An Interview...
wiffleclaw interviewed me about book censorship for his AP Government class. I wanted to save it for posterity, since I know some of you are librarians, and all of you are readers, and... well. I love being interviewed.
DC: Good evening, Miss Rhodes.
KJR: Good evening.
DC: To start off, tell me about your experience in writing fiction.
KJR: I began publishing fanfiction [stories written by fans instead of the original author] online at the age of 13, and I quite simply never stopped. I finished my novel in the winter of 2008 and I'm in talks with several agents to try to get it published. I have well over 200 stories published in various locations on the Internet, and I'm also well-known as a beta reader (sort of the Internet terminology for an editor).
DC: Can you tell me about the demographics of your audience? Who do you appeal to, age groups, etc.
KJR: Mostly women, in general. In Harry Potter, I have a large teenage following, like you, for instance, and I'd say that's the audience I write for in my original fiction. In Doctor Who, my other primary fandom, I appeal largely to women between the ages of 28-60 -- most of my frequent commenters fall in that age range. And that's because I write adult fiction in that fandom.
DC: What are your religious views, if any?
KJR: Roman Catholic. Pretty Orthodox.
DC: Do you agree or disagree with the censorship of books? Why or why not?
KJR: Well, that's a complicated question. But I'll assume for the purpose of discussion you're talking about public libraries or school libraries, yes?
DC: Yes.
KJR: In general, no. For a multitude of reasons. In schools, particularly high schools, where a lot of the banning occurs -- I think it's important to read things that challenge your preconceptions, things that perhaps are disturbing, in an environment that's educational. High school should be about stretching your brain, not closing it. For instance, a book often banned is Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. It's a powerful book about a boy finding himself and deciding that there's more to life than he originally thought -- a fair sight better novel than Tom Sawyer, in my opinion. And yet it's banned for the word "nigger", despite that term being very, very accurate for the time period. I think sugarcoating that kind of stuff -- not acknowledging where we've been, leads to us not knowing where we're going. And I'm not just talking about literature. I'm talking about everything.
Another book that's been banned in a few places is Harry Potter -- for magic. This is a case of the religious views of the few impacting the many. It's not particularly fair. And parents always forget that they have the option. They have the option to say "no" to the teacher, who is then obligated to provide alternate material for books read in class.
In the end, parents need to take responsibility for the education of their children. As a teacher, as a writer, I don't see enough of this. At the end of the day, YOU are responsible for what goes in your child's brain. Not the teachers. If you're uncomfortable, you can always read the book with your child. Or say no, as mentioned previously.
DC: Has your religion affected your views on book censorship?
KJR: Not particularly. My father was adamant that I read things that challenged my views -- we're very intellectual about why we believe the things we believe. And it's necessary to read people that disagree with you. If you're never challenged, you can't really know if you believe or not.
DC: Do you think there are times when book censorship is necessary?
KJR: I can't think of one. It's all about personal responsibility. Being responsible about what you read, and what you don't read -- and what your kids read and what they don't read. Censorship removes personal responsibility. It's wrong.
DC: What about young children who do not know what they are picking up?
KJR: I remember reading "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" in 5th Grade. It features a brief scene where the little girl is molested by a trusted family friend. Of course I was disturbed by what I read. I was probably too young -- but I went to my parents and I went to my teachers. Because that's what kids do. When something disturbs them, they go find someone that can explain it. As children, we have, generally speaking, insatiable curiosity.
We talked through it. Kids that don't know what they're picking up -- well. I don't think we should have Playboy laying around at elementary schools, if that's what you mean. But generally speaking, elementary school and middle school and high school librarians are extremely conscious of what they decide to put on shelves. I know several of them personally. They read every new book before they put it on the shelves. So I don't think that's something you have to worry about.
DC: Miss Rhodes, I know that you're on the way to becoming published; in the event that your book does get published, but encounters disapproval from some group that feels offended, what would you have to say to that group?
KJR: Oh, I imagine this will happen. It's a book about vampires geared at young adults with a positive view of the Church. If it does happen, I think my reaction will be the same as it always has been to people who don't like what I do: I'm sorry. Don't read it.
DC: As we are wrapping up here, do you have any last words for authors aspiring to be published in terms of fear against censorship/banning?
KJR: There's always going to be someone that doesn't like what you do. That's okay. If you're writing for other people, you're doing it for the wrong reasons anyway. You should do it because it makes you happy. At the end of the day, as long as you have the story you wanted to tell in your hands -- that's all that matters. As a slightly humorous aside: I wouldn't fear it. As soon as it's banned, the sales shoot straight through the roof. Take that money and go on vacation. I know I plan to.
[6:58:56 PM] DC: Thank you Miss Rhodes for your time. You've been a great help to my public policy project.
[6:59:11 PM] KJR: You're quite welcome. I wish you all the best of luck.
[6:59:16 PM] DC: Thank you.
