I don’t have much to add to the conversation/backlash circulating in response to professor Weseley Scroggin’s call to ban several books (Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Speak by Laurie Halse-Anderson, and Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler) from his school district’s reading list. Like pretty much everyone else, I am 100% against banning books (because I’ve read Fahrenheit 451 and studied the Nazis, among other reasons), and I am in favor of parents deciding what their children should or should not read in school.
Of the three, I’ve read only Speak and I thought it was a raw, powerful look at rape and its consequences. I know how it has profoundly impacted several of my friends who have been sexually assaulted, and given them the courage to speak out about their situations and give a voice to the voiceless. Ban that? Hell no.
Here are a few posts I’ve ran across today that have really struck home with me about this whole thing:
As Told by Jen: Speak Loudly
Veronica Roth: A Christian Take on Banning Speak
KellyVision: Coming Out Again
The Last Word: SPEAKing Out
My Friend Amy: A Few Words on Rape As Porn
Sassymonkey Reads: Speak is Not Pornography
But really I wanted to touch on the fact of how overwhelmingly blessed we are to be able to have this conversation at all. If we follow down the path that starts with banning books, it doesn’t take long to get to the banning of other things — blogs, television shows, freedom of movement, human rights…
…Jews.
Yet as angry as his statement makes us, I fully support Scroggins’ first-amendment right to say what he said. Just as I fully support my right and everyone else’s to call him an idiot.
And how many more books are Vonnegut, Halse-Anderson, and Ockler going to sell now (Ockler’s book, which I just put on hold at the library, already has a dozen holds on it)? How many more people are going to read them and be impacted by them because of his stupid statement. Countless.
Oh, the power of freedom.
In a way, I’m glad this is happening, because so many people (including me) are standing up and telling their stories. And I don’t know that that would happen without a threat like his.
I read–and I don’t know if it’s true–that his kids are home schooled, so this in no way impacts him. If that’s true, he’s an even bigger jerk.
Homeschooled? Seriously? Bah.
Sarah Ockler Tweeted today that an overwhelming amount of people are now buying her book. I ordered it last night — before this guy decided to be an idiot, I hadn’t heard of her or Twenty Boy Summer. Speak went from something like #2400 in Amazon rankings to, at last count, #200-something. I now fully plan on reading Slaughterhouse Five, too.
I’m with you — the guy has the right to speak his mind. It’s just too bad that his words could have a far-reaching negative impact.
I have requested both Twenty Boy Summer and Slaughterhouse Five. Just because I can, lol.
I would say the guy has a right to air his opinion but I definitely don’t agree with it. I hadn’t heard of Speak till I read this post, and after I checked it up I have immediately put it on my TBR list. These should be made “must-read” books on the contrary…
You’d think that people who want to ban books would realize that it makes people want to read them even more! They’d probably be better off if they left well enough alone.
Excellent point on the Freedom of Speech and Expression. We don’t always have to agree — in fact, it would be a little scary if we did.
I was moved by the response about Speak. Couldn’t have backfired better, I would say.
“Couldn’t have backfired better.” LOVE IT.
Very interesting! I agree, it’s very good that we are able to discuss topics like that now. I am currently reading a lot about the book ban and book burning of the Nazis in Germany in 1933. And it is true: If we start to ban books, where will we end? History should have told us what not to do.
I remember reading about the Nazi book burning in The Book Thief (amazing book!). I’m now reading about all sorts of crazy Nazi banning in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s biography by Eric Metaxas. It’s absolutely crazy.
Cori, you are right about a lot of things, but especially this. Thanks for speaking up. -Jules
Love you Jules! :)
I, too, had never heard of “Speak” prior to this controversy. (Twenty Boy Summer was already on my Not-So-Bebe Girl Autumn’s list of books for me to buy for her Christmas book box and Slaughterhouse Five was already on my “books to read before I die” list), so I’m thankful to Professor Scroggins for shining a light on a book that really SHOULD be required reading :)
Your mention of the Nazi book burnings as well as “The Book Thief” is a great, valid point. I just bought “The Book Thief” for Not-So this summer, and she wrote a poem about it before she was even done reading it: http://jewelknits.blogspot.com/2010/07/train-tracks-work-in-progress-poem.html
Kudos to everyone who has the courage to SPEAK LOUDLY!
Wow…that was a moving poem. The Book Thief was one of the most difficult, beautiful books I’ve ever read.
Thanks for writing about this, Cori. I know that Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘Slaughterhouse Five’ is famous, but I haven’t heard of the other two books. Thanks to the controversy, now everyone is going to read them.
I liked your comment that Professor Weseley Scroggin has the right to air his views and others have a right to reply to his comments. I think parents are the right people to decide what a child can read, while the child is growing up.
I highly recommend Speak — it’s so moving and, as I’m sure you’ve read on other blogs, it can make an impact in a lot of lives. Great book!
Thanks for the nudge Cori :) I will add ‘Speak’ to my ‘TBR’ list and will look for it.