Sep. 30: Bad, bad books

Dang-it, my plan to post a photo description of my state of mind has already failed. I don’t have an in-betweener pic to use. Oh sure, I could probably find or Photoshop one, but I’m too lazy. Maybe I should look for a pic of me with my eyes half open, drool collecting in my chin dent, watching a Law & Order marathon. That could be my “too lazy” indicator. It’d have to be a good pic, though, because I think I’d be using it a LOT.

bannedbooks Powell’s Books posted a link in honor of Banned Books Week that describes the stories behind some of this year’s book bans and challenges. I love reading these lists, especially from a parent’s point of view, because it makes me more sure than ever that I’m not one of those nut-job moms who thinks she has the answer for ALL moms. (Don’t get me wrong—I’m brilliant and full of good ideas for which everyone should thank me, but I know that there are a lot of people in the world too dumb to recognize that brilliance. They lose.)

Reading descriptions of these banned books, I can certainly see why some parents find them unsuitable for children. I mean, the parents who want to raise their kids in an environment of racism and prejudice are certainly going to find pa-lenty to disagree with in a book like To Kill a Mockingbird. Powells’ introduction to the list mentions some of the complaints people have had about banned books over the years:

  • “references to stuffing and snapping bras”
  • “being ‘happily nonphallocentric’”
  • “presenting homosexuality in a non-judgmental context”

Like many people who object to censorship, I don’t want decisions made for me about what books I should or should not be able to read. Join me this week in reading one of these naughty, naughty books, won’t you? Just promise me you won’t learn anything from it. That’d be silly. smiley

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