Melania Trump Donated Books to a School Library. Here’s Why the Librarian Rejected Them

by Alana Abramson 2:55 PM ET - 9/28/2017

A school librarian in Boston rejected a box of Dr. Seuss books sent from First Lady Melania Trump, saying the choice of literature was "cliche" and her school was not in need of them.

The Office of the First Lady announced on Sept. 6 that in honor of National Read a Book day, Melania Trump would send Dr. Seuss books to schools across the country that had been recognized for educational excellence. One school in each state received a package of 10 books. Liz Phipps Soeiro's school was the Massachusetts recipient, and she wasn't satisfied.

"School libraries around the country are being shuttered," Soeiro, a school librarian in Cambridge, wrote on the Horn Book's Family Reading blog. "Are those kids any less deserving of books simply because of circumstances beyond their control? Why not go out of your way to gift books to underfunded and underprivileged communities that continue to be marginalized and maligned by policies put in place by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos?"

But Soeiro also criticized the First Lady's choice of literature, calling Dr. Seuss "a bit of a cliche" and arguing that the late author's illustrations are "steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes." She did, however, suggest a list of 10 books that she hoped would illuminate the impact she said the Trump Administration's policies were having on certain children.

http://fortune.com/2017/09/28/melania-trump-books-rejection/