Surrey drops 4 books from recommended school reading list

The Surrey School District has removed four well-known books from its recommended reading list for students in Grade 10 or higher because of concerns over some of the content.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, In the Heat of the Night by John Ball and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie were dropped from curricula lists in November.

Ratinder Matthew, associate director of communications with Surrey schools, said a review of the four books began a year ago after the school district heard from parents and caregivers.

"[They] shared lived experiences of their students in situations in classrooms where they didn't feel safe," she said.

Matthew said the books have been replaced with recommended titles that better present themes of racism using characters from marginalized communities who have voice, agency and resiliency.

"If you take for example To Kill a Mockingbird, that's not from the experience of a Black man. This is the equity lens that we owe to our students and families to use to look carefully at our curriculum," she said.

Matthew said the four books in question have not been banned from Surrey schools. In fact, over 5,000 copies are still available at school libraries and in school resource rooms, she said.

Teachers can still use the four books, she said, but within the school district's guidelines that also call for the teaching of the historical and social context of the literature.

According to the Ministry of Education, decisions about books are made at the local school level and school materials are expected to be screened and age appropriate.

B.C. Premier David Eby questioned the removal of To Kill a Mockingbird from the district's recommended reading list, calling Lee's novel a "beautiful" and "profoundly anti-racist" book.

"It's a weird decision and I just encourage the board to have another look here and give the book a read," he said Thursday.

Kevin Falcon, leader of the Opposition B.C. United, was also critical.

"To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, these are literary classics that teach important stories about racism and the realities of life at a different time," he said.