Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am extremely disappointed in the revised novel, Cricket in Times Square. I find it disturbing that books are being rewritten to change depictions of characters. The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees the Right to Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Speech. I find Ms. Lee’s revisions to violate both rights. She did not author the book and although it says Mr. Selden’s estate gave permission, Mr. Selden passed in 1989. It was his mind who imagined the plot and wrote the words. Who’s to say that what Ms. Lee revised and edited were not crucial to his storyline? I find it preposterous that this has happened to a modern classic and a Newberry Award winner. I question what other books this has happened to, and if allowed what books in the future will be rewritten to fit into woke culture. The Joy Luck Club, Tom Sawyer, The Indian in the Cupboard, To Kill a Mockingbird, etc., these books, written without the character’s accents would change the plot and surely lessen the impact of the storyline. In Lee’s foreword, she states, “Today’s young readers are socially minded, independent thinkers, and we are counting on them to shape a more equitable future for all.” This book has a readability for ages 6–9-year-old children! How are seven-year old’s independent thinkers? The fact that she also states, “But stereotypes have a tricky way of reinforcing themselves, leaving fingerprints in the soft parts of a child’s mind that, the more often they are pressed in, calcify into permanent marks.” shows that she has her own design. Immigrants have always spoken in broken English. This teaches children the plight of the immigrant in the United States. Why should it have been taken out? Bowing is a Chinese custom and form of respect, including it teaches young readers about Chinese customs. Rewriting books is dangerous. I think Amazon and other book retailers should include the foreword and a disclaimer that Ms. Lee has rewritten parts of the book. It seemed to be secretive as to how much the book has been revised. I had to purchase a revised copy, read the foreword, and see the changes made to the book. I purchase around 325 copies of Cricket in Times Square each year for our entire fourth grade to read and keep in their personal libraries at home. I will no longer be purchasing this beloved story that our students have enjoyed over the years. It is against my principle to rewrite books to fit one’s agenda, in this case, Ms. Lee’s agenda. I implore others to follow suit as well. Rewriting books is another stop on the path to relinquishing our unalienable right of Freedom of Speech. This is not Ms. Lee’s novel, and we cannot begin to alter literature.