Universalis

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Banned Books Week

Bego at A Cup of Coffee and a Random Thought reminded me that it's Banned Books Week.

Free people:
write books
publish books
sell books
buy books
read books
lend books
borrow books
don't ban books.

I remember when Mom sat my oldest younger brother and me down for The Talk. No, not the sex talk, the book talk. I was in fourth or fifth grade and he was one year back, and we were both reading well beyond our ages, including novels written for adults. Mom had been valiently reading trying to read everything we did before we did, and had come to the conclusion that she wasn't going to be able to keep up, we were both so voracious. Therefore, The Talk.

1) Just because it's printed doesn't mean it's true or accurate. Lies can be told in books and magazines too.

2) Not every book is for everybody. Books one of you likes the other might not, and that's ok. And there are books you might enjoy that aren't good for reading out loud to younger siblings.

3) Just because you start reading a book doesn't mean you have to finish it. If you don't like it, or it's gross or too scary or just seems wierd, it's ok and really good to stop reading that one, no matter how many other people seem to like it. [I followed through on this one once, when a friend lent me The Boston Strangler in 7th grade, and I gave it back having only read to page three.... too strange.]

4) Any questions about what you're reading, come and ask! Anything!

Granted, the 1960's were somewhat more innocent, but not so much more so that the same guidance isn't sufficient for the reading of all the treasures of the public library and the full-service bookstore. More books, more reading, not less!

.

4 comments:

Ruth said...

This is great advice. I'm going to pass it on to my sister for my nephews! Thanks.

Mimi said...

What a cool mom!

(I struggle with the "you don't have to finish a book you started" concept, I must admit)

Anonymous said...

As I recall, the first BOOK talk had to do with not cutting pictures out of the Funk&Wagnalls Encyclopedia for school projects, since that was a REAL encyclopedia...We eventually chewed up three editions of the Golden Book Encyclopedia for Children...

For Mimi's enlightenment, not so much a cool Mom, as a Mom who figured we wouldn't be breaking parts of ourselves or playmates while curled up under a shade tree with literature. Mom and most of our younger sibs were fixtures at Akron Children's Hospital during the '60s and '70s.


How's that primary evaluation go? A crying baby is a baby that doesn't have a significant concussion.
If it's bleeding, stop the bleeding.
If it's not bleeding, look for bruises.
If it's bruised, put an ice pack on it.
If it's swelling and isn't bruised, put an ice pack on it, and immobilize it until the X-Ray.
Don't kiss boo-boos until they're washed and bandaged.

The lessons of childhood in a big family...

Tom, 2 of 8, from LaLa land

Karen Marie said...

Tom, you forgot one of the most inmportant first aid rules --- which, granted, we only had to act on once:

If injured child doesn't want to go right back out to play and only wants to go take a nap, keep awake at all costs and go straight to ER.

Maybe I remember that one since I was in charge of keeping Chris awake that one time....

karen marie, first of eight