Review: The Once and Future Witches

4/5 stars

This was really great. It kept me up reading later than I intended to most nights. Great job separating the character POV's (Bella's thought parentheses in the middle of paragraphs were great, because I relate to that).

Excellent foreshadowing: enough that you're satisfied when you expected something; not so much that there aren't twists and surprises.

My one complaint is that I didn't know going in that this was alternate history instead of history with fantasy mixed in. Before I figured this out, dates and details bothered me - the fact that the Salem witch trials happened a century later and witches were burned instead of hanged really bothered me until I realized there were other historical figures (mostly authors) who had also been changed. The Brothers Grimm here are the Sisters Grimm; Perrault and Doyle are also women.

I was also never sure where New Salem and Crow County were supposed to be. Descriptions of flora in Crow County, and descriptions of that accent seem to indicate the South, but New Salem is only supposed to be 100 miles from Old Salem which, I assume, is still in Massachusetts.

Still, those are minor complaints from an admittedly very picky reader, and I imagine they won't bother most people.

Banned Books Week Day 7: The Age of Challenges

There's a fantastic little book called "And Tango Makes Three" about true events at a zoo. Two male penguin chicks begin courting and start trying to hatch a rock. When their zookeeper hears that another zoo is looking for a foster couple for an egg that was rejected by its mother, they have the perfect solution. The two male penguins nurture the egg and raise the chick, a female named Tango.

"And Tango Makes Three" is on the banned books list in part because parents were afraid it "encourages children to be gay." The exasperated zookeeper who authored the book said something to the effect that the book no more encourages children to be gay than it encourages them to sleep on rocks or swallow raw fish whole, as penguins do.

People obviously aren't giving their kids enough credit. There are all kinds of things that kids read in books that they're not going to try (as opposed to things they see on TikTok...)

When I was in third grade, someone read our class parts of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. The pictures scared the bejesus out of me... but it did not encourage me to get involved in Satanism.*

*Yes, these are all really reasons why these books have been challenged or banned.

When I was in elementary school I read A Light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk Ends. I never sprinkled pepper in my hair, pretended to be dying to get out of school, actually died because I didn't get a pony, or tried to take my skin off.

I also read Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry in elementary school and did not start using offensive language.

When I was eleven, I read Julie of the Wolves. I didn't try to get married at 13.

When I was in middle school, I read The Summer of My German Soldier, and when I was in high school I read The Catcher in the Rye. I was not enticed to use "explicit language." (In fact I didn't swear at all until college, and that was due to learning how to use a sewing machine, so, booyah.)

I read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in high school and, yes, you guessed it, I was once again not tempted by foul language.

I read the Harry Potter series in college and did not develop an anti-family, occult, or Satanist viewpoint.

I think it's incredibly rare that you find kids taking these "objectionable" things they're reading about and applying them to their lives just out of the blue. A book is not going to make someone a Satanist. A book is not going to turn someone gay. (If a book could change someone's sexuality, don't you think all the straight romances out there would have affected people already?) And in the instance of language, I think it's VERY unlikely, especially in the age of social media, that The Catcher in the Rye or Huck Finn are going to be a student's first exposure to bad language.

I don't think kids are picking up this book and saying, "Hey here's a fun challenge - hold my root beer!" I think the parents that are worrying about that are being unrealistic, even in the age of TikTok challenges.

But instead of a tide pod challenge or NyQuil challenge, let's try a different challenge. I challenge you to read more banned and challenged books. Buy them, borrow them, and when you're done, donate them. But read them. Challenge others to do the same.

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Banned Books Week Day 6*: Burn, Baby, Burn

*If you feel like you're missing a day, yesterday I did a Throwback Thursday with my review of Out of Darkness.

Ray Bradbury, writing Fahrenheit 451: You shouldn't ban books.

1950's parents: Let's ban this book!

That seems to be how it goes, doesn't it?

As some of you know, last year I challenged myself to read a classic banned book that I hadn't read before, and review it for banned books week. I decided to do the same this year and, due in large part to nearly unanimous response from my readers, I read Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. (F-451, from here on out because I'm lazy.)

I wasn't sure what to expect going into it. I read it without looking up why it had been challenged. I had attempted to read a collection of his short stories a while ago and had not been impressed.

I was very pleasantly surprised with F-451. The language was BEAUTIFUL. The book was written by someone who obviously loved words, about someone who would come to better appreciate words. I haven't read a book with language like that since The Book Thief.

The world was also very well created - it felt very Twilight Zone-y, and I mean that in the best possible way. Of course, it didn't long pre-date the show, and Bradbury's work was used in an episode (and I think also inspired others). For me, there was a very clear atmosphere and color scheme.

What struck me the most, though, was how well a story written in 1953 captured the ennui and lack of attention span of 2022. In F-451, the main character's wife has speakers called seashells that she wears in her ears constantly - they are described as being silver and thimble-sized. She is constantly listening to radio shows, constantly watching her "parlor family," the unending broadcast of TV on the three walls of a room in their house. And that's not enough - she wants to be so immersed in the fictional television world that she asks Guy to buy her a fourth TV wall, even though it would cost about a third of his annual salary.

Honestly, the above is even just a small sample of how far gone most of society has gotten. They listen to their seashells and watch their parlor families unceasingly. The neighbor girl relates how she's constantly losing friends to car crashes - in this society people are so aching for stimulation that they speed and crash as casually as my husband might play a video game.

Of course, the one way in which the population of this world is not allowed to find stimulation is through reading. Books are illegal. Possession of even one will get you arrested. Neighbors report neighbors and the firemen come to burn not only the books but the perpetrator's home.

Guy is one of these firemen, but things take a turn for him in part because of his observant young neighbor's joie de vivre and because a woman's whose book collection they were about to burn gets the jump on Guy and his colleagues and sets both the books and herself on fire in a final desperate attempt to take at least that small act from them.

Guy finally comes to understand that he no longer believes in burning books, that he hates this world he lives in where no one sees, no one feels, no one connects. He starts saving books, but of course is found out. Long story short, he escapes the city and joins a group of "hobos" - who turn out to be "retired*" professors and a minister. They promise to teach Guy a technique they developed to remember the entirety of any book they've ever read. These men are the new library; they promise to pass down their collective knowledge until the world is ready for the books to return.

*Most are strongly hinted to have been driven out of their professions.

Not finding anything too bothersome in the book, I looked up the reasons it was challenged after I was done. Of course, profanity (as always) was at the top of the list... and yeah, maybe for the 1950's it might have been a tad strong, but it wasn't constant, and I feel like there wasn't much worse in there than "damn." Violence was also a complaint, as was a description of the Bible being burnt. (But, wasn't that the point? That Bradbury was CONDEMNING violence and book burning, not condoning them?) Other complaints included mentions of both suicide and abortion. Granted, once again, these came off as very tame to my 21st century sensibilities. The attempted suicide is accompanied by blase technicians who pump the would-be victim's stomach with less interest than a mechanic repairing a car. Abortion is mentioned in passing as Guy hurls accusations of unfeelingness at his wife's friends, one of whom who has had multiple divorces and abortions. And, let's be perfectly honest - a lot of those complaints would either go over younger teens' heads, or be completely unimpressive to older teens today.

