Comments on: My alma mater censors a book http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/12/my-alma-mater-censors-a-book/ Young adult fiction news and reviews Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:30:25 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: brina http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/12/my-alma-mater-censors-a-book/comment-page-1/#comment-1306 brina Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:59:51 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=269#comment-1306 Maggie, you are absolutely right. I'm going to ask my friend who is attending the NR BOE meeting tonight for details on what happens there -- hopefully quite a few people will turn out and complain. Loudly, but rationally. Updates to come in a day or two, in this same thread. Maggie, you are absolutely right. I’m going to ask my friend who is attending the NR BOE meeting tonight for details on what happens there — hopefully quite a few people will turn out and complain. Loudly, but rationally.

Updates to come in a day or two, in this same thread.

]]> By: Maggie Stiefvater http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/12/my-alma-mater-censors-a-book/comment-page-1/#comment-1305 Maggie Stiefvater Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:11:15 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=269#comment-1305 I have to say it irritates me more to see a few pages removed than an entire book not taught/ included in a school. Not only are you playing around with censorship then, you're also screwing around with the story and pacing, because guess what, babes, now you're editing, and THAT I'm not cool with. Point is, the truth is truth, facts is facts, and the book is the book. You don't like it, don't teach it. But don't go ripping pages out. I have to say it irritates me more to see a few pages removed than an entire book not taught/ included in a school. Not only are you playing around with censorship then, you’re also screwing around with the story and pacing, because guess what, babes, now you’re editing, and THAT I’m not cool with.

Point is, the truth is truth, facts is facts, and the book is the book. You don’t like it, don’t teach it. But don’t go ripping pages out.

]]> By: brina http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/12/my-alma-mater-censors-a-book/comment-page-1/#comment-1302 brina Sun, 14 Dec 2008 02:19:08 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=269#comment-1302 PS. I totally didn't know about the Catholic church having covered up parts of the Sistine Chapel for modesty's sake. It figures, though. PS. I totally didn’t know about the Catholic church having covered up parts of the Sistine Chapel for modesty’s sake. It figures, though.

]]> By: brina http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/12/my-alma-mater-censors-a-book/comment-page-1/#comment-1301 brina Sun, 14 Dec 2008 02:18:35 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=269#comment-1301 Nina, can you read any modernist novel? I, alas, have not gotten around to Virginia Woolf in spite of meaning to forever. But I can highly recommend: Franz Kafka (and you could do a doozy of a project if you could get your teacher/professor let you compare <i>The Metamorphis</i> by Kafka with <i>Fly on the Wall</i> by E. Lockhart, though you'd have to find a creative way to compare the two other than plot devices). Hemingway and Fitzgerald would also work, but I personally never warmed up to either of them. (Don't get me wrong -- <i>The Great Gatsby</i> is brilliant -- but it doesn't have any <i>soul</i> for me.) In fact, other than Kafka, I can't think of a single modernist I really love/loved. Except maybe Ralph Waldo Ellison (<i>The Invisible Man</i>) or Kate Chopin (<i>The Awakening</i>). Nina, can you read any modernist novel? I, alas, have not gotten around to Virginia Woolf in spite of meaning to forever. But I can highly recommend: Franz Kafka (and you could do a doozy of a project if you could get your teacher/professor let you compare The Metamorphis by Kafka with Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart, though you’d have to find a creative way to compare the two other than plot devices).

Hemingway and Fitzgerald would also work, but I personally never warmed up to either of them. (Don’t get me wrong — The Great Gatsby is brilliant — but it doesn’t have any soul for me.)

In fact, other than Kafka, I can’t think of a single modernist I really love/loved. Except maybe Ralph Waldo Ellison (The Invisible Man) or Kate Chopin (The Awakening).

