Forging an Art

Yes, it’s that time, when we can look at the books that have been challenged over the past year, and the past in general.  Some people think that because I am a conservative, I believe in ‘banning’ books.  Smaller government, everyone, it’s part of the conservative manifesto.  Greater personal choice and individual rights are what it’s all about.  I do believe that it is the responsibility of a parent to control access to materials for their child, and not the responsibility of a library.  A school acts in loco parentis, which is an entirely different function than a public library, and as I do not work in a school library, I can’t speak to those issues.  I do volunteer in my daughter’s school library and believe that certain materials are not for children and should not be in that library.  If a parent or child wants a book outside the scope of school library focus, they can use the public library.  End of story.  Parents who believe that the public librarian is responsible for their child’s reading choices are wrong.  Come to the library with your child and talk to her about her interests and needs, both educational and recreational, and not only will you discover what the library has to offer, you will discover more about your child as a person.  The books I am highlighting as challenged and banned for the gaming group (grades 6-12) that visits the branch every afternoon includes:

Native Son by Richard Wright
Black Boy by Richard Wright
Kim by Rudyard Kipling
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
Grendel by John Gardner
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Franny and Zoey by J.D. Salinger
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
The Pigman by Paul Zindel
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The best thing about displaying these books (and this is the short list, there are more) during a program is that I can talk to the kids about them; I know Courtney and Autumn love fantasy and romance, as well as the Twilight series, so I can introduce them to Tolkien; Sarah would love Picoult and Kaysen; and Matt would love Grendel.  Most of the kids have to read Mockingbird, and some can’t stand it because it is an assigned book.  This is perfect opportunity to talk to them about why I like it, and to ask them why they don’t.  Are all of these books right for all of the teens I see every afternoon?  Of course not, no more than all adult books are right for every adult reader.  I specifically tell teens if there is sex, violence, drug use, or something that they may want to discuss with their parents.  Some teens are excited by the illicit activities in fiction; others aren’t ready and are unsure, and are happy that I have told them, so they can set the book aside for later.  I always tell them that they should show and talk to their parents about what they are reading, and also take a look at what their parents and other family members read.  Ask them why they like that author or genre, and tell them why you like your favorites as well.  Sometimes they are surprised to discover that a parent used to read superhero comics, which are not so far removed from the manga that is so popular with my afterschool crowd, or an older sister likes the true crime paperbacks their mother hides in the bathroom and reads late at night (yes, this is a true situation – all three of them reading the same book without knowing it).

Review of Julie Berry’s The Amaranth Enchantment at BSCreview.

Courtesy of Romantic Times Book Reviews, September 2009:

Contemporary:
Castell, Dianne. Hot and Irresistible
Dale, Lisa. It Happened One Night
Davis, Dee. Set Up in Soho
Donovan, Susan. Ain’t Too Proud to Beg
Halliday, Gemma. Scandal Sheet
Kauffman, Donna. A Great Kisser
Kendall, Karen. Take Me for a Ride
Mallery, Susan. Hot on Her Heels
Novak, Brenda, et al. The Night Before Christmas
Warren, Nancy, et al. A Very NASCAR Holiday

Erotica:
Alexander, Lacey. What She Needs
Hayes, Jasmine. Yours for the Night
Jones, Lisa Renee, et al. Wrapped in Seduction
Jordan, Crystal. Untamed
Lloyd, Joan Elizabeth. Flesh for Fantasy
Lyons, Susan, et al. Men on Fire
McIntyre, Amanda, et al. Winter’s Desire
MacNeal, Melissa. Sexual Secrets
O’Clare, Lorie. Seduction Island
Swann, Leda. Temptation
Whiteside, Diane. Captive Desires

Fantasy:
Howell, Morgan. Candle in the Storm
Taylor, Holly. May Earth Rise
Wilson, C.L. Queen of Song and Souls

Historical:
Bridges, Kate. Alaskan Renegade
Brighton, Lori. Wild Heart
Campbell, Anna. Captive of Sin
Enoch, Suzanne. The Care and Taming of a Rogue
Garlock, Dorothy. Leaving Whiskey Bend
Grothaus, Heather. Taming the Beast
Haeger, Diane. The Queen’s Mistake
Heath, Lorraine. Midnight Pleasures of a Scoundrel
Howell, Hannah. Wild Conquest
Hoyt, Elizabeth. To Desire a Devil
Hunter, Jillian. The Wicked Duke Takes a Wife
Laurens, Stephanie. The Untamed Bride
Lawson, Anthea. All He Desires
Layton, Edith. To Love a Wicked Lord
London, Julia. Courtesan’s Scandal
Lyon, Kate. Destiny’s Captive
McCabe, Amanda. The Winter Queen
MacTavish, Dawn. Counterfeit Lady
Metzger, Barbara. The Bargain Bride
Miller, Linda Lael. Creed Country Christmas
Mortimer, Carole. The Rake’s Wicked Proposal
Nash, Joy. Silver Silence
Petersen, Jenna. What the Duke Desires
Rosburg, Helen A. Lady Blue
Stone, Lyn, et al. A Regency Christmas

