Well, my scary thing today was foiled. I was going to buy, cook, and eat Swiss Chard for the first time. Frankly, this vegetable has always grossed me out. I’ve never tried it, only seen it. It looks harmless; quite pretty, in fact! It’s just the name… chard. Ick. But, a great recipe for Pizza Bianca on Epicurious had me excited.
Turns out, living in the rural midwest has some downfalls (even more than the clearly obvious one of location). Your local supermarket, as wonderful as it might be, may not carry more “exotic” fare… like yummy cheeses, wines from our favorite vineyards, free range organic chicken, or, alas, Swiss Chard.
I failed at intentionally doing something scary today. But, I felt like I needed to tell the world about my intentions so I could feel better! Remember what I wrote yesterday about silence and not justifying my actions? Well…
Via Tattered Cover, I just discovered this article from the Guardian UK– our friends the British have jumped on the banned book wagon!
A really great article, discussing some of the main arguments. I particularly like this quote by author Carolyn Mackler, author of The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things regarding her perspective on censorship as both a writer and a parent:
“I write about teenagers as they are, and my characters sometimes curse, and they hook up, and they confront their parents when they feel they are being wronged. This, I suppose, is upsetting to people who don’t want their child exposed to these things. While I sincerely doubt that my book will be someone’s only exposure to such content, I respect a parent’s wishes for their children. Their children, I emphasize. Not everyone else’s,” she said. “I am a parent. I closely follow the books that my son reads. If a book is scaring him, we talk about it. If a book doesn’t seem appropriate for him, I tuck it away and suggest he wait a few years. I have a good sense of what he’s ready for, what he’s wondering about. But do I know what is right for his friend or classmate? No way.”
I like that. I like the idea that reading is something that a parent and child do together, discussing and growing in ways that are beneficial to the reader and also to their relationship. I haven’t read The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, but I appreciate Mackler’s comments. Thoughts??
After recently reading Richard Foster’s chapters on solitude and silence in his classic The Celebration of Discipline, I decided to practice more moderation in speaking. I’m not very good at being quiet… like, at all. But I thought that, today, I should spend more time learning to control my tongue, and only speak when necessary.
I failed once, noticeably, in class when discussing my deep abhorrence for dress code policies.
Multiple times during today’s six-hours of class, I chose not to share when I wanted to, and tried to be more intentional about using my words to be uplifting… but I have to say, it was really hard for me. I was scared to be misunderstood, or that my silence indicated my agreement or lack of thought about a topic or question. I fight so hard to be understood, it seems, that I forget about making my words count.
And, I think, I’ve spent the past year and a half feeling like a good friend was someone that I could really talk to– I think, though, that as I think about the friends I have and the friends I love, what matters more is our ability to enjoy each other’s silence.
Do you need something scary to do this week? Go read a banned book!
Check out the American Library Association’s banned books resource page.
You can follow BannedBooksWeek on Twitter. You can also follow ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom at @OIF. Look for hash-tags #bannedbooksweek.
Amnesty International has developed a register of journalists imprisoned abroad; they may or may not be guaranteed freedom of the press in the countries in which they’re writing.
Attend or host a First Amendment Film Festival. The Huffington Post (of course) has lots of articles and lists on commonly banned books, or “Flashlight Worthy” books (those which will keep you up past bedtime because they’re so good, and are, consequently, currently on the docket to be banned in several school districts). HuffPost also has this list of iconic films based on banned books, to aid you in all your Film Festival needs.
Or, better yet, go buy a banned book and support authors who are are publicly criticized for exercising their freedom of expression.
I was shocked to read the top 10 most banned books annually on ALA’s register. It’s surprising to see how many books that are undisputedly in the twenty-first century literary canon were or are still frequently challenged as unsuitable reading.
In 2009, the most frequently challenged books were:
“1. “TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series), by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs
2. “And Tango Makes Three” by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: Homosexuality
3. “The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Anti-Family, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide
4. “To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee
Reasons: Racism, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
5. Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group(this one I’m OK with, but just because it’s bad writing… I suppose, on principle, we shouldn’t ban Twilight either… foolish publishers)
6. “Catcher in the Rye,” by J.D. Salinger
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
7. “My Sister’s Keeper,” by Jodi Picoult
Reasons: Sexism, Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide, Violence
8. “The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things,” by Carolyn Mackler
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
9. “The Color Purple,” Alice Walker
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
10. “The Chocolate War,” by Robert Cormier
Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group”
In honor of banned books week, I’m reading Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, something I’ve wanted to read for awhile, and which shows up as a top 10 most frequently challenged book (The Golden Compass) in 2007. Take that, censorship.
Meanwhile, my copies of Howl by Alan Ginsberg (bought directly from City Lights Bookstore), Beloved by Toni Morrison, TheCatcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, Harry Potter by JK Rowling, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Color Purple by Alice Walker are proudly displayed on my bookshelf.
And, even though I’m reading The Golden Compass on my Kindle and am thus not displaying anything, I sure am telling lots of people.
