Banning Books?

I have been so busy with school lately that I rarely get a chance to read, let alone post about my reading.  So for my faithful three readers, I apologize.

Today is the last day in National Banned Book Week.  I thought I would post my own thoughts on the topic.  After seeing lists of challenged books over the years, I am shocked at the desire to forbid others from reading.  I see literature as an art form.  Last time I checked, The Louvre doesn't place a blanket over Venus de Milo and Michelangelo's David doesn't wear running shorts.  In fact, both of the those sculptures are regarded as beautiful pieces of artwork--which they are.  I agree that not all books are wonderful; in fact, I have read a great deal that would have served better as a coaster for my drink rather than literature, but to forbid anyone from reading what they enjoy is just wrong.  It would be as if I stood outside a movie theatre and forced people away instead of letting them watch a rated R, B-list horror movie just because I didn't approve of the violence or sexual content.

The most challenged books of 2012 include Fifty Shades of Grey, And Tango Makes Three, Captain Underpants, The Kite Runner, Thirteen Reasons Why, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian.  From that list, I have only read two:  Fifty Shades of Grey and Thirteen Reasons Why.  My husband has read (shockingly, he rarely reads) The Absolutely…. I do know that And Tango Makes Three is a picture book about two male penguins raising a child.  While I don't think everything should be open for children, or even all age groups for that matter, I don't think it is our right to tell others what they can and cannot read.  I very much agree that even my high school students should not read Fifty Shades of Grey, but I am not their mother.  It is a parent's responsibility to censor what children read.  That is one of the main reasons parents should read.

**Side note:  Fifty Shades of Grey is one of my least favorite books of all time.  My feelings have nothing to do with the content of the book.  I did not enjoy the characters at all.  And I feel as though the writing style was horrendous.**

I have reviewed Thirteen Reasons Why on this site before.  I thoroughly enjoyed the young adult novel.  Again, I wouldn't hand the book over to a twelve-year-old, but that is not the intended audience.  The novel is a wonderful commentary on teen suicide and its affects on others.  The writing style is creative and unique.  I would, and often do, recommend Asher's book.  It is gripping, heart-wrenching and realistic.

I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower as a teenager.  At that time, it was a very controversial book.  But after I read the book, I did not involve myself in any of the acts that the characters encountered in the book.  After reading Harry Potter and the seven things he faced as a teenager, I did not search out a dark wizard or attempt to find Hogwarts.  Even as an adult, I didn't enter into a relationship similar to center plot of Fifty Shades of Grey.  Literature, like all art forms, is a way to escape the present world.  Through books, I have been able to see the world, the past, the present and the future.  It is no one's right to take that away from me or anyone for that matter.

I guess I am lucky in my reading selections.  My parents were very sheltering in many areas, but not with books.  I was encouraged to read.  I would not be the person I am today without many of the books I have read.  I would not be an independent thinker if it weren't for Scarlett O'Hara, Jane Eyre and Elizabeth Bennett.  I would not be compassionate and aware if it weren't for Elie Weisel and Anne Frank.  I would be idealistic and imaginative if it weren't for Harry Potter, Lucy Penvensie and Frodo Baggins.  While neither of my parents are big readers, they allowed me to travel to places I have never and will never visit.  And I did come in contact with "unsuitable for age group" topics and subjects, but so what?  Maybe if I hadn't read about those things, in my real life I wouldn't have known how to react to uncomfortable situations if I hadn't seen them on the pages of books.

Jane Austen Ruined My Life

Pattillo, B. (2009). Jane Austen ruined my life. New York:  Guideposts. 

I love Pride and Prejudice. I have loved it from the moment I read it in my feminist literature course in college. I have watched several movies based on Austen's books. Yet I am no expect in the world of Austen. But now I want to be.

Jane Austen Ruined my Life is a modern novel about a woman, appropriately named Emma, who is a Jane Austen scholar. After the failure of her marriage, she travels to London in hopes to discover the lost Austen letters. Emma discovers a lot about Austen and herself. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It isn't the most thought-provoking piece of literature, but it is fun and lighthearted. I enjoyed seeing the references to Austen's novels and to places I have visited in London. Trying to identify Emma's Mr. Darcy was fun too. But Emma isn't like her Austen counterparts. Although Austen's characters are revolutionary for her time, the idea of true love is overdone in today's society. Emma is a modern woman who does differ from her idol's creations. 

Essentially Jane Austen Ruined my Life made me want to be knowledgable in Austen's work. So I'm currently reading an old copy of Emma. Next will be Sense and Sensibility and I plan to finish with Pride and Prejudice. I have never read multiple novels by an author consecutively other than serial writings. With me luck that I can stick with my plan!