(More) On Censorship

Before delving in to subsequent discussions regarding our (awesome!) assigned class texts, I, a librarian to the core, feel compelled to get a few more things off my chest with regards to last week's censorship discussion.  For, while not typically one to over zealously beat a dead horse (I love horses!) it's a subject that I readily admit gets me all hot and bothered.  And, while I'd like to believe that the teacher, libarians, and teacher-librarians who succumb are few and far between, I think it's safe to say that NOT succumbing to censorship, in any sense of the word, is easier said than done -- even for those of us ardently intellectual freedom folk.  So,...what to do?  Well, a great place to start is to be aware. 

That said, I will admit that one of a personal sensitive topic when it comes to my own reading is that of child abuse.  I, of course, add such titles to the collection I'm responsible for with abandon (hopefully the good ones) but I have a very difficult time actually reading them, despite the fact that I take the responsibility of reading the materials we give students & library users incredibly seriously.  Case in point: "A Child Called It," which is hugely popular (perhaps somewhat disturbingly) with individuals from 5th grade on up, yet you could't pay me enough money to read that book.  There's just no way.

Nevertheless, after reading last week's in class article, "Self-censorship is Rampant and Lethal," I was (1) proud to recall that I'd added "Boy Toy" by Barry Lyga (whom I adore) as soon as it came out, but (2) was ashamed that I had failed to read it because I was adverse to delving into child sexual abuse.  Thus, I determined to remedy that straight away -- and was highly irrate to discover that the copy in our library's collection had gone missing.  Hmmm...

At any rate, it's been reordered, and I aim to read it even if it means doing so a few pages at a time.

The second thing about this article that really struck me was the discussion by Coe Booth (another author I've long intended to read) on the subject of street lit.  I have no idea as to when the phrase was coined, nor by whom, but I must admit that I use it all the time as it's often a selling point for many a reluctant reader.  I do, however, truly hope that I don't do so only when talking Black Lit.  I don't think so, but...again, it's most definitely something to be aware of.  (Out of curiosity, I did a quick google image search, and all the hits I got, you guessed it, depicted African Americans, including the cover of Booth's own debut teen fiction, "Tyrell." -- not ironic exactly, but certainly a factoid of note, and I'd be interested to hear my classmates take on all of the above.  Any takers?)