Gordana Opalić
She recommended that parents read the book to the end, and then judge. She advised the students that "they must listen to their parents, but also that it would be good to read the novel before deciding on the ban." That it is important to always justify our position on everything in life, relying on the facts and our own judgment about something, and not on the basis of the opinions of others".
Parents' fear that their children will be influenced by literature and the outside world in general, especially the Western world, is more pronounced this year than before.
In the last days of November, the Cultural Center in Novi Pazar withdrew the cartoon feature film from its repertoire Wonderful world Disney productions, due, it was explained, to the parents' request. The parents were bothered by the main character, a boy, who feels affection for another boy.
A few days later, the Dveri movement requested that all cinemas in Serbia ban the showing of this film. They believed that this film "imposes the ideology of homosexuality" and assessed it as "scandalous".
On the website of the Film Center of Serbia, it is written that until December 21, in four weeks of viewership, Wonderful world was seen by 23.183 viewers, which means that neither the cinemas nor the audience listened to them.
Then, this August, some media got excited because of "Vulcan"'s announcement that the first novel from the series would appear in their bookstores. Butterflies by the British writer Alice Ousman, in which Nick (15) likes Charlie (14) more than either of them expects. "Which is a lot, it's a lot," read one of the newspaper headlines that covered this announcement.
At the end of the mentioned text, Gordana Opačić writes that one of the students conveyed to her "his mother's apology, because she read the novel in the meantime and did not find anything objectionable in it, moreover - she really liked it", and concluded:
"I hope, I sincerely hope, that we will be able to shed light on this darkness that is pressuring these children from all sides." We have to, because otherwise, what will we be left with... Do you have an idea?"
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