All in all though, a really great book. Try reading it instead of burning it.

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Banned Books Week Day 4: Parents Just Don't Understand

With all respect to the Fresh Prince of Bel Aire, when it comes to book banning, it's usually the kids who don't understand.

I first observed Banned Books Week while working in the children's department of the public library. I was surprised to find Julie of the Wolves, The Summer of My German Soldier, and other books I remembered reading in late elementary and early middle school were on various banned and challenged lists for having sexual situations or being "sexually explicit." *insert confused head tilt* Really? I didn't remember anything like that...

Around that time, there was a big to-do in one of the local school systems about Z for Zachariah, claiming there was sexual assault in it. *confused head tilt again* My mom was appalled - she remembered me reading that book and asked me if it bothered me. Um... no. Well, the alleged assault didn't bother me. I didn't remember anything about a sexual assault. I remembered that the main character - a teenage girl who assumes she's the only survivor of a nuclear war until an adult male scientist? government official? shows up. At first he works with her, but later they have a physical altercation as he tries to take her away from her camp when he leaves. Was it sexual? If it was, it went WAY over my head. What upset me? The dog died.

Likewise, Julie of the Wolves - I remembered 13-year-old Julie having an argument with her fellow-teen husband (of an arranged and, at the moment, platonic marriage). His friends were teasing him because he couldn't "mate his wife." He forcibly tried to kiss her, she kicked him, they tussled, but he left declaring, "tomorrow! I can!" As as 5th grader, I had a vague idea of what mating meant and understood that he was going to try again, but to me it was "Daniel is being a jerk," not "Julie narrowly avoided getting raped." Again, what upset me more? The dog died (well, wolf in this case).

With Summer of My German Soldier, I didn't even remember there being ANYTHING physical between the main character and the titular character, romantic, violent, or otherwise. I remembered she helped hide him (a teenage German POW during WWII) after he escaped from prison, before she was subsequently arrested and tried for treason. Either on her way to trial or on her way to juvenile detention, someone spits in her hair. That is the scene I remember the most clearly, and the one that was the most bothersome to me.

Again, a lot of this comes down to 1. trusting your child and 2. being involved with your child. Should your 5th grader be reading 50 Shades of Grey? Of course not. Should your 5th grader be reading Old Yeller, The Yearling, Julie of the Wolves, or other books where "the dog dies?" Well, I mean, kids are going to read things that upset them, see things that upset them. We can't shelter them forever, as much as we want to. But, yes, as the parent of a 5th grader, I would definitely be more concerned about the dog dying than vague references to sexual situations.

There's a joke I read once, where two 11-year-old best friends - a boy and a girl - had been spending the night together for years. Now that they were in middle school, though, their parents had started to wonder if maybe that wasn't appropriate any more. Jimmy and his family happened to be over at Susie's house watching a beauty pageant when the kids asked if they could spend the night. The parents hesitated, uncertain. At that moment, the announcer called out the current contestant's measurements - 36, 24, 36. Susie's mom, thinking quickly, said, "Jimmy - do you know what those numbers are?" Jimmy thought for a moment and answered, "96?" He was allowed to spend the night.

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Banned Books Week Day 3: Childhood Challenges

Everyone's seen that picture of Ruby Bridges - you know the one I mean. Everyone's seen that picture of a six year old in her little school dress, flanked by police, while adults scream and jeer at her.

Again, she was six - the same age as most first graders. She lived this chapter in history. Yet there are plenty of people out there who want to prevent six-year-olds from learning about the challenges other kids faced. They don't want their kids to read about "troubling" things. They don't want their kids to read about Ruby's actual struggle (just label her the first Black child to attend an integrated school in her district and move on). They don't want their kids to read about George Takei starting school in a makeshift classroom under the bleachers in a Japanese internment camp.

And, granted, George Takei's memoir They Called Us Enemy is not aimed at six-year-olds... but it is a relatively tame graphic novel about his childhood in an internment camp and how it affected him as he grew up. It's not NOT intended for a young audience.

"But they're too young to hear about that!"

Well, when is a child old enough to learn about six-year-olds experiencing racism? Are teenagers old enough to learn about what happened to high-school aged Anne Frank*? Are pre-teens old enough to learn about their own bodies, and what untrustworthy adults might ask them to do with those bodies, before it's too late to prevent assault, STDs, or pregnancy? Is little Susie too young to learn than her classmate Jimmy has two daddies? Do we just never talk about these things at all, stick our fingers in our ears and our heads in the sand and just pretend that our experience is the only one that matters?

*And let's be, well, frank - The Diary of a Young Girl is extremely tame when it comes to actually teaching about the horrors of the Holocaust.

Take a look at the list of banned books the last few years, and the list of frequently challenged books and the reasons why. A large portion of them are challenged for, among other reasons, being "unsuited to age group." This reason is a broad umbrella term used for everything from literature taught in 11th and 12th grade Advanced Placement literature classes, to picture books about guinea pigs and penguins.

Just let kids read. Be prepared to talk to them. Be prepared to guide them. But let them read. Let them learn. And just maybe we'll raise a generation of kind and empathetic human beings.

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Banned Books Week Day 2: The Big 10

As I mentioned yesterday, the American Library Association keeps track of of books are banned and challenged in a given year (more on those definitions in my post yesterday).

Here is the list from last year, including why each was challenged/banned:

(Copied from the ALA's site - see the list and other background info here)

1. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images.

2. Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison

Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.

3. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, profanity, and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.

4.* Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez

Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for depictions of abuse and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.

5. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, violence, and because it was thought to promote an anti-police message and indoctrination of a social agenda.

6. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references and use of a derogatory term.

7. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women.

8. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Reasons: Banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicit.

9. This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson

Reasons: Banned, challenged, relocated, and restricted for providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content.

10. Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin

Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.

*It's interesting that this one made it all the way up to number 4, given it was put on the radar when a school board meeting in Texas went viral in September of last year.

We also sometimes see repeats from year to year - Numbers 6 and 8 are frequent offenders.

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The Toymaker's Apprentice: A Holiday Treat

So... I wanted to make this post earlier. (Heck, I wanted to finish the book on Christmas, but it ended up being the 27th.)

When I checked out Flygirl, by Sherri L. Smith, I noticed that she had a book entitled The Toymaker's Apprentice. From the seven-headed, seven-crowned mouse on the cover, I knew it was about/based on The Nutcracker. For those of you that may not know, I was in The Nutcracker four times as a kid. The full ballet is one of my very favorite pieces of music EVER. Y'all... I had to read this book.

