From the Headdeskery Department comes some asschapping news, thanks to librarian Christine of the Awesome. From Pete Hautman‘s blog comes a write up of the Humble, Texas, Teen Lit Fest, where, due to one librarians complaints, author Ellen Hopkins was disinvited to the 2011 celebration.
From Hopkins’ blog:
Once again, censorship opens its nasty mouth and takes a bite out of me. This time in Humble Texas, a suburb of Houston. Let me say first thing that I did two high school visits there a couple of years ago, and they went very well. The librarians were totally supportive and, in fact, took me to the amazing Houston Rodeo afterward. So when they asked me to take part in the Teen Lit Fest they help organize, I said sure. The event is scheduled for the last weekend in January, 2011. But I won’t be there after all.
Apparently, a middle school librarian saw my name on the roster and decided my presence would somehow negatively affect her students. I’m not sure how that is possible. Maybe she thinks I sweat “edgy and dark.” (Are those things catching?) Anyway, she went to a couple of parents with her concerns. I’m guessing she knew the exact ones who would raise a stink, and they did. They went to the school board, and the superintendent, Guy Sconzo, decided to uninvite me. (He says I was never invited, but I was!)
You know, I’m kind of getting used to this, and I had just about decided not to make a big deal about it. But then another Texas librarian, who is a great supporter, e-mailed Mr. Sconzo. His reply was arrogant and condescending and really made me mad, on two fronts. First, he admitted he “relied on his head librarian’s research” in regard to my books or me or both. Meaning he never bothered to read them himself. (Censors rarely do!) Never bothered to contact me with his concerns. Didn’t listen to the other librarians who lobbied heavily to keep me on the speaker roster, or ask other teen book festival organizers about their experiences with me.
Understandably, this pissed off a lot of people, including the fine folks at the Librarified blog, writer Melissa De La Cruz, and, according to Hautman’s site, authors Matt de la Pena and Tera Lynn Childs (author of the RITA-winning Oh My Gods), who have both withdrawn from the Humble Teen Lit Fest in protest of Hopkins’ disinvitation.
My first thought was, holy smoking jackasses, that’s just ridiculous. What scary horrible things does Hopkins write about?
Her 2004 book Crank was about a young girl who gets hooked on crystal meth. That’s not a hideous problem affecting teens right now or anything, deserving of frank discussion. No, not at all. Her 2009 book, Tricks, is a book told in verse dealing with various teens from different backgrounds experiencing and dealing with… wait for it… oh, gosh you might want to hide under the table here… are you sure you want to know?
Fine, I’ll spoiler it. It’s about
sex.
CAN YOU IMAGINE?! WON’T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN (who won’t get to meet a New York Times best selling author whose books deal directly with scary shit that many children AND parents are completely unprepared to deal with)? CAN YOU IMAