Evolution Book for Kids Can't Get Published in U.S.

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An award winning kids book about evolution was turned down by several American publishers because it was too controversial, according to the book's author.
"Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be" has just won the Lane Anderson award as the best science book for young readers in Canada, but author Daniel Loxton couldn't get American publishers to bite.
"I had more than one publishing professional in the U.S. indicate to me that, because of the potential for controversy, it would be hard to make the numbers work," Loxton told The Huffington Post. "They said it was a tough sell."
Loxton pointed out that various surveys tend to show that large percentages of the US population don't believe in evolution.

Evolution Book For Kids Rejected By U.S. Publishers

:doh:

Why, America? Why, WHY?

When surveys show most Americans don't believe in evolution, I wonder what the age break down is. Because if most young people believe in evolution, then there's hope for this country.
 
Read the article; found a clue as to why...

written by a Canadian

Aha!

;)

If a publisher thinks there's an audience for this kind of a book, they'd pick it up. But given the state of the publishing world, I'm not surprised no one's picked it up. Especially since I'm not convinced enough 8-13 year olds would buy the book in sufficient numbers for the costs to be worth it. Maybe he should try selling it to a publisher who specializes in textbooks?
 
I think some of the biggest publishers in the US are Christian publishing companies? Not that I agree/condone (I "believe" in evolution), maybe that factors in?
 
When an award winning book doesn't get picked up because of stupidity, there's a problem.

United States, you have given the world so much, yet are filled with ignorance. Such a paradox
 
You would think this book would find a publisher here in America. After all, where did all those atheist books come from if publishing houses are mainly Christian (this is news to me)?
 
When an award winning book doesn't get picked up because of stupidity, there's a problem.

Is there any demonstration that this is, in fact, the case?

The article makes a whole mess of insinuations that conveniently ignore any discussion of how well other science books targeted to kids have performed in the marketplace.

Plenty of award winning books don't get distribution, just like many award winning films don't get distribution. Global conspiracy, or indifference by distributors to books/films/TV shows/plays that, for all their quality, don't have much of an audience?
 
More proof America is prudish. I can see where you're coming from Nathan but the article clearly says that potential for controversy is the reason they aren't publishing it, and that is beyond my comprehension.
 
Not saying whether or not we did evolve, but that's really stupid that it can't get published. Who cares if it causes controversy?

Controversy = Free Publicity.
 
because it was too controversial, according to the book's author.
Gotta be more to the story than this. There are plenty of children's books on evolution from the usual kids' sci/tech market leaders (Dorling Kindersley, National Geographic, Time-Life, Houghton Mifflin, Kingfisher etc.) widely available out there; just check your local book superstore (that is if you still have one, haha). It might be that there's something specific to this book or its author that publishers found "controversial," or this might've been a theory proffered by some individual publishers to account for a perception on their part that the US market for children's science books is more sluggish than its international counterparts.
 
Gotta be more to the story than this. There are plenty of children's books on evolution from the usual kids' sci/tech market leaders (Dorling Kindersley, National Geographic, Time-Life, Houghton Mifflin, Kingfisher etc.) widely available out there; just check your local book superstore (that is if you still have one, haha). It might be that there's something specific to this book or its author that publishers found "controversial," or this might've been a theory proffered by some individual publishers to account for a perception on their part that the US market for children's science books is more sluggish than its international counterparts.

could it be this:

Loxton also discusses convergent evolution, evolutionary compromises, and human ancestry, and he addresses some common concerns. His message is clear: “There is no intelligence—no brain—behind evolution that is running things.”

The second point is, I would have left out the paragraph-long section about "what science has to say about religion." The author states that science has nothing to say. Whether that's true is highly debatable, but if that's what the author thinks, then why did he bring it up? Furthermore, it's a science book, and it feels awkward (and defensive) for religion to be mentioned there, and I felt uncomfortable reading that section to my daughter.


found those digging through Amazon reviews
 
What? I didn't want to start a war about Evolution and whether it happened. Everybody believes what they will, and that's fine.

It's not a belief or an opinion. That's the problem.

But ya, there have been countless 'debates' here about it. I just find it mind boggling, is all
 
It's not an opinion. That's the problem

The college where I work lost some faculty over this. Some biology and religion faculty got together and did some publication on reconciling evolution and the Christian creation story. Shit hit the fan. Someone cried libel, legal counsel was obtained. People quit. The president of the college is "retiring". I'm not kidding. Just recently a family member said to me, "I've never even considered the possibility that Adam and Eve weren't real exactly as the Bible says." :facepalm:
 
I'm all for people having their own beliefs and whatever. It's only when said beliefs infringe in areas they have no business being that I get super irritated. Civilization has already been retarded enough by religion. Religion should remain a personal matter.

As I said earlier, I really have trouble getting my head around how the United States can be so advanced in some areas, yet so antiquated (putting it nicely) in others. It's almost like a microcosm of the world
 
agreed. i believe it's always good to question your authority, why should god be any different?

i'm just glad i went to school when i did. i learned about the big bang theory and evolution in science and nothing else. not intelligent design or creationism. hell, my high school (in tennessee) couldn't even get a religion class added that would purely be an optional elective. it was a shame as i wanted to take the class, but yeah.
 
Living in a heavily Catholic area, everyone was basically indifferent to religion at the end of the day, so it was never an issue.
 
Publish the book.

As a Christian, it does not offend me.
It's strange, even as a non-religious person I don't see why science and religion are mutually exclusive.

If you believe in the almighty power of God, is it really that much of a stretch to believe He could have created this beautiful patchwork of organisms with the heavenly gift to adapt and evolve with sentience in their surroundings, to live on and survive and procreate in our beautiful natural landscape?

To play out a sequence of slow and steady miracles as life went from water to sand to grass and ponds and then to McDonalds?
 
When surveys show most Americans don't believe in evolution, I wonder what the age break down is. Because if most young people believe in evolution, then there's hope for this country.

Most surveys I've read say that the number that believe in evolution (regardless of divine interference/guidance in that process) is about 40-45%.

And one survey I just Googled from Gallup says that in the 18-34 years old demo that percentage is about 50%. So at least it's higher. :up:

Apparently, it comes down to religious backgrounds more so than age. Education also plays a factor but less so.
 
Evolution Book A Book For Kids Celebrating American Exceptionalism Can't Get Published in U.S.

Or if it did no one here seems to have read it. :wink:
 
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