Banned Books Week!

Let's pretend this week that Phoenix is like the rest of the country and is slowly slipping into fall weather. That the 100 degree days have given way to chilly evenings where a light blanket is welcome, and where the atmosphere is just perfect for curling up with a book. Never mind that it's still hot as hell here, and that reading is less than pleasurable when the crook of my elbow gets moist from holding my book up, and my back leaves a lovely sweat pattern wherever I sit. A girl can dream of cooler days. Regardless of where one is, this week (September 30 thru October 6) is the perfect time to read your favorite banned classic. That's right- it's Banned Books Week!

Banned Books Week is near and dear to my heart. Not only do I work in libraries every day, but I'm training to be a librarian, where I will support the First Amendment by offering access to materials that might be considered immoral, dangerous, or inappropriate by some groups. I've heard customers in the past question why we still celebrate Banned Books Week. The sad truth is that there still exists many people, and groups, that would like to dictate what the rest of us read. There seems to be a lack of common sense amongst people regarding books that they dislike or would like to ban from use. I've had library patrons bring books up to me and explain that they think the material is filthy and not suitable for the library. While I encourage them to fill out a comment card, I also make sure to tell them that a library is a public space, with freedom of access. That means that you have the option to NOT read the book you find objectionable, or to close the book if you find it vulgar or distasteful.

I thought I'd write about a few of my favorite once banned books. Share yours as well!

1. Brave New World- by Aldous Huxley.
   Banned in many schools where it was required reading because it seemed to glorify sexual experimentation and had protagonists who placed pleasure before all else. Additionally, it contradicted the abstinence policy in high schools, where parents objected to what they saw as anti family rhetoric.
2. The Awakening- by Kate Chopin
   Banned because the female protagonist frankly examines her sexual feelings and chafes against the demands made against her gender. Seen as a precursor to early feminist tomes, this book has been challenged and censored since it was first published at the end of the 19^th century.
3. And Tango Makes Three- Pete Parnell & Justin Richardson/illustrated Henry Cole.
   The only children's book on this list, because I am not a child nor do I have children! This is a fairly recent book, but has made waves since it was published, because of the the “gay penguins” who are the main protagonists. It has been banned or censored because so called “family” groups have objected to the two male penguins raising an egg together, and the implication that homosexuality is a viable way to make a family. This one is personal for me as well, because I've had parents bring this book up to me at the library, in a proper rage, DEMANDING that it be taken out of the kids section, because “how do I explain to my 3 year old what gay people are??”. Get a grip. It's an adorable story about freaking penguins, and unless you're already explaining to your toddler what straight sex looks like, don't worry about explaining gay. Because I guarantee, your toddler doesn't give a shit.
4. Harry Potter- J.K. Rowling
   You know the drill. Witchcraft. Dark magic. Musn't give those children any ideas. I actually had friends who weren't allowed to read HP when I was younger, because their parents were so concerned about bad influences in the book. Oh HP. How I miss you.

These are obviously just a few of the many, many books on the Banned Books list. In fact, take any book that you read in high school, and it's probably on the list. Take any book that influenced you, made you think of new ideas, introduced you to some new concept like censorship, socialism, or Big Brother, and that book is probably on the list. Read a banned book this week, and take back the power of literature and education. Read more at http://bannedbooksweek.org/.

What I'm Reading

I've spent this past week reading Michael Crichton novels. Yeah, I'm a little late to the party, but I've only recently discovered that I enjoy his writing. It started with Jurassic Park on Monday, progressed to Next on Tuesday, Andromeda Strain on Wednesday, Sphere on Thursday, and Prey today. Rather than do a review, I thought I'd offer some thoughts about his writing in general and the various books.

Jurassic Park: I've seen the movie a gazillion times. That's totally not an exaggeration. We didn't watch a lot of movies growing up, and when we did, they certainly weren't Disney. I can't remember how old I was the first time I saw Jurassic Park, but I do remember my mom chastising my dad and saying that we would be too scared of the dinosaurs. Not I. I LOVE Jurassic Park. It is up there in my top five. I love Jeff Goldblum, I love the T-Rex, I love "clever girl", I love quoting lines from it, I love noticing that Goldblum says the same line in JP as he does in Independence Day. That being said, it was with a little trepidation that I delved into the book. I am a firm believer in the book being better than the movie- always. I've never seen one to contradict that fact in my mind. However.... I loved the movie so much more. The book is chock full of details, and extra characters, and all of the thought processes that you can't possibly translate to the screen, but it lacks the fundamental thrill of the film. Would it be different if I'd read it before seeing it? Probably. But I couldn't help but see Malcolm AS Goldblum in my head, and the thrill just didn't compare. Jurassic Park is visceral. It is visual, and agressive, and LOUD, and for that, I need the film.

The rest of the books seem like standard Crichton fare. They're very fast paced, with a lot of technical detail. The guy definitely did his due diligence and researched the shit out of his topics. However, that leads to some problems- mainly the feeling that the idea is dated. You know what a timeless book is? It's one where you can still apply the same themes and tropes to a modern world and not feel it lacking. You can't do that with Crichton's work. It's hard to feel impressed when he's describing some technology that was cutting edge in 1980 but feels ancient today, when we have mini computers in our phones. It's a bit of a -yawn. So what?- type of moment. If he focused on character development more, it wouldn't be so much of an issue, or a glaring blemish in reading his works with a 2012 attitude. He relies on stock characters to fill out the spaces in between pages and pages of technical explanations. Crichton suffers (suffered?) from the same problem as Dan Brown. Both have so much knowledge, but don't seem to have much of an editor to cut down on all of the information. It's interesting to a point, and then it becomes too much for a simple novel.

The standouts for me were the Andromeda Strain and Next. The Andromeda Strain still felt very relavent today, with the threat of a new and possible alien virus being released on an unsuspecting public. If you watch the movie, skip the recent miniseries and go for the 1970's film instead. Much better and more faithful to the novel. Next was about the future of genetics, and the possibility of splicing the human genome with other animals- in this case a chimp. It was fast paced, very entertaining, and I appreciated the difference in characters. I do this every time- when I find an author I like, I tend to read a ton of their work in a row, and you obviously find common themes, characters, and motives. The familiar characters of various scientists, with the token woman thrown in, was starting to wear thin. Maybe I need to spread them out.

Have any of you read Michael Crichton's work? What was your favorite?

*if anyone is wondering, yes, I did actually read all of these in one week. I read very fast and also have a wicked long commute to work, so I have both the time and the ability :)