Doctor, 73, Kicked Out of Barnes & Noble for Browsing the Children's Section Alone
Barnes & Noble apologized to a 73-year-old man who was kicked out of one of its stores for browsing the children's section on his own.
Dr. Omar Amin, a parasitologist from Scottsdale, Arizona, said he was asked to leave after a female shopper told a worker she felt uneasy about his presence. Amin, a world-renowned researcher of infectious diseases, said he was simply buying books for his two grandchildren.
"This is an insult to all men, not just to me," Amin said.
The incident, widely reported in June 2012, struck a nerve about the suspicion directed at men in spaces associated with children — and about how quickly a stranger's discomfort can become an accusation. The store's apology acknowledged the humiliation, but the deeper question lingered: in a society legitimately concerned about child safety, where is the line between vigilance and presumption?
For Amin, the answer was personal. He had spent his career studying parasites that kill the vulnerable. Being treated as a threat to children, in a bookstore, while shopping for his grandchildren, was an irony he did not find amusing.
This article summarizes contemporaneous reporting from June 2012, including the Daily Mail's coverage.
Related Stories
Fiction: The Easiest Way to Develop a Reading Habit in Kids
Want kids who love reading? Let them read what they love — research shows fiction builds empathy and creative thinking, and habit starts early.
Indian-Americans from California raised $75000 to build an eye hospital in Bihar.
At a 2015 Cupertino fundraiser, Indian-Americans raised $75,000 as the first step toward a $4 million, 200-bed eye hospital in Bihar with 25,000 free
Why do American Indians strive for academic excellence?
Why do Indian-American families push so hard on academics? From skilled-worker immigration to the tiger-parent ethos, a look at the culture of excellence.