Now, first of all, I want to say that this book is based on a 200 year old novella and a 120 year old ballet, so if I spoil the ending for you, well, that's on you ; )

The Toymaker's Apprentice is the story of Stefan Drosselmeyer, the second cousin of clockmaker Christian Drosselmeyer (who is THE Drosselmeyer from the ballet). Stefan longs for something more than his role as his father's apprentice. His father, Zacharias, is a traditionalist. Carved wooden toys - not clockwork or automatons - are what Zacharias Drosselmeyer encourages. But, reeling from the death of his mother, and the sudden appearance of his enigmatic cousin, Christian, Stefan is hit by revelation after revelation. Christian was banished from his royal appointment! Christian has been charged with curing a cursed princess! The only cure is a possibly-mythical, impossible to crack nut! Christian is being pursued by spies! The spies are mice! And they can talk! The mice kidnap Stefan's father!

Christian, Stefan, and Christian's jailer and friend, the astronomer Samir, set off for far-off Boldavia, to save a princess, rescue Zacharias, and defeat a revolution of mice.

Meanwhile, in Boldavia, the Queen of Mice has given birth to... a son? Seven sons? She refers to them in the plural but, to the shock of her subjects, her newborn has one body and seven heads. Famed rat scholar, Ernst Liszt, has been hired to tutor the... princes?... and even he is very uncertain about the queen's plans for her offspring. She names her sons for famous human conquerors, in hopes this will serve as portentous to their future, and her eventual goal of conquering the humans.

The chapters alternate between Stefan's, Ernst's, and eventually the mouse prince's points of view. Of the seven heads, the central one, Arthur, becomes the dominant personality of his brothers. Gentle Arthur, who wishes to be a scholar, but also wishes to live up to his mother's expectations that he and his brothers will be warriors, strikes up an unlikely friendship with the imprisoned Zacharias. Together, they bond over Zacharias's love for the son he misses - how Arthur wishes he had a parent who cares like this! Arthur's friendship and encouragement helps Zacharias continue the work his captors have designated for him.

Of course, I went into this story know what the ending was going to be... how it HAD to be, given the source material. And yet... I kept wondering, kept asking, how does Arthur go from sweet scholar to dreaded Mouse King, sworn enemy of the Nutcracker? How can Stefan defeat a city filled with countless mice out for revenge? And the answers... oh, the answers. I love a good tragedy. I can't tell you the last time I've read such a sympathetic and tragic villain as Sherri L. Smith's Mouse King. And the final interaction between the Mouse King and the Nutcracker, between Arthur and Stefan - two BOYS who love their parent and would do anything for them. Glorious. A real Christmas treat.

Read this book if you are a fan of: The Nutcracker; Young Adult or Middle Grade fantasy or adventure (like Terry Pratchett's YA novels? This is for you); Harry Potter; The Ranger's Apprentice series; The Colossus Rises, by Peter Lerangis; coming of age stories; steampunk (I mean... this is more clockwork punk, but I don't think that counts as a genre...; The Larklight series; retellings of classics/fairy tales; historical fiction; talking animals...seriously, y'all I could make a whole readers' advisory list.

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Review: Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith

"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly." Langston Hughes

Ida wants to fly. Ida yearns to fly. Flying reminds Ida of her deceased father, who taught her. But Ida is a woman. In 1941. Oh, yeah - she's also Black. The thing is... Ida's father's side of the family is mixed. She inherited his very fair skin. She has "good hair." When she dresses a certain way, walks and talks a certain way - and avoids her darker family members and friends - she can pass for white.

Honestly, if timing had been different, if the War hadn't started, if her older brother hadn't enlisted as a medic... If her younger brother hadn't found an article about how the army was putting together a group of female pilots (the Women's Army Service Pilots, or WASP), Ida would have just continued what she was doing - scrimping and rationing, cleaning houses, collecting scraps for the War Effort - indefinitely. But not only does she itch to fly, she also itches to do something, anything, to help bring her brother home sooner. So, doctoring her father's pilot license and borrowing a nice hat and fur, she joins the WASP.

I had been curious about both the WASP in general, and this book specifically, since I read Orleans by the same author several years ago. Somehow it got forgotten, pushed to the side. But after Out of Darkness, I wanted to read another historical novel about someone outside my own experience... and this one immediately resurfaced in my mind.

It was a good read, an interesting peek into both the life of a Black woman at the time, and any woman in the army during WWII. Actually, I should say, civilian women among military men. The WASP were not militarized until the Carter administration, and as such, the ladies are treated as the lowest of the low - interlopers, unworthy, given all the planes and tasks that the men don't want to deal with. Made to bunk in poorly thrown-together rooms on the base, or to stay in boarding houses off-base. Asked to show their worth by flying an experimental plane dubbed the "Widowmaker" when no man wants to touch it because of all the problems and accidents it's had so far. Some of the men don't think women should be there, don't think they should be flying. Others discount their instincts or their careful checking of equipment.

In addition, Ida has to deal with the added stress of "passing" - of hiding her true self and heritage, as not only are Black women not allowed in the WASP, but her basic training takes place deep in Texas where a Black woman caught passing will find herself in immediate danger. Though, interestingly enough, Ida isn't the only one dealing with prejudices. She immediately takes to two other bunkmates, becoming fast friends, and the three of them are referred to as a "carny," a "hick," and a Jew.

I enjoyed the book, and I enjoyed learning about the challenges these ladies faced. The pacing wasn't what I would have expected for a wartime novel about a woman hiding her identity, but it was a good read with important themes. I felt the ending just sort of... happened. It wasn't terribly climactic and became more about Ida's thoughts and which of her relationships had changed. Though, a big message of the book is about that transition of early adulthood - you grow apart from your childhood friends. You wonder if your fate lies with your family or with your dreams and skills. Should you pursue your dreams, no matter what, or should you do what others expect of you?

But don't worry, just because Flygirl didn't take off for me the way I expected doesn't mean I'm done with Sherri. I've already moved on to another book of hers, The Toymaker's Apprentice. And I'm loving it so far.

Panic! At the Library

As I mentioned in Wednesday’s post, I reached out to family and friends for ideas for this Year’s Banned Books Week. 

My husband doesn’t read as much as I do, and never has, but as a teenager he listened to Heavy Metal, played games like Dungeons and Dragons and Magic the Gathering, and played video games.  So many times, he found that people who didn’t know anything about these media or genres labeled them as evil or Satanic.  He said he would be interested in hearing more about that idea – about the “Satanic Panic” of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s* – the books and leisure activities that got slapped with that “Satanic” label by people that had no idea what they were really about.

