uncomfortable books
cece’s musings: banned book sojourn
Attempting to escape the madness of the world this summer, I decided to read light books. Stories about charming little towns populated by quirky individuals. I plowed through series by Jan Moran, Mariah Stewart, Jenny Colgan, and a few by Susan Mallery and Robyn Carr. Nothing too deep. Just stories about divorced, widowed, or lonely single women falling in love while going on some type of life-altering journey, and pondering such questions as: Should I buy this inn on the beach in Southern California? Do I want to move back to my hometown on an island north of Scotland? What about the art I used to make before I married and my life became all about my children and husband? Do I let this hunky (sometimes tattooed) man (small town mayor, all-around handyman, coffee shop owner) into my heart? When will my spoiled, snarky adult children finally grow up? How should I feel about this half-sister who is the result of my father’s other “marriage”? Do these earrings go with this outfit?
After spending the summer with these women, I have grown tired of main characters who are beautiful in unusual ways, somehow fall into money, and end up in the arms of their crushes. Yes, I often dream about living in a perfect village by the sea where everyone takes care of one another, pitching in to finish the theater or help with the 4th of July festival. These types of books are fantasy, but instead of dragons there is a group of knitters at the local bakery. These safe, predictable books can be fun, yet…
…I long to return to uncomfortable books. Stories about injustices and the ravages of war. Books set in countries with unfamiliar histories, or our own country’s troublesome times. Books whose characters do not look or talk or live like me. Books that are challenging and difficult. Books that make me squirm. Books that force me to see how money and power corrupts. Books that sometimes do not have happy endings.
When typing “banned books of 2022” into a search engine, I discovered many of the same titles ended up on various lists. Some have been controversial for decades - To Kill a Mockingbird, The Color Purple, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Of Mice and Men; others are newly infamous - Maus, The Hate U Give, Speak, All Boys Aren’t Blue, The Kite Runner; a few are head scratchers - Where the Wild Things Are, James and the Giant Peach, Hop on Pop. Reasons vary. Some have “vulgar” language and/or “graphic” sex scenes, but most cover uncomfortable subjects such as racism, slavery, the subjugation of women, poverty, the genocide of indigenous tribes, human contribution to climate change, the Holocaust, etc., etc., etc.
Since the first words appeared in print, books have been challenged. Certain ideas shouldn’t been taught. Opposing sides shouldn’t be heard. A different lifestyle, body type, culture, religion shouldn’t be celebrated.
But here is the magic….once read, these ideas, sides, lifestyles, cultures can’t be forgotten. Each book changes how the brain processes hate and injustice and history and humanity. And that, of course, is why they are banned.
So, after coming off a summer of literary fluff, I am undertaking a fall/winter journey, a trek through uncomfortable stories. I have already read two brilliant young adult books on banned lists: Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune and Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison. There is also a pile of classics from my own library I have never finished, such as Beloved by Toni Morrison, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, 1984, by George Orwell, and The Giver by Lois Lowry. In addition, I will consult banned lists and continue to read controversial books, because no one can tell me what not to read.
No one.
I hope to write more about my banned book sojourn throughout the fall and winter of 2022/2023.
Banned books: Which titles are being targeted and why