Inspirational:
Perry, Marta. Leah’s Choice

Mystery:
Baxter, Cynthia. Murder Had a Little Lamb
Caine, Leslie. Holly and Homicide
Coyle, Cleo. Holiday Grind
Harris, C.S. What Remains of Heaven
Harris, Charlaine. Grave Secret
Kingsbury, Kate. Decked With Folly
Viets, Elaine. Fashion Hound Murders
Washburn, Livia J. Huckleberry Finished
Washburn, Livia J. Killer Crabcakes

Paranormal:
Armintrout, Jennifer. Child of Darkness
Black, Shayla. Possess Me at Midnight
Butcher, Shannon K. Finding the Lost
Chapman, Janet. A Highlander Christmas
Cooke, Deborah. Winter Kiss
Francis, Diana P. Bitter Night
Graham, Heather. Home in Time for Christmas
Gray, Ava. Skin Game
Hall, Traci E. Beauty’s Curse
Kessler, Jackie. Road to Hell
Laurenston, Shelly. Mane Squeeze
MacAlister, Katie. Me and My Shadow
McCarty, Sarah. Caleb
Markham, Wendy. The Best Gift
Owens, Robin D. Heart Change
Pineriro, Caridad. Sins of the Flesh
Rosetti, Denise. Thief of Light
Singh, Nalini. Blaze of Memory
Sizemore, Susan. Dark Stranger
Stover, Deb. The Gift
Summers, Jordan. Crimson
Windsor, Anna. Captive Soul

Romantic Suspense:
Brant, Kylie. Waking the Dead
Burton, Mary. Dying Scream
Dane, Jordan. The Wrong Side of Dead
Howard, Linda. Ice
Lovelace, merline. All the Wrong Moves
Lyons, CJ. Urgent Care
Neggers, Carla. Cold River

Suspense:
Beres, Michael. Traffyck
Gagnon, Michelle. The Gatekeeper
Martin, P.D. The Killing Hands
Robb, J.D. Kindred in Death
Teller, Joseph. Depraved Indifference

Time Travel:
Halliday, Dawn, et al. A Highlander Christmas
Wolff, Veronica. Lord of the Highlands

Urban Fantasy:
Arthur, Keri. Bound to Shadows
Garey, Terri. Silent Night, Haunted Night
Hamilton, Laurell K. Divine Misdemeanors
Hamilton, Laurell K. et al. Never After
Handeland, Lori. Apocalypse Happens
Kenner, Julie. Tainted
Peeler, Nicole. Tempest Rising

Young Adult:
Cast, P.C. and Kristin. Tempted

These are just way fun.  I guess my morning stroll through EW – which is rare and completely the result of co-worker peer pressure – was productive today.  Which shirt would I wear?  How about which one I wouldn’t wear – say, anyone from Melville.  I’d probably take Poe, Finn, and Sawyer above the others.

The latest Mangakissa column is here at BSCreview.

