Mundie Moms

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Banned Books Week-Guest post by Michelle Zink

Sex, Horror, and the KGB

Banned Book Week always feels so personal to me.

As a writer, I hate the idea that a select few have the power to make decisions for many, especially where it involves something as important as reading and teenagers. I also feel hurt and offended on behalf of friends and writers like Ellen Hopkins, whose very important work doesn’t have the opportunity to reach ALL the kids it might benefit because one parent or one reviewer doesn’t approve of it’s content.

But most of all, the banning of books is an affront to me as a reader, because long before I wrote books, I read them voraciously and without regard to content. I preferred selections from my dad’s horror selection, and it wasn’t at all uncommon to find me, at age eleven, with my nose in The Shining or Christine. When I ran out of horror, I turned to spy novels by Robert Ludlum and John LeCarre, and while I didn’t always understand the details, the intrigue and adventure kept me going back for more. I was particularly fascinated with the KGB and CIA and for a time was convinced I would grow up to be a spy. After getting through much of the horror and spy novels we had on hand, I even turned in desperation to Day of Infamy. I’m sure some of the teachers and other adults in my life wondered at the curiosity that would drive a tween to read a book on a psychologically deranged writer one day and a non-fiction account of Pearl Harbor the next, but what can I say? Being without a book for even a day wasn’t an option. Desperate times call for desperate measures and all that! And to their credit, I don’t recall a single one questioning my choice of reading.

As I grew into a teenager, I became fascinated with the trashy romance of Sydney Sheldon, Judith Krantz, and Jacki Collins on my mom’s bookshelves. I remember one shocked foray into the final pages of Looking for Mr. Goodbar as well as a brief experiment with Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask. It was all a little over my head, but I devoured it anyway, not really processing the things I didn’t understand and practically memorizing everything else. Last year during my pre-publication tour for Prophecy of the Sisters, I sat next to a bookseller who once had a conversation over dinner with Syndey Sheldon’s wife who said, “You’d be surprised how many people tell me that most of their sex education came from my late husband’s books.”

I guess I wasn’t alone. ;)

Anyway, the point is, I read far and wide. I read everything I could get my hands on. Some of it would be considered appropriate by the Moral Denizens of today. Much of it wouldn’t.

They don’t know me. They don’t know our children. Could they have known, all the way back in 1980, that I would grow up to write dark, Gothic stories with a supernatural bent to which I largely credit those early hours with Stephen King’s books? Could they have known the many worlds into which I slipped would inspire me not only to read, but also to write for a new generation of young people?

I think not. In fact, I don’t think anyone can know what’s write for someone else’s child, something that holds true for clothing, education, and yes, books. The day we allow few to make decisions for many about something as important as literature is the day we start down that infamous slippery slope.

Let’s put a stop to it while we still can.

Thank you to Michelle Zink, for today's awesome Banned Book Week Post!

Michelle Zink is the author of Prophecy of the Sisters and Guardian of the Gate. To find out more about Michelle and her books please visit her site here http://michellezinkbooks.wordpress.com/

3 comments:

  1. Thank you so much Michelle for this post!! I agree. As a reviewer, I always hope that someone doesn't purchase a book because I didn't like it. There's been many books I've loved, that close friends haven't liked. Even though I may not like the book or the context, that doesn't mean the next reader won't relate to it or love it.

    I can not imagine ever wanting to ban a book because I didn't like it. To me, books are as diverse as people. Just because I didn't like one book, doesn't mean it won't be the next reader's savior from something they're dealing with or going through.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Michelle, thank you so much for this post! I agree, my parents introduced me to Theater of the Absurd and because of them I read more books than there were on the Summer Reading List. It shocks me to see Shakespeare on the Banned Books lists. Seriously, people?? *shakes head*

    ReplyDelete

Labels