**
I had a very productive day. I did the interview mentioned above, a week's worth of lesson plans, and an intro letter for the parents of the children in my new class. Now I'm off to work TWAT and LOM! See you later!
DC: Good evening, Miss Rhodes.
KJR: Good evening.
DC: To start off, tell me about your experience in writing fiction.
KJR: I began publishing fanfiction [stories written by fans instead of the original author] online at the age of 13, and I quite simply never stopped. I finished my novel in the winter of 2008 and I'm in talks with several agents to try to get it published. I have well over 200 stories published in various locations on the Internet, and I'm also well-known as a beta reader (sort of the Internet terminology for an editor).
DC: Can you tell me about the demographics of your audience? Who do you appeal to, age groups, etc.
KJR: Mostly women, in general. In Harry Potter, I have a large teenage following, like you, for instance, and I'd say that's the audience I write for in my original fiction. In Doctor Who, my other primary fandom, I appeal largely to women between the ages of 28-60 -- most of my frequent commenters fall in that age range. And that's because I write adult fiction in that fandom.
DC: What are your religious views, if any?
KJR: Roman Catholic. Pretty Orthodox.
DC: Do you agree or disagree with the censorship of books? Why or why not?
KJR: Well, that's a complicated question. But I'll assume for the purpose of discussion you're talking about public libraries or school libraries, yes?
DC: Yes.
KJR: In general, no. For a multitude of reasons. In schools, particularly high schools, where a lot of the banning occurs -- I think it's important to read things that challenge your preconceptions, things that perhaps are disturbing, in an environment that's educational. High school should be about stretching your brain, not closing it. For instance, a book often banned is Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. It's a powerful book about a boy finding himself and deciding that there's more to life than he originally thought -- a fair sight better novel than Tom Sawyer, in my opinion. And yet it's banned for the word "nigger", despite that term being very, very accurate for the time period. I think sugarcoating that kind of stuff -- not acknowledging where we've been, leads to us not knowing where we're going. And I'm not just talking about literature. I'm talking about everything.
Another book that's been banned in a few places is Harry Potter -- for magic. This is a case of the religious views of the few impacting the many. It's not particularly fair. And parents always forget that they have the option. They have the option to say "no" to the teacher, who is then obligated to provide alternate material for books read in class.
In the end, parents need to take responsibility for the education of their children. As a teacher, as a writer, I don't see enough of this. At the end of the day, YOU are responsible for what goes in your child's brain. Not the teachers. If you're uncomfortable, you can always read the book with your child. Or say no, as mentioned previously.
DC: Has your religion affected your views on book censorship?
KJR: Not particularly. My father was adamant that I read things that challenged my views -- we're very intellectual about why we believe the things we believe. And it's necessary to read people that disagree with you. If you're never challenged, you can't really know if you believe or not.
DC: Do you think there are times when book censorship is necessary?
KJR: I can't think of one. It's all about personal responsibility. Being responsible about what you read, and what you don't read -- and what your kids read and what they don't read. Censorship removes personal responsibility. It's wrong.
DC: What about young children who do not know what they are picking up?
KJR: I remember reading "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" in 5th Grade. It features a brief scene where the little girl is molested by a trusted family friend. Of course I was disturbed by what I read. I was probably too young -- but I went to my parents and I went to my teachers. Because that's what kids do. When something disturbs them, they go find someone that can explain it. As children, we have, generally speaking, insatiable curiosity.
We talked through it. Kids that don't know what they're picking up -- well. I don't think we should have Playboy laying around at elementary schools, if that's what you mean. But generally speaking, elementary school and middle school and high school librarians are extremely conscious of what they decide to put on shelves. I know several of them personally. They read every new book before they put it on the shelves. So I don't think that's something you have to worry about.
DC: Miss Rhodes, I know that you're on the way to becoming published; in the event that your book does get published, but encounters disapproval from some group that feels offended, what would you have to say to that group?
KJR: Oh, I imagine this will happen. It's a book about vampires geared at young adults with a positive view of the Church. If it does happen, I think my reaction will be the same as it always has been to people who don't like what I do: I'm sorry. Don't read it.
DC: As we are wrapping up here, do you have any last words for authors aspiring to be published in terms of fear against censorship/banning?
KJR: There's always going to be someone that doesn't like what you do. That's okay. If you're writing for other people, you're doing it for the wrong reasons anyway. You should do it because it makes you happy. At the end of the day, as long as you have the story you wanted to tell in your hands -- that's all that matters. As a slightly humorous aside: I wouldn't fear it. As soon as it's banned, the sales shoot straight through the roof. Take that money and go on vacation. I know I plan to.
[6:58:56 PM] DC: Thank you Miss Rhodes for your time. You've been a great help to my public policy project.
[6:59:11 PM] KJR: You're quite welcome. I wish you all the best of luck.
[6:59:16 PM] DC: Thank you.
**
I had a very productive day. I did the interview mentioned above, a week's worth of lesson plans, and an intro letter for the parents of the children in my new class. Now I'm off to work TWAT and LOM! See you later!