Peer into my crystal ball…

The American Library Association keeps track of the reasons why books are challenged or banned.  Since the ALSA has been keeping track, many books have been challenged for “magic and witchcraft,” “occult/Satanism,” and similar reasons. Some of these include:

The Harry Potter series (for obvious reasons)

Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

The Witches by Roald Dahl (again, obviously)

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle (for witches)

Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam (for “Satanic references and cult symbols”)

Curses, Hexes, and Spells by Daniel Cohen (for “perceived advocacy of magic and witchcraft”)

            Cohen also has other books on supernatural subjects banned for similar reasons.

The Goosebumps series (for “depicting occult or demonic themes”)

The Lord of the Rings

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

And I’m sure there are more that I’ve missed.  While the ALA has multiple lists of multiple categories of books, not all of those lists state why books have been challenged.  Those I listed above are the ones that I knew – or, strongly suspected and looked up elsewhere to confirm.

*Unfortunately, the ALA has only been keeping statistics on banned and challenged books since 1990, and has only been keeping track of the reasons for challenges for an even shorter time so, disappointingly, I can’t answer Jason’s exact question about which specific titles and authors were involved in that 80’s/90’s Satanic Panic period (aside from the big granddaddy of “occult-promoting books,” Harry Potter – but even Harry only dates to the late ‘90’s).

Additionally, while they are not on any of the official banned books lists on the ALA website, I do know that often roleplaying books such as Dungeons and Dragons and Vampire: The Masquerade have been challenged due to the perceived notion that kids who play these games will be drawn into dark magic rituals or the occult. But as with many other pass-times (movies, video games…rock ‘n’ roll anyone?) parents and other adults are often quick to jump on This New Thing The Kids Are Doing and label it as “evil”… despite the fact that most evil thing a lot of D&Ders are doing is drinking way too much Mountain Dew.

Full-Circle Censorship

Harry Potter has been on the Banned Books list since the beginning – since its publication in the late 90’s, which was also the first decade for which the ALA has been keeping lists of which books were most challenged by decade and why.

Of course, the original reasons for being challenged were because it was thought to promote witchcraft and/or satanism, some saw it as anti-Christian, etc.  Of course, if you’ve read the books – even just the first – you know that’s not the case.  Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is closed for the Christmas and Easter holidays (and those holidays are referred to by name).  There is a lot of Christian allegory in the books.  In the last book, it’s revealed that Harry’s parent are buried in a church cemetery.

But the books also deal with (fantasy) racism, classism, and segregation, leading many to applaud the series for addressing these themes.

You may recall late in the filming of the series, J. K. Rowling came out with the information that she intended Dumbledore to be gay.  This of course caused a hue and cry from some conservative sectors, while receiving praise from those looking for more inclusivity in books.  In fact, many had already seen Remus Lupin’s condition of and shunning for being a werewolf as an allegory for the HIV and AIDS victims who had been ostracized in the later decades of the 20th century.

And now… if you’ve been following Twitter and media trends in the past year or so, you have probably heard that Rowling has come under fire for transphobic tweets.  Those who just a few years ago lauded and hailed her as a paragon of inclusivity and acceptance are now shying away, telling people not to support her as an author, not to buy her books.

It's very strange to me.  A series that has been so on fire, so popular, so integral in the development and culture of my generation and those who came after… Its fire of controversy blazed, waned,  blazes again…

What will we think of Harry Potter next year?  In 10 years?  In 100? 

Personal Challenge: Speak

This year, I reached out to friends and family this year for ideas for Banned Books Week posts. A friend suggested “banned books that are also classics or fantasies that might be outside your usual reading type.”

For this challenge, I considered Gone With the Wind, Lolita, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. But all of them are decently long, and I was concerned that as close to BBW as I’d had the idea that I wouldn’t be able to finish one of them before Banned Books Week started. (Let’s be honest – I’d have had to started Gone With the Wind six months ago to finish in time…)

I had also been curious about Speak for a while, in part because I write Young Adult fiction, in part because it’s a relatively new addition to the Banned Books Lists, and also in part because I saw it a lot on the Young Adult holds list when I worked in the children’s department at a library.

I was never a big fan of the “slice of life” high school books, even when I was in high school. I almost passed on it for this challenge – for the idea of reading a “classic” you might not normally read - until I checked the publication date and saw that it was published in 1999, when I was in high school. It’s older than the high school students it’s being assigned to now. I decided that qualified. It’s also only 200 pages long, giving me a much better chance of finishing in the two weeks I had from when I decided to start the challenge to the first day of Banned Books Week.

Speak is about Melinda, a ninth grader struggling to find her way in high school. Over the summer, she called the police at a party and most of the school has not forgiven her for that. Melinda becomes more and more withdrawn, to the point that she is in danger of failing and nearly stops speaking altogether.

I’m glad I chose it. I really enjoyed it. I ploughed through it much more quickly than the much shorter H.P. Lovecraft novella that I put aside in favor of getting this one done for my blog. I can’t put my finger on what made me keep reading – it’s not suspenseful or action packed. Maybe it’s because I knew a little about the storyline and that made me curious. In any case, I loved it and, not only do I see no reason to ban or challenge it, I also do agree that it should be read and discussed in schools.

Let’s speak more about that…

Speak has appeared on the following Banned and Challenged lists, per the American Library Association:

Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009 (#60) – You’ll recall it was published in 1999.

Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books: 2010-2019 (#25)

Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2020 (#4) – For reasons of: “it was thought to contain a political viewpoint and it was claimed to be biased against male students, and for the novel’s inclusion of rape and profanity.”

Frequently Challenged Young Adult Books

Additionally, Wikipedia notes that Speak has been challenged for "exposing children to immorality," being "classified as soft pornography," glorification of drinking, cursing, and premarital sex."

Examination of some of these reasons behind this cut due to spoilers.

“Political viewpoint” – As best I can tell, this refers to either the nearly-satirical saga of the school board continually changing the school mascot so as not to tread on the toes of any cultural groups, or to the debate started and then abruptly stopped in Melinda’s social studies class.

In said “debate,” her teacher goes off on an anti-immigration rant; half the class disagrees with him, while half agree. That seems to me to be less a political viewpoint and more, “hey, half the class is pro-immigrant and half is anti” – y’know, kind of like a real-world split. The teacher’s point of view isn’t even presented as wrong. Melinda is a very neutral narrator of the scene as far as politics goes; what she takes exception to is the teacher shutting down the discussion once it starts going against him, rather than letting the students continue to debate.

“Biased against male students” – Not at all. There are plenty of male students. Most are presented in a neutral light, aside from the fact that many of them are annoyed with Melinda for calling the police at a party over the summer. Indeed, the girls in the book are presented much more harshly than most of the boys. Melinda’s male lab partner is presented as a character of admiration – he is willing to stand up and speak his mind. The only male student presented in a negative light is a student she refers to as “IT” until she finds out his name. Melinda is right to see him in a negative light, as she finally reveals that the reason she called the police at that party is that “IT” raped her.