Part 1 ended with Mary Flannery O’Connor’s Hazel Motes of the terrifyingly honest Wise Blood; Part 2 begins with . . .
#37 – Marcel of Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past.  Oh, please. I only mention this because it is one of those titles – like Infinite Jest - that people don’t actually read but carry around so others notice and say, wow, what a big book!  You must be smart/dedicated/insane/without a life.  Okay, so no one wants others thinking that last one, but you know they do, and those are the ones who believe that you are actually reading the brick.  There are some gigantic books that are so worth the time and effort (Gone With the Wind, Kristin Lavransdatter); these two are not of that persuasion.
#38 – Toad from The Wind in the Willows.  Pooh, and now Toad.  Wait for it . . .
#39 – The Cat in the Hat.  I just don’t know what to say.  I like him.  I like Toad. I like Pooh.  Dare I say again that there are no Henry James characters on this list?
#40 – Peter Pan – not too far down, not too far up.  Barrie’s flying perpetual child maintains a huge popular culture influence over 100 years after he first appeared in the Darling children’s window.
#42 – Sam Spade, of Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon.  Hammett peopled his fiction with complicated yet simple – yes, exactly – characters who brought life to his detective tales.  Nick and Nora Charles check in at #65; fabulous fun with not a little questionable coping behaviors.
#44 – Willie Stark of All The King’s Men.  Robert Penn Warren’s masterpiece wasn’t just about Stark.  Jack Burden sure had a, well, burden to carry, and while his story ends on a happier note than Willie’s, it is at a great cost to him and those he holds close.  This is true American fiction, an exploration of identity, politics, and integrity.  Everyone should read this book, as an adolescent and then again as an adult.  It is a reminder than while the ends are important, we are also responsible for the means.
#46 – Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince.  This poor creature is probably responsible for multiple suicides. 
#51 – Sula Peace of Toni Morrison’s Sula.  If we’re going to talk Morrison, let’s talk Pecola Breedlove of The Bluest Eye.  Let’s talk about responsibility to family; taking care of your own.  Let’s talk about looking at your own behaviors and how they affect those close to you, those you bring into the world and should protect, even at your own emotional and physical expense.  Blaming the rest of the world is easy; looking at your own faults and the damage your inflict on others is hard.  Pecola is what – and not who – happens if you don’t.
#55 – Hurston’s Janie Crawford doesn’t have enough depth to interest me.  The author’s descriptions are vivid, but the emotional draw is flat.  I’m not sure where exactly this went wrong, and although the story is interesting, the characters lack dimension.
#57 – Grendel.  For all his popularity, this monster remains all too human.
#59 – Big Brother.  Orwell is so misused. I’ll leave it at that.
#61 – Salinger’s Seymour Glass probably causes the suicides that are not directly related to the The Little Prince.
#63 – Charlotte the spider.  Do I have to indicate the book as well?  Honestly.
#66 – James Bond in Fleming’s Casino Royale.  With the background to authenticate his fiction, Fleming made Bond, who easily could have become a caricature, into a flawed being worthy of idoltry.  In the film version, Daniel Craig really picked up the latent insecurities missed by previous Bond actors who, while creating an suave icon who was above human flaw, left the third dimension at the door.
#69 – The Sound and the Fury‘s Benjy.  Quentin drops in at #97.  Why is Faulkner so far down the list?  Did these people read Sanctuary?
#75 – Ah, Babbitt arrives.  Sinclair Lewis’ title character of his 1922 novel is a bit more complex than he seems, although the same can’t be said of some of the other characters, which makes him appear as the only folded creation in a pop-up book.
#76 – Tietjens in Parade’s End.  I can’t stand Ford Madox Ford, as a writer or as a person.  I expect artists to be self-absorbed to an extent, but he made it an art form.
#77 – Frankie Addams.  Carson McCullers can drive one to The Little Prince’s end, as some of her characters are inclined, and leaving her towards the bottom quarter of the list is a travesty.  Noting only one of her characters is an even greater one.  Ignoring The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is heresy when discussing American fiction.
#84 – Yuri Zhivago of Dr. Zhivago fame.  Wow, Pasternak is incredibly boring.  I don’t know if it is just the translation or if he is as awful in the original Russian, but I can’t find the people in this book. 
#85 – Harry Potter.  I always get nailed on this one.  I haven’t read any titles of Rowling’s series because I can’t.  I tried, I really did, out of duty as a youth librarian and curiosity as well.  I don’t know that the writing is that much worse than Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, because I was able to muddle through those, but it is wretched.  Love Harry if you will, but I can’t.  The movies are great fun, because one doesn’t have to read Rowling’s dreadful abuse of the English language to access the story.  Call me a literary snob if you must, but good writing is good writing, whether it is literary fiction or romance or young adult.  I admit that I read some pretty trashy historical romances, but they are well written trashy historical romances.
#86 – Ondaatjie’s Hana of The English Patient doesn’t grab me the way David, Katharine, and Geoffrey do.  The author takes love and control to believable heights while drawing parallels with the political situations surrounding the trio.
#90 – Lennie Small in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.  Wow, really?  At #90?  As Steinbeck’s only entry?  The Grapes of Wrath, anyone?
#93 – Kipling’s Kim.  Kipling was a genius; while much contested on grounds of his political views, the beauty of his writing, as a craft, should not be.  Whether you agree with him or not, if his characters are honest enough to upset readers, he has done his job well.
#95 – Clyde Griffiths.  I am not a Dreiser fan, and I can’t stand Sister Carrie.  He redeems himself with this absorbing and frightening story of a man without conscience.  His downward spiral – or has he always been this way, without manifesting obvious indicative behaviors? – is disturbing.  I considered An American Tragedy in book and movie format here.
#99 – Celie in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple.  I can’t stand the end of this book.  I don’t buy it, and I don’t want to.  Poor Celie deserved better from her creator.

Reports on our four day excursion into fantasyland at BSCreview.com.  There are four; so be sure to follow the links after the first to the next three.