The book is Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and it is not pornography. I'm not telling you that because I think you're stupid or because being recommended here means that something will necessarily be titillating. I'm telling you because a professor in Missouri is campaigning to have Speak banned because he classifies it as pornography. The two sex scenes in the book depict rape and he thinks that makes it soft core porn.
On the recommendation of my friend, JRH, I read Speak a couple of years ago and went on to read some of Anderson's other work. I love YA fiction and her work is some of the cream of that particular crop. Speak isn't an easy subject but it is an important one. Banning this book, on any grounds, is tantamount to insisting that rape victims everywhere be silent about their assault. You don't have to believe me, read this article on Blogher to see what the author found in the back of her local library's copy of Speak.
Thanks to Sassymonkey for writing that post on Blogher and bringing my attention to the issue. If you're on Twitter please use the hashtag #SpeakLoudly in support of Ms. Anderson, her book and victims of sexual assault everywhere.
tell this doctor to avoid all romance novels. all of them. apparently they'd damage his delicate sensibilities.
ReplyDeletethanks for the recommendation - i won't be able to read it easily (too many triggers, there...) but i know a few people who might find it interesting.
Sounds like something powerful and *gasp* god forbid we let our students read something powerful....thanks for writing about this an raising the awareness!
ReplyDeleteI immediately emailed my librarian mother, who brought it up to a co-worker, who then posted the ordeal on his facebook and twitter. I feel like a phone tree.
ReplyDeleteI later that night had a really interesting conversation with aforementioned librarian mother about censorship. And about young girls. And about sexual abuse. An
I second Michelle--Thanks for raising awareness and promoting conversation.
I really loved that book. Stunned it's being banned.
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