Profanity – There’s really not that much. I just flipped through the book looking for some bad words. I found “sucks.” After quite a bit more flipping I found “bitch” and “bastard.” Oh dear. Heavens to Betsy. I finally found “bullshit.” My, oh, my such a dirty book that I had to flip through most of the book to find that.

Rape, immorality, softcore pornography, and glorifying premarital sex: Rape. Yes, OK, you got me there. That’s the whole point. Melinda goes to a party over the summer between 8th and 9th grade. Yes, there is alcohol. Yes, she drinks some. Yes, she gets drunk. And, yes, she is raped. We don’t find this out (though it's hinted at) until halfway through the book. She is THIRTEEN when it happens: a handsome older boy compliments her, kisses her. She thinks she’s going to start high school with a boyfriend. She is A CHILD. She doesn’t understand what is happening to her until it’s too late. Even then, she barely describes it. He pushes her shirt down and her shorts up. “I’m not really here,” she thinks desperately before declaring “he hurts me he hurts me he hurts me and gets up.” That’s it. He could just as well be punching her in the face. Immorality. Are we calling the rapist immoral? Then hell yeah, I’m all about that. Are we calling a 13-year-old immoral for a bad decision? If so, that’s stupid. What I find more immoral is the lack of support and understanding this girl gets from her parents and guidance counselor. Softcore pornography. You gotta be kidding me. Was the passage I just quoted sexy or titillating? Reading it as an adult you barely understand what happened to her. The “hurts me” line just happened to be the last line of the page in my edition. I read it. Turned the page. Turned it back to double check. Yeah, that just happened. But it is most definitely not explicit and in no way pornographic. Glorifying premarital sex. Excuse me? EXCUSE ME? Did we just read the same book? I am certain that the people claiming this have most definitely not read the book. Glorifying getting raped at a party and not even really understanding what happened to you? Glorifying being so traumatized by your first sexual experience that you tank your grades and stop speaking? This book glorifies nothing – except maybe the need for approachable adults who might have been able to help this poor girl.

In fact, Melinda’s biology class highlights the very fact that premarital sex is NOT glorified… or even mentioned. Bored, Melinda flips through the textbook – “Nothing about sex. We aren’t scheduled to learn about that until eleventh grade.” Maybe if someone had bothered teaching these kids about sex earlier Melinda would have had a better understanding of what was happening to her.

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This is the story of a girl – a CHILD – who wants to be mature and wants to fit in, and wants to understand who she is, and what has happened to her.  This is a story of high school: the story of being forced to go to pep rallies you don’t care about, deal with the minutiae of what each social clique wants from you, of dealing with the whole school demonizing you for doing what was right in a bad situation.  It’s about dealing with unobservant parents, unhelpful guidance counselors, and unevenly enforced school rules (Melinda frequently bemoans her need for hall passes while popular senior jock Andy waltzes off and back onto campus with fast food takeout).  And that’s on top of classes, homework, and, in Melinda’s case, trauma.

And as much as I disliked most of high school, I loved it.

One-Star Nudity

(Since this is a very long post, I’ve done some cutaways below. Click on the bold wording to open or close.)

My mom (who is 72, twice a mother, and twice a grandmother) came over the day that I checked out It’s Not the Stork from the library.  It’s a large, colorful picture book. 

“Oh, another book for Elianna?” she asked.  (Elianna* is my two-year-old daughter.)

“No, not yet,” I responded.  I told her about this project – that I was working on a blog about “inappropriate” potty training and kids’ sex education books.  I flipped through the book and pointed out a cartoon drawing of a boy and a girl standing side by side, naked, various parts of their anatomy pointed out and labeled. 

“This is why it’s banned,” I said.  She rolled her eyes.

(*Addendum, while potty training, my husband and I decided to show Elianna a couple illustrations from the book to show her the difference between what naked boys and naked girls look like.)

A few weeks prior, as I prepared my afore-mentioned two-year-old to begin potty training, we had checked out a book called “Once Upon a Potty.”  The little girl in the book stands naked at one point while her mother points out that the little girl has “a pee-pee for making wee-wee.”  My mom didn’t bat an eye when she came over and read the book to Elianna.

I’ve said it in posts before, usually in the context of bare butts for comedic purposes – nudity (no matter how minor or silly) is a really quick way to land your book on the Banned Books List.

My husband listens to a podcast called Is We Dumb?  In one consistently amusing segment of the show, they go through and read one-star reviews on Amazon.  This inspired me to do this with a few banned books.

I honestly expected “Once Upon a Potty” to be on a banned list somewhere, due to the nudity, and was surprised to find that it’s not.  Still, for sake of comparison across age ranges, I thought I would do a one-star review survey of it, as well as It’s Not the Stork! and It’s Perfectly Normal!

(Also, I will be quoting the reviews without correcting for grammar or spelling, which makes me cringe, but sometimes that makes the review funnier.)

Once Upon a Potty – Boy

Vital Statistics:

• For potty-training-aged children (so, approximately two-three year olds)

• 5% 1-star reviews

"Caution shows a cartoon bum hole.” Title of a Four-Star Review

“The drawings are antomically correct and uses baby words to describe male genitals. They also felt the need to show a details drawing of the boys bottom when he bends over. There is no way I'm reading thia book to me kid, it feels just plan wrong.”

“This book is WAY too graphic for a child's book! I had to draw underwear w a sharpie on the little boy on several pages.”

“The illustrations are at best unattractive and at worst completely crass. I initiated a refund after getting to page two where little Joshua is bent over, staring at you between his legs with three "eyes".

Admittedly, some one-star reviews were for the cutesie names rather anatomically proper ones, which brings us to…

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Once Upon a Potty - Girl

Vital statistics:

• Also for potty-training aged children

• 3% one-star reviews

For the girl’s version of the book, there was a lower percentage of 1-star reviews and they were less vehement.  Most of them were complaining about the terms being cute rather than anatomical, but there were a couple who said things like:

“I found this book to be inappropriate. Just be warned that there are pictures of little girl parts. Does there really need to be a pic of her showing us her poo hole?”

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It’s Not the Stork!

Vital Statistics:

• For 4 and up

• 2% one-star reviews

Interestingly enough, most of the one-star reviews don’t go into as much detail as either of the other books mentioned here.  Some were bothered by the amount of detail and thought it was inappropriate for four-year-olds; others were bothered that there was not more LGBTQ+ inclusion. Myself, I would argue that a book for late preschool and early elementary children specifically meant to be about pregnancy doesn’t need in-depth info on the spectrum of sexualities.  There is a brief mention at the end of the book that there are all kind of families, including families with two dads or two moms.

