Because they have lifetime appointments and rarely face consequences for bad behavior, some federal judges have been allowed to abuse and harass their staff with near impunity. In Code of Silence, Observer senior reporter and editor Lise Olsen shines a critical light on the arcane world of federal judges. Patrick, Abbott, and other GOP state leaders are members of the board that oversees the museum. The book so offended Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick that he prompted the Bullock Texas State History Museum to cancel an event with the authors hours before it was scheduled to occur. “As they explain it, and as Chicano writers, activists, and communities have long agreed, the events that occurred at the Alamo have been mythologized and used to demonize Mexicans in Texas history and obscure the role of slavery,” writes Observer contributor Nic Yeager. In Forget the Alamo, a trio of Texas writers challenge what they call the “Heroic Anglo Narrative” that’s long been taught about the Battle of the Alamo. And two: Amid everything, 2021 has been a banner year for Texas books. įorget the Alamo, by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson, and Jason Stanford One: There’s a lot more to know about Texas if you’re willing to learn. And they make two points abundantly clear. They cover Juneteenth, the death penalty, COVID-19, and more.
Some serve as critical history lessons on pivotal moments in state history. The Observer staff rounded up some of our favorites that we’ve reviewed, excerpted from, or otherwise devoured this year. So it’s fitting, then, that many books published by Texans or about Texas this year offer challenges and correctives to harmful systems and mythologies.
The flurry of activity is already having an effect: Earlier this month, a San Antonio school district said it would review more than 400 books from Krause’s list that are part of its libraries. Fort Worth state Representative Matt Krause recently identified 850 such books–largely written by women, people of color, and LGBTQ authors–that offend his sensibilities. Following the Legislature’s passage of a “critical race theory” law that restricts how teachers can talk about racism, history, and current events in classrooms, Republican state leaders have doubled down on attempts to quash teaching of subjects they deem to cause “discomfort.” Governor Greg Abbott and some GOP lawmakers have proposed banning books related to race and sexuality from school libraries. It’s been a disturbing year for books and teaching in Texas.
0 kommentar(er)
