Does anyone have "And Tango Makes Three?"
Get ready... I'm about to start a little rant about censorship.
I just came across this article about books being challenged for removal from public/school libraries. First off, I am NOT a fan of this practice. While I grew up in a fairly progressive area for education, it was still deeply rooted in fundamentalist religions, so my public library system was somewhat restrictive as a child. Most children would have never known the difference, but I was already reading chapter books in kindergarten, so Beezus & Ramona held no interest for me at age 8/9. By 10, I'd already begun reading Shakespeare. I still remember hanging at the edge of the *grown up* section's doorway whispering back and forth with my mother as she tried to dig through the card catalog to find something to keep me occupied for the next week's reading.
Getting good stuff to read was already a frustrating experience for me and my mother. I can't even imagine how flustered I would have been to know that a fantastic book was out there waiting for me to read it, but some closed minded person felt it was important to keep it away from me, "for my own protection." Why is it up to that person to decide what is and is not appropriate for anyone else to read? Isn't that why I had parents? Isn't that what adults are supposed to be able to do; decide for themselves?
One of the books on the list of challenged books is "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings," by Maya Angelou. My 5th/6th grade teacher got this book for me to read for my February book report in the 5th grade. To help keep up with my voracious reading appetite, Mrs. Jackson would get books for me, but there was a catch. You see, I only liked reading non-fiction at the time. And my obsession then was World War II history, with a strong emphasis on the history of the Holocaust (after my watching a couple documentaries with my Dad, I had a lot of questions), and the science of genetics (the Holocaust stuff introduced me to the concepts). So, apparently this was a little bizarre for a 1-12 year old girl, and Mrs. Jackson also wanted me to experience the beauty of words, not just the knowledge to be gained from them. The way she did this, was that for every 2 works of non-fiction she got me, I had to read one work of fiction, of her choosing.
Mrs. Jackson was an excellent literary gateway for me. I had already read Midsummer Night's Dream, thanks to a loving cousin, and dabbled in the sonnets when I found them in Mom's bookshelf at home, but it was Mrs. Jackson that showed me the true glory of Shakespeare's work. She also introduced me to Robert Frost, and Emerson, and Alcott, and Sandberg, and Twain, and Longfellow, and C.S. Lewis. I started to read the classics, I fell in love with poetry, but that wasn't enough. The next thing she did was wonderful, she started me to reading biographies. Actually, autobiographies. She wanted me to learn about the way people viewed the world and the people around them. To understand the lives of the people that made up this world, in their own words. To merge the historical and the prose together, giving me the best of both worlds; knowledge and beauty.
One of the most memorable autobiographies I have ever read was "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." I was able to see struggle and endurance, at it's basest level, while still celebrating the courageous spirit of one girl, grown to a woman of incredible talent, with a voice that spoke to millions of the beauty and the darkness in the world. Why would anyone think this book deserves to be hidden away from people "for their own protection?"
I have given away more copies of this book than I could even begin to count. My sister, my cousins, 2 of my nieces, my goddaughters, friends, girls at the shelter, etc... It is a wonderful depiction of the strength of one woman, but it can inspire so many more to overcome the things happening in their own lives. It is also a beautifully moving and deeply emotional piece of writing, that I truly feel can be appreciated by every one.
So, for every book that some single-minded person wants to remove from the public sight, please remember the hundreds, if not thousands of others that will be deprived of the benefits that work may provide.
Oh yeah, and to keep from looking like a that creepy person without any kids in the children's reading room at the library.... Does anyone have access the children's book "And Tango Makes Three?" And give me an actual synopsis of this book? I don't trust the media to be 100% accurate, and I would really like to know what this book is about.
I just came across this article about books being challenged for removal from public/school libraries. First off, I am NOT a fan of this practice. While I grew up in a fairly progressive area for education, it was still deeply rooted in fundamentalist religions, so my public library system was somewhat restrictive as a child. Most children would have never known the difference, but I was already reading chapter books in kindergarten, so Beezus & Ramona held no interest for me at age 8/9. By 10, I'd already begun reading Shakespeare. I still remember hanging at the edge of the *grown up* section's doorway whispering back and forth with my mother as she tried to dig through the card catalog to find something to keep me occupied for the next week's reading.
Getting good stuff to read was already a frustrating experience for me and my mother. I can't even imagine how flustered I would have been to know that a fantastic book was out there waiting for me to read it, but some closed minded person felt it was important to keep it away from me, "for my own protection." Why is it up to that person to decide what is and is not appropriate for anyone else to read? Isn't that why I had parents? Isn't that what adults are supposed to be able to do; decide for themselves?
One of the books on the list of challenged books is "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings," by Maya Angelou. My 5th/6th grade teacher got this book for me to read for my February book report in the 5th grade. To help keep up with my voracious reading appetite, Mrs. Jackson would get books for me, but there was a catch. You see, I only liked reading non-fiction at the time. And my obsession then was World War II history, with a strong emphasis on the history of the Holocaust (after my watching a couple documentaries with my Dad, I had a lot of questions), and the science of genetics (the Holocaust stuff introduced me to the concepts). So, apparently this was a little bizarre for a 1-12 year old girl, and Mrs. Jackson also wanted me to experience the beauty of words, not just the knowledge to be gained from them. The way she did this, was that for every 2 works of non-fiction she got me, I had to read one work of fiction, of her choosing.
Mrs. Jackson was an excellent literary gateway for me. I had already read Midsummer Night's Dream, thanks to a loving cousin, and dabbled in the sonnets when I found them in Mom's bookshelf at home, but it was Mrs. Jackson that showed me the true glory of Shakespeare's work. She also introduced me to Robert Frost, and Emerson, and Alcott, and Sandberg, and Twain, and Longfellow, and C.S. Lewis. I started to read the classics, I fell in love with poetry, but that wasn't enough. The next thing she did was wonderful, she started me to reading biographies. Actually, autobiographies. She wanted me to learn about the way people viewed the world and the people around them. To understand the lives of the people that made up this world, in their own words. To merge the historical and the prose together, giving me the best of both worlds; knowledge and beauty.
One of the most memorable autobiographies I have ever read was "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." I was able to see struggle and endurance, at it's basest level, while still celebrating the courageous spirit of one girl, grown to a woman of incredible talent, with a voice that spoke to millions of the beauty and the darkness in the world. Why would anyone think this book deserves to be hidden away from people "for their own protection?"
I have given away more copies of this book than I could even begin to count. My sister, my cousins, 2 of my nieces, my goddaughters, friends, girls at the shelter, etc... It is a wonderful depiction of the strength of one woman, but it can inspire so many more to overcome the things happening in their own lives. It is also a beautifully moving and deeply emotional piece of writing, that I truly feel can be appreciated by every one.
So, for every book that some single-minded person wants to remove from the public sight, please remember the hundreds, if not thousands of others that will be deprived of the benefits that work may provide.
Oh yeah, and to keep from looking like a that creepy person without any kids in the children's reading room at the library.... Does anyone have access the children's book "And Tango Makes Three?" And give me an actual synopsis of this book? I don't trust the media to be 100% accurate, and I would really like to know what this book is about.