Really, this one is the only negative review worth quoting:

“Not for children under 10-12 Very inappropriate for small children. Showed the difference between an uncircumcised penis and circumcised, with photos. I thought I saw this was rated 4 and up.” Not photos. Cartoony drawings. It aggravates me when people’s reviews are either inaccurate to the product, such as this one, or in the case of “Once Upon a Potty – Girl” where people, annoyed at the euphemisms for body parts, said that the word “vagina” and “urine” should be used instead of “pee-pee” and “wee-wee” – except that the vagina is NOT where urine comes out. (Hmm, maybe that’s why we shouldn’t be banning books on anatomy…?)

Oddly enough, there was a glowing one-star review by a self-described “conservative Christian” sexual abuse prevention specialist. She praised the book for being just enough, and rated it one-star because “more people read the one star reviews.” Good job, ma’am – way to be genre savvy.

Additionally, while I don’t know if I would say that this passage is appropriate for the youngest kids, I think it was a great way of explaining how babies are made without going into a lot of detail: “When grownups want to make a baby, most often a woman and a man have a special kind of loving called ‘making love’—‘having sex’—or ‘sex.’ This kind of loving happens when the woman and the man get so close to each other that the man’s penis goes inside the woman’s vagina.

Children are much too young to do the special kind of loving—called ‘sex’—that grownups do.”

This passage is accompanied by two pictures: -a man and a woman in a bed, covered by a blanket except for faces, arms, and feet, smiling at each other while little hearts float around their heads. -the bird and bee cartoon characters that provide commentary on most pages making faces and stating “Whew! I’m glad I’m too young for that!”

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It’s Perfectly Normal!

Vital Statistics:

• Rated 10 and up

• 28% One-star reviews

“It’s Perfectly Normal has been a trusted resource on sexuality for more than twenty-five years.” – From Amazon description

"Porn total porn and grooming of child for sexual assult. Engire book groom tool for pedifiles. No one should be exposed to this book.” Posted, ironically, by a user calling themselves “Sassy”

"Teachers teach your kid to whack off."

“When it’s time for the “talk”, give your kid an experience like “Passport to Purity” rather than this disgusting book bent on grooming your child into a suicidal victim of today’s degenerate culture.”

“This book is nothing more than a way to groom your children. I can’t believe some schools are teaching from this book for sex Ed! Time to Homeschool! If I could I would have given zero stars!! 🤬Absolutely sucking!” More ironic word choice.

“ Call the cops if this is given to your kids ….make sure your child's school doesn't have this in their library.”
This one – the call to make sure it’s not at the library – is advocating the banning of a book, for those of you keeping track at home.

A lot of these reviews talk about leftist agenda, a “confused generation,” and CRT (critical race theory – I have no idea what that has to do with late elementary, middle or high school sex ed). One review quoted three different Bible passages, in addition to suggesting the audience read the entirety of the Book of Romans.

I totally get it if you think your 10 year old is not ready for this book – or, not for the whole thing, as might be the case for a young child and It’s Not the Stork. But that doesn’t mean that 1. It’s a terrible book that deserves a 1-star review and 2. That NO ONE should read it.

Also, having checked out and perused the book myself, I personally see no issues with it. My husband and I discussed whether it was appropriate for a 10-year-old. Myself, I erred on the side of “maybe not,” but I also allowed that if a child is asking about how sex works, what “gay” means, what any number of slang terms for sex or masturbation are, that they deserve an age-appropriate answer.

I am most certainly not saying that you should chuck this book at your kid (especially a younger kid) without explanation or discussion. But, honestly, how would you rather your child find out about sex? Look through a child-geared illustrated book with you or a teacher or other trusted adult guiding them, or to rely on locker room jokes and internet porn to find out about sex and sexuality?

And, as with It’s Not the Stork, It’s Perfectly Normal doesn’t suggest you just jump in bed willy-nilly. It has a page with a line of illustrations of new or expectant parents each saying why they thought they wouldn’t or couldn’t get pregnant, but did anyway. It encourages safe sex and discusses pregnancy and STD’s. I’d rather have my daughter know about these things a little earlier than I might think is appropriate than have her stumble into a situation where she doesn’t understand what’s happening and get hurt, get an STD, get pregnant, get raped, etc. (More on that idea when I discuss Speak in a day or two.)

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I totally get it if you think your 10 year old is not ready for this book – or, not for the whole thing, as might be the case for a young child and It’s Not the Stork. But that doesn’t mean that 1. It’s a terrible book that deserves a 1-star review and 2. That NO ONE should read it.

Also, having checked out and perused the book myself, I personally see no issues with it. My husband and I discussed whether it was appropriate for a 10-year-old. Myself, I erred on the side of “maybe not,” but I also allowed that if a child is asking about how sex works, what “gay” means, what any number of slang terms for sex or masturbation are, that they deserve an age-appropriate answer.

I am most certainly not saying that you should chuck this book at your kid (especially a younger kid) without explanation or discussion. But, honestly, how would you rather your child find out about sex? Look through a child-geared illustrated book with you or a teacher or other trusted adult guiding them, or to rely on locker room jokes and internet porn to find out about sex and sexuality?

And, as with It’s Not the Stork, It’s Perfectly Normal doesn’t suggest you just jump in bed willy-nilly. It has a page with a line of illustrations of new or expectant parents each saying why they thought they wouldn’t or couldn’t get pregnant, but did anyway. It encourages safe sex and discusses pregnancy and STD’s. I’d rather have my daughter know about these things a little earlier than I might think is appropriate than have her stumble into a situation where she doesn’t understand what’s happening and get hurt, get an STD, get pregnant, get raped, etc. (More on that idea when I discuss Speak in a day or two.)

Back to discussing all of these books as a whole: many reviews, especially for It’s Perfectly Normal included statements such as, “I heard about this, so I bought it.”  Why?  There’s a thing called a library. 

Seriously, though.  If you are concerned about a book your child’s school is using or you’re hearing about a book that other parents think is inappropriate, check it out.  Read it for yourself.  If you don’t like it, don’t give it to your child.  If it’s assigned reading, talk to your child’s teacher.  Calmly.  Ask if your child can read an alternate text – and have a pertinent alternative in mind.  Or, if that isn’t possible, talk to your child about BOTH your thoughts and their thoughts on the book.  I’ve read an AWFUL lot of books as a kid that I then re-read as an adult and realize I REALLY didn’t catch on to some things.  You may be reading and understanding an implied thought at an adult level that goes completely over your child’s head.

Traumatic Victorian Children's Books

As some of you know, last week my daughter had strep throat. She's 20 months old, and it's the first time she had a fever (not counting a low-level one after one of her immunizations). She handled it really well - I think because we got on top of it quickly. She came home from preschool feeling warm and when she still felt hot at nap time, I took her temperature and called her pediatrician. Within 24 hours of that nap, she had seen the pediatrician, had a strep test, and started antibiotics. Aside from the fever itself, the only symptom she had was falling asleep on the couch (and really, who among us hasn't done that?)

As some of you may also know, strep throat when accompanied by a rash, is Scarlet Fever. Yes, THAT scarlet fever - scourge of Victorian children's books. In those books, if someone speaks the words "scarlet fever," those who are not yet sick are whisked away to a distant locale to quarantine safely (Little Women) and, while the child lies sick, their belongings are burned (The Velveteen Rabbit).

The Victorians understood how contagion spread, but hadn't yet developed methods of sterilization, aside from the Kill It With Fire Method. Outside scarlet fever and The Velveteen Rabbit, another scene that sticks in my mind is from a film adaptation of The Secret Garden. Mary Lennox has just been told her parents have died of cholera. She drops her doll in shock; a man snatches it up and throws it on a pile of burning items from houses where people have died. I watched as Mary's doll's yellow yarn hair first turned brown, then black, as the doll began to scorch - all while Mary shrieked - "My doll, my doll, no, give me my doll!" paired with a soldier talking over her to another soldier explaining that she doesn't understand.

(To be honest, I can't remember if this scene happens in the book. I watched this film version SO many times as a kid and only read the book once or twice.)

This scene, and the burning of the toys in The Velveteen Rabbit, was very much on my mind last week. Jason brought Elianna back home from the doctor with instructions to throw away her toothbrush and toothpaste after she started her antibiotics, and to wash everything her mouth had come in contact with. In the midst of tossing pacifiers in a mesh bag and putting them in the dishwasher, and putting Brad Foxie, Maddison, Baldur, and Night-Night Bunny into the washing machine, I thought about these traumatic scenes in children's books, and was very grateful for antibiotics and the "hot" setting on our household appliances.

This happy photo brought to you by modern washing machines.

Sometimes the Theatre Creeps Back In

A few days ago, I woke up with a production concept in my head. I don't know why, but this just happens on occasion. Sometimes I just wake up, or I'm driving, or whatever, and I have an idea for sets or costumes for a play.

I should clarify that this isn't an idea of a NEW play that I'm going to write. This is more "if I were directing X show, if I were the costume or set designer for Y show."

Back a year or two ago I had some ideas for costumes for R2D2, C3PO, and Yoda for William Shakespeare's Star Wars. A while ago I had an idea to do Chicago with Billy Flynn played by a woman and how her costumes would look.

Last week's dream was a production theme for the stage version of Little Women. It started with the set - a bare stage with a wooden back wall. A clothesline is strung across the wall. A grip - a woman in dark period dress - comes out and hangs a stocking (as in, a single leg long sock, not a Christmas stocking) on the line for each of the girls - something plain and practical for Meg, either a bold color or stripes for Jo, black lace trimmed for Beth, and delicate pink lace for Amy. Each act change or scene change, the clothes line gets changed out - vintage "tin type" style portraits, bunches of flowers for Meg's wedding, photos of the 1870 New York skyline when Jo visits the city... and the hook designated as Beth's stays empty after she dies.

It's a simple set. Going with the idea of the "wild theatricals" the girls put on in the attic, it's the sort of set teenage girls during the Civil War could cobble together - trunks, crates, a few simple props - and all brought out by either the actresses themselves, or costumed grips.

I haven't been involved in a theatrical production since I moved back to Georgia in 2007 (unless you count the Christmas pageant I wrote for my parents' church around that time). I majored in theatre but, aside from ghost tours and children's story times, I haven't done anything with that major. But sometimes the theatre creeps back in.

I guess you can take the girl out of the theatre, but you can't take the theatre out of the girl.

Time for that ever-fun game, “Can I Costume a Show Using Only Stuff from My Own Closet?”

Book Review: Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Fun - and, if you have a dark sense of humor, funny - mashups of historical and literary characters with zombies and vampires.

I was in the dollar store a few years ago and saw a bin of another book by the same author - Unholy Night. I recognized Seth Grahame-Smith, and the title was intriguing. I flipped it over to read the back and the premise had me hooked - what if the Wise Men were not simple pilgrims, come to worship and give gifts, and then to disappear from whence they came? What if instead they took umbrage - ultimate umbrage - with Herrod's slaughter of the innocents, of his attempt to find and kill the baby Jesus?

And it was only a dollar! Um, yes, please. (And, as it turns out, it was not priced so low because it hadn't sold, but rather because this bin was full of misprinted copies - on one page Balthasar's name appears as Ba!tha%a*, or or something like that.)

Mostly Spoiler-free review:

First, as you might guess from an author whose other books are about genteel historical and literary figures messily fighting evil creatures, be aware that if you're not up for some heavy doses of gore, this book is definitely not for you. In fact, I might go so far as to say that the violence and gore in this book is even more distubing because it's happening to normal people who more often than not are either just trying to do their jobs, or, even more terrifying, are innocents who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The book opens with Balthasar, not a king, not a scholar, but a thief, evading persuit by Roman troops. After being captured and thrown in prison, he and his cellmates escape by disguising themselves as priests. The three "priests," traveling out of the Roman province of Judea encounter a couple with a newborn, hidden in a stable.

The couple is hiding for good reason - only briefly after their encounter with the traveling "magi," Herrod's troops enter the town, rousting all children under the age of two. Balthasar witnesses a mother with an infant run down by a soldier, and the child is killed in the street. Even this thief cannot comprehend the terrible act he has just witnessed - and he snaps. He rides down the soldier and kills him.

Other soldiers fill the town, other wails of dying babies and weeping mothers fill the air. Another soldier chases a young boy carrying his infant brother - but Balthasar chases him. Melchior and Gaspar join the fray. Soon the entire troop of soldiers is dead. Many infants are also dead... but many more have been saved, including a very special one.

Now the "magi" and the young family they encountered in the stable must flee in earnest. On the way they encounter various dangers - dehydration, angry mobs, locusts (yes, really), and burning buildings - before before being captured by joint forces of Herrod and a young, up-and-coming Roman officer named Pontius Pilate (Yes. Really.) who everyone says will go far.

And, as you can guess, since Easter occurs some 30-odd years later, the baby survives. But it's the *how*, the reactions of the characters with him, the string of coincidences and oddly timed good luck, that makes the story intersting and gripping. Reading this book you think that it is not so much the circumstances of the Mary's* pregnancy and Jesus's birth that are miraculous - rather the miracle is that he survived his first few weeks at all.

*Mary, incidentally, is a fantastically feisty 15-year old. Say what you will about her, believe she is delusional if you must, but bad-mouth her husband and she will give you what-for!

#Spoilers Below#

I love the whole "historical in joke" - when historical characters meet up in unexpected ways. It's hard to do well, without coming off as either cheesey or a forced coincidence.

Grahame-Smith does well at using a young Pilate as a secondary antagonist. He's 20 (so, young enough that him still being alive in 33 years, while also being old enough now to be a competent officer is not unlikely), with a strong eye on his career. He aspires to be a high-ranking official - maybe even a governor - which is why he goes along with the emperor's orders to humor Herrod in his search to eliminate this prophesied baby. But when they finally do catch the family and those aiding him, when it becomes clear that Herrod has gone off the deep end, Pilate decides to defy his orders.

Enough is enough, and this isn't right - Piate sets the prisoners free with the warning that for the sake of his own life he must pursue them shortly. But the head start - and a little divine intervention - are enough that the group is safely away before persuing soldiers follow. The soldier and the thief have a moment of understanding and respect - these are two men trying to make their way, trying to survive - and they both understand that you draw the line at killing babies (even though they both also understand now that this is not just any baby).

It's also hard to pull off a deus ex machina. This book is full of them - but they're well done and justified. And given that we mostly see Balthasar's reaction to them (rather than being told through the eyes of the already-believing Mary and Joseph), they seem more real.

Three fleeing swordsmen just happen to show up in time to protect they baby? Meh, I was just passing through.

A perfectly straight stream of perfectly clear water just happens to cross their path in the dessert right as they begin to fear the baby and nursing mother might die? Well, that's odd, but we're glad it was there. (A 15 year old with no lactation specialist has no trouble breastfeeding her newborn as they flee across the dessert? That might be the biggest miracle in the book...)

But when an angry mob of pilgrims attacks the Roman soldiers for violating the sancticy of their holy site, when a swarm of locusts descends on the persuing soldiers... but doesn't harm the fleeing family? It's more than Balthasar can accept as coincidence - especially as the baby SMIRKS while the locusts attack the soldiers. (And, honestly, this serves as a reminder that this incarnation is where the vindictive Old Testament God meets the humble and loving New Testament man.)

Reading this novel with a new baby (I read it last fall; Elianna would have been just a few months old) the horror of so many things that could happen to such a delicate and vulnerable child was very, very real. Don't get me wrong - I really enjoyed the book. But reading it as a new mother gave me a very different perspective, and made me very thankful that I live in a place and time where my baby is relatively safe.

Future Tense

When I was in middle school and high school, I went on a medical thriller binge.  I think it started because of how much I liked Jurassic Park.  I read all of Michael Crichton's other books, and then started looking for similar authors.  Robin Cook was another one I read a lot of.

I had gotten it into my head that these were Science Fiction.  Some of them - Jurassic Park, and a Robin Cook novel about an alien invasion, definitely count.  I wouldn't understand that what I was looking for was more accurately a science/medical thriller until I was actually working in a library.

Aside from Jurassic Park, the only book I read from this period that stands out in my memory is The Plague Tales, by Ann Benson.  (Below is the review I wrote for it rereading it as an adult for my library's quarterly genre review.)

One interesting thing about this book, which took place in part in the then-future of 2005, was that the world was recovering from a global epidemic.  Air travel had been restricted - those “lucky” enough to be allowed to fly were subjected to full-body latex suits, diagnostic tests involving the drawing of blood upon landing, and, if resisting the latter, arrest.

I actually hadn't really given the "future" setting of this book much thought until I saw an article yesterday entitled "I Just Flew and it Was Worse Than I Thought," accompanied by a picture of two airline passengers in full respirator masks (for what it's worth, the article is from early May* and the accompanying photo was somewhat misleading).

*And who would have ever thought “I’m not gonna bother reading this 5-month-old, out-of-date article?”

But it also made me think about some of the assumptions made.  It seems that 20+ years ago we had more faith in how we would handle a pandemic - and specifically how willing people would be to comply with fairly stringent restrictions.  It's some food for thought.

Banned Book Week Day 7: Don't Judge a Book By its Challenge

One of the things that we frequently find to be the case with banned and challenged books is that people get up in arms about a book they haven’t read - “I heard that book is… Someone told me that book’s about…” But then it turns out that someone else you know and trust (maybe know and trust better than that friend-of-a-friend, or that rant on that Facebook group you’re a member of) has read the book and thinks it’s fine - great, even.

In some ways, I find that similar to certain dog breeds that have a stigma or reputation for being aggressive… but then it turns out someone you know and trust has a big, goofy, loveable 80 pound lap dog who wouldn’t hurt a fly (well, maybe lick them to death…).

So what do you do? You expand your horizons. You do your research. You visit that dog shelter or check out a copy of that banned book. And you find a new friend.

https://www.iveyink.com/blog/2019/9/25/banned-books-displays-i-have-loved-part-1

https://www.iveyink.com/blog/2019/9/28/the-challenge-doesnt-end-today

Banned Books Week Day 6: Too Young for Discussion?

While looking over the list of most challenged books of 2019, I saw that one book was on the list for the reason that "schools and libraries should not ‘put books in a child’s hand that require discussion.’”

But if we’re not allowing discussion, what’s the point of school?

When is a child too young to discuss troubling, disturbing, or even just “different” subject matter?

Read more of my thoughts on the subject here:

https://www.iveyink.com/blog/2018/9/28/unsuited-to-age-group

#BannedBooksWeek2020

Banned Books Week Day 5: You Can't...

As some of you have gathered from some of the posts I've made here, I really enjoyed making displays for the libraries I've worked for.  Banned Books week was kind of like Christmas - we started planning Banned Books Weeks displays months out.

The first year that I worked at Kennesaw State University, we were doing a "caution tape" them (common for Banned Books Week) with "graffiti" in the student computer lab.  Being relatively new in that position, I hadn't been sure what my role would be in helping with or planning that display, so I sort of followed some of the ideas that had been done the previous year, when we got to actually implementing. 

One of the new things I did do that year was to put together some "you can't" reading lists.  We printed them out on brightly-colored paper and put them on a table at the entrance to the computer lab.  These lists included "You can't write that" (frequently challenged authors), "You can't read that" (frequently challenged classics), and "You can't say that" (books frequently challenged due to language - profanity, racist, and/or sexual language).  "You can't read that" was our most popular list, with almost twice as many copies taken as the other two lists combined.

You can see the lists and some of our "graffiti" below.

#BannedBooksWeek2020

Banned Books Week Day 4: Of Seuss and Silverstein

Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein. Two of the great poets of childhood. Most of us can recite parts of our favorite Dr. Seuss books or a handful of Silverstein verses.

A few days ago, I changed my profile picture on Facebook to a photo of my toddler holding a book by a frequently-challenged author, with the caption “Mommy lets me read banned books!”

“Why is ‘Hop on Pop’ banned?” a friend asked in the comments. Why, indeed.

“Hop on Pop” and “The Cat in the Hat” both have come up against challenges - because they apparently encourage children to misbehave. Likewise, there are similar reasons for challenging Shel Silverstein’s poems - you can read about those here: https://www.iveyink.com/blog/2017/9/29/life-aint-easy-for-a-boy-named-shel

#BannedBooksWeek2020