Of course one is always cautious about the 'thin edge of the wedge' style politics, in which De Santis, among others, engage. The apical example of our own age is that of the T4 program, which represented the advent of the Holocaust. Killing a few mentally deranged patients beyond a cure might not seem like such a big deal to some. So distribution might well morph into outright bans, even if the former is taken on with the best of intents. I was reading adult fiction at age 12 and I recall being surprised at certain scenes, even though they passed as unimportant in comparison to the overall plotting and characters. As a writer, I am now more concerned with illiteracy in the cultural sense; the out-takes trotted out by book-banning types, many from famous books, surprised me in this other way: they're simply poorly written!
My fullest support for this Bryan. I note that Andy Partridge riffs on Heine in his most apt song 'Books are Burning' (1992). Let me add that to your 'sounds' list.
And more selfishly, a link back to my comments about such 'banned' lists.
Just for interest, even if one might maintain one's doubts, I have had a long and quite intimate conversation with one of the founders of 'Moms for Liberty', the NPO that ALA blames for instigating many of the attempts at book censorship, and just in fairness, their official position is simply about distribution of materials, not outright bans. I imagine I am one of the few authors who agree with this sensibility - with one exception, my fiction books are not for persons under 14 and should not appear in certain school libraries because of this - and the books they have put forward to state their case do seem egregiously irrelevant for children and yet they are to be found in many such venues, and indeed, are mindful of nothing other than Eric Idle's famous MP sketch:
Thanks! I've added the Andy Partridge song to my playlist - we'll see when and if it comes up. I have no issue with deeming books appropriate or inappropriate for certain ages - as a parent, I find the minefield of the bookstore daunting. They might be able to read something, but that doesn't mean they're ready for it. Putting certain books into a 'read-later' pile, I have no problem with. Putting them into a 'you and no one can ever read this' pile - that's nothing short of dangerous.
And yes - the death of appreciating satire is profoundly sad, for so many reasons.
Of course one is always cautious about the 'thin edge of the wedge' style politics, in which De Santis, among others, engage. The apical example of our own age is that of the T4 program, which represented the advent of the Holocaust. Killing a few mentally deranged patients beyond a cure might not seem like such a big deal to some. So distribution might well morph into outright bans, even if the former is taken on with the best of intents. I was reading adult fiction at age 12 and I recall being surprised at certain scenes, even though they passed as unimportant in comparison to the overall plotting and characters. As a writer, I am now more concerned with illiteracy in the cultural sense; the out-takes trotted out by book-banning types, many from famous books, surprised me in this other way: they're simply poorly written!
This is a compelling post Bryan. I appreciate your advocacy.
Thanks! I'm really glad you liked it.
My fullest support for this Bryan. I note that Andy Partridge riffs on Heine in his most apt song 'Books are Burning' (1992). Let me add that to your 'sounds' list.
And more selfishly, a link back to my comments about such 'banned' lists.
https://drgvloewen.substack.com/p/why-the-most-radical-fiction-in-the
Just for interest, even if one might maintain one's doubts, I have had a long and quite intimate conversation with one of the founders of 'Moms for Liberty', the NPO that ALA blames for instigating many of the attempts at book censorship, and just in fairness, their official position is simply about distribution of materials, not outright bans. I imagine I am one of the few authors who agree with this sensibility - with one exception, my fiction books are not for persons under 14 and should not appear in certain school libraries because of this - and the books they have put forward to state their case do seem egregiously irrelevant for children and yet they are to be found in many such venues, and indeed, are mindful of nothing other than Eric Idle's famous MP sketch:
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Eric+Idle+storytime&qpvt=Eric+Idle+storytime&FORM=VDRE
Too bad satire is also falling on deaf ears in this whole falderal. Cheers, Greg
Thanks! I've added the Andy Partridge song to my playlist - we'll see when and if it comes up. I have no issue with deeming books appropriate or inappropriate for certain ages - as a parent, I find the minefield of the bookstore daunting. They might be able to read something, but that doesn't mean they're ready for it. Putting certain books into a 'read-later' pile, I have no problem with. Putting them into a 'you and no one can ever read this' pile - that's nothing short of dangerous.
And yes - the death of appreciating satire is profoundly sad, for so many reasons.
Take care!
Bryan