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Showing posts with label Soap Box. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soap Box. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Help
Yuck. I don't understand the hype over The Help. I didn't really like any of the characters and didn't really care what happened to them, because they were so unlikeable. The premise of the book is interesting but the author didn't do a good job of instilling the sense of fear that the reader should feel for the characters. I don't expect many authors to be as good as Harper Lee, who expertly conveys the constant unease and fear of racial issues through a young voice who doesn't quite understand how afraid she should be herself but.... there are subtle ways (without using violent grisly details) to project these integral pieces of novels, and ......It just doesn't happen in this book.Even if I had liked this book, the very end would have completely changed my mind. The last little forced quip, the imagined "kids say the darndest things", meant to be trite at best were just plain nauseating. The author's note was better written and better received than the entire novel. The author should have just published that. - Younger Sister
Older Sister: Time and time again I've had this book recommended to me. I've still only read the author's note and thought it came across as a middle class white woman's belief that creating a fictional black protagonist completely eliminated any need for actual reflection on racism. The author is still fond of her black nanny, if I remember correctly. Without acknowledging that this nanny was paid to be nice to her, the author wishes she knew more about the nanny's life, but you know, not enough to put any effort into researching the woman's past. That white people weren't nice to black people just a few decades ago is not news. A better inquiry for thoughtful readers: What can we do about the lingering racism? Both sisters are of the opinion that a rather frothy novel does little to solve problems, and perhaps even contributes to them.
Monday, September 20, 2010
SpeakLoudly
Banned Books Week starts Saturday. This month alone, American parents have attempted to ban books from schools - books the Goldfiles sisters have read and loved.
Perhaps most outrageously, a father in Springfield, MO wants Speak removed from school libraries. He says that Speak's depiction of rape encourages teens to have sex. Of course, those of us with reading comprehnsion skills understand the book is about the repurcussions of rape, particularly how emotionally destroyed the victim is. How this father can equate rape with sexual pleasure boggles the mind. The thought that he equates rape with pornography is distrubing.
This same man has already successfully banned Slaughterhouse Five from his schools. It encourages teens to swear, apparently. And he is also trying to ban Twenty Boy Summer, mostly because he thinks the title alone encourages teens to have sex, but also for reasons so disconnected to the actual book's content I thought I was reading about yet another book he wanted to ban. Twenty Boy Summer follows best friends in the year following the death of one of their brothers. Innocence is lost in many ways and teen sexuality is very delicately explored.
Meanwhile, the Stockton, MO school board recently banned The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. The ban itself was challenged but ultimately upheld this month. The school board did not like that the book depicted masturbation, nor violence or alchoholism. Nevermind that the book is nearly autobiographical: author Sherman Alexie is writing about leaving the Indian reservation to attend a white high school. Education is the means to escaping the problems - like alcoholism and violence - that plague the reservation.
Ultimately, limiting access to education seems to be the goal of those who would ban books, whether those book-banners admit this to themselves or others. The more people explore other cultures, other perspectives, the more likely they are to be open to new ideas. Would new ideas destroy the book banners lives and cultures? Perhaps that's the real problem.
If you also want to encourage education and discourage banning books, please buy a banned book next weekend. Please keep in mind that authors only receive royalties when you buy their books new. The Goldfiles sisters feel that independent bookstores are more likely to carry lesser-known books, but ultimately supporting authors by buying books is most important. Pre-order your book now to assure your store has it in stock: pay for it when you pick it up this weekend. Buying banned books during the same weekend increases the sales impact. We will continue to suggest banned books this week and next.
Perhaps most outrageously, a father in Springfield, MO wants Speak removed from school libraries. He says that Speak's depiction of rape encourages teens to have sex. Of course, those of us with reading comprehnsion skills understand the book is about the repurcussions of rape, particularly how emotionally destroyed the victim is. How this father can equate rape with sexual pleasure boggles the mind. The thought that he equates rape with pornography is distrubing.This same man has already successfully banned Slaughterhouse Five from his schools. It encourages teens to swear, apparently. And he is also trying to ban Twenty Boy Summer, mostly because he thinks the title alone encourages teens to have sex, but also for reasons so disconnected to the actual book's content I thought I was reading about yet another book he wanted to ban. Twenty Boy Summer follows best friends in the year following the death of one of their brothers. Innocence is lost in many ways and teen sexuality is very delicately explored.Meanwhile, the Stockton, MO school board recently banned The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. The ban itself was challenged but ultimately upheld this month. The school board did not like that the book depicted masturbation, nor violence or alchoholism. Nevermind that the book is nearly autobiographical: author Sherman Alexie is writing about leaving the Indian reservation to attend a white high school. Education is the means to escaping the problems - like alcoholism and violence - that plague the reservation.
Ultimately, limiting access to education seems to be the goal of those who would ban books, whether those book-banners admit this to themselves or others. The more people explore other cultures, other perspectives, the more likely they are to be open to new ideas. Would new ideas destroy the book banners lives and cultures? Perhaps that's the real problem.
If you also want to encourage education and discourage banning books, please buy a banned book next weekend. Please keep in mind that authors only receive royalties when you buy their books new. The Goldfiles sisters feel that independent bookstores are more likely to carry lesser-known books, but ultimately supporting authors by buying books is most important. Pre-order your book now to assure your store has it in stock: pay for it when you pick it up this weekend. Buying banned books during the same weekend increases the sales impact. We will continue to suggest banned books this week and next.
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