]]> By: Nina http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/12/my-alma-mater-censors-a-book/comment-page-1/#comment-1300 Nina Sat, 13 Dec 2008 00:48:02 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=269#comment-1300 You're actually pretty dead-on about the Michelangelo cover-up. At one point, the Catholic Church put 'modesty drapes' on the Sistine Chapel to cover up some of the nude bits. They were only pretty recently removed, when the whole ceiling was restored in the 80s/90s. So really, this kind of censorship is nothing new. I had NO idea that Girl, Interrupted was a book. I'll definitely check that out over break. As a totally random side note, does anyone have any opinions on Virginia Woolf? I've got to read a modernist novel for an English project, and despite every adult I know raving over her, the previews of her writing (so. Many. Run-ons.) on Amazon are scaring me off. You’re actually pretty dead-on about the Michelangelo cover-up. At one point, the Catholic Church put ‘modesty drapes’ on the Sistine Chapel to cover up some of the nude bits. They were only pretty recently removed, when the whole ceiling was restored in the 80s/90s. So really, this kind of censorship is nothing new.
I had NO idea that Girl, Interrupted was a book. I’ll definitely check that out over break.

As a totally random side note, does anyone have any opinions on Virginia Woolf? I’ve got to read a modernist novel for an English project, and despite every adult I know raving over her, the previews of her writing (so. Many. Run-ons.) on Amazon are scaring me off.

]]> By: TB http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/12/my-alma-mater-censors-a-book/comment-page-1/#comment-1298 TB Fri, 12 Dec 2008 05:12:55 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=269#comment-1298 It's uncivilized and barbaric. Like where did whoever tore out these pages learn this behavior? A Renaissance fair? Tally ho! It’s uncivilized and barbaric. Like where did whoever tore out these pages learn this behavior? A Renaissance fair?

Tally ho!

]]> By: brina http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/12/my-alma-mater-censors-a-book/comment-page-1/#comment-1296 brina Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:49:42 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=269#comment-1296 Jami, I was thinking of Meg when I was writing this, imagining she would revel in such a thing. And that Maureen Johnson would do a whole video post about her high school censoring a book. And I was remembering various other authors being psyched about being banned. But having pages ripped out of your book is worse than being banned. It's disgraceful. A school district is effectively destroying a work of art -- or blotting part of it out, at least. Imagine what would happen if we had to do that with every work of art that hinted at or referenced sex. We'd have to put clothes on Michelangelo's David, or we'd have to cut part of it off and make it look like an over-sized Ken doll. As for the holiday shopping guide, YA NY is on it, too. I'll have book recommendations for you all -- both some of this year's best and some classics. Jami will have film recommendations. And, just to mix things up, Jami may recommend some books and I may recommend some films. Oooh! Jami, I was thinking of Meg when I was writing this, imagining she would revel in such a thing. And that Maureen Johnson would do a whole video post about her high school censoring a book. And I was remembering various other authors being psyched about being banned.

But having pages ripped out of your book is worse than being banned. It’s disgraceful. A school district is effectively destroying a work of art — or blotting part of it out, at least. Imagine what would happen if we had to do that with every work of art that hinted at or referenced sex. We’d have to put clothes on Michelangelo’s David, or we’d have to cut part of it off and make it look like an over-sized Ken doll.

As for the holiday shopping guide, YA NY is on it, too. I’ll have book recommendations for you all — both some of this year’s best and some classics. Jami will have film recommendations. And, just to mix things up, Jami may recommend some books and I may recommend some films. Oooh!

]]> By: Jami B http://www.yanewyork.com/2008/12/my-alma-mater-censors-a-book/comment-page-1/#comment-1295 Jami B Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:00:30 +0000 http://www.yanewyork.com/?p=269#comment-1295 Ahhh, censorship. Meg Cabot gets all excited when she gets censored ... at one point she was trying to solicit fans to help her get on a banned book list. :) Sorry. Your post totally reminded me of that. Ha: http://www.megcabot.com/diary/?p=467 Of course, your post also reminds me that I have a Holiday Shopping Guide to get cracking on ... YALA is on it! Ahhh, censorship.

Meg Cabot gets all excited when she gets censored … at one point she was trying to solicit fans to help her get on a banned book list. :)

Sorry. Your post totally reminded me of that. Ha: http://www.megcabot.com/diary/?p=467

Of course, your post also reminds me that I have a Holiday Shopping Guide to get cracking on … YALA is on it!

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