Banned Books Week
I really love Banned Books Week.
I love that it falls during the week of my birthday (very appropriate I would say). I love the campaign that the ALA has put together this year. I love that so many bookstores and libraries come together to celebrate my favorite amendment and to combat intolerance.
I've never understood the concept of banning books. There are books I haven't enjoyed, books I've thought were poorly written or whose content didn't interest me. But other people enjoy those same books. They get a great deal out of them. When books are challenged I always laugh, because the reasons are usually vaguely absurd. My personal favorites are "unsuited to the age group" and "occult/satanism". I remember driving through Filer, a small town just outside my own hometown, and seeing a church marquee declaring that Harry Potter was promoting witchcraft. My response: "Show me where to buy an eleven inch rowan wand with a phoenix feather core and I am so there".
Another perfect example: a woman came in to Borders one night looking for a book for her thirteen year old daughter. Apparently the daughter had a book report due at the end of the month, and had chosen "Eclipse" by Stephanie Meyer. Having throughly researched the book on the internet (because why read it yourself when you can Google it) the mother had decided it was "inappropriate" because of the "heavy make-out scenes". One mental eyeroll later, I showed her to the YA section and spent a good ten minutes going through options. She rejected each one for various reasons, usually having to do with the length rather than the subject matter. I finally left her alone and went back to the front. She joined me a few minutes later with her selection. She had chosen "Such A Pretty Girl" by Lauren Weiss. Now, this is a great book. It's well written with fully realized characters and the delicate and horrific subject matter is handled with grace. Basically, it's about a 15 year old who was sexually abused by her father; when her dad is released from prison early he comes back to live with her and her mom. Not pretty, happy stuff. Nary a unicorn in sight. Call me crazy, but I figured if mom objected to heavy makeout scenes (that aren't that heavy, especially not if you've read Nora Roberts or one of a thousand romance novels) she wasn't going to be okay with that. So I mentioned it. You'd have thought I lit the book on fire she dropped it so fast.
The ALA has a great website and all sorts of interesting info. Turns out one of my favorite books of all time was a top ten contender for challenges in 2001. Blood and Chocolate, I didn't think it was possible to love you more. The official shirt for 2009 banned books week has a quote from To Kill A Mockingbird which is startlingly appropriate.
"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing." - Harper Lee
Intellectual freedom, we salute you
I love that it falls during the week of my birthday (very appropriate I would say). I love the campaign that the ALA has put together this year. I love that so many bookstores and libraries come together to celebrate my favorite amendment and to combat intolerance.
I've never understood the concept of banning books. There are books I haven't enjoyed, books I've thought were poorly written or whose content didn't interest me. But other people enjoy those same books. They get a great deal out of them. When books are challenged I always laugh, because the reasons are usually vaguely absurd. My personal favorites are "unsuited to the age group" and "occult/satanism". I remember driving through Filer, a small town just outside my own hometown, and seeing a church marquee declaring that Harry Potter was promoting witchcraft. My response: "Show me where to buy an eleven inch rowan wand with a phoenix feather core and I am so there".
Another perfect example: a woman came in to Borders one night looking for a book for her thirteen year old daughter. Apparently the daughter had a book report due at the end of the month, and had chosen "Eclipse" by Stephanie Meyer. Having throughly researched the book on the internet (because why read it yourself when you can Google it) the mother had decided it was "inappropriate" because of the "heavy make-out scenes". One mental eyeroll later, I showed her to the YA section and spent a good ten minutes going through options. She rejected each one for various reasons, usually having to do with the length rather than the subject matter. I finally left her alone and went back to the front. She joined me a few minutes later with her selection. She had chosen "Such A Pretty Girl" by Lauren Weiss. Now, this is a great book. It's well written with fully realized characters and the delicate and horrific subject matter is handled with grace. Basically, it's about a 15 year old who was sexually abused by her father; when her dad is released from prison early he comes back to live with her and her mom. Not pretty, happy stuff. Nary a unicorn in sight. Call me crazy, but I figured if mom objected to heavy makeout scenes (that aren't that heavy, especially not if you've read Nora Roberts or one of a thousand romance novels) she wasn't going to be okay with that. So I mentioned it. You'd have thought I lit the book on fire she dropped it so fast.
The ALA has a great website and all sorts of interesting info. Turns out one of my favorite books of all time was a top ten contender for challenges in 2001. Blood and Chocolate, I didn't think it was possible to love you more. The official shirt for 2009 banned books week has a quote from To Kill A Mockingbird which is startlingly appropriate.
"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing." - Harper Lee
Intellectual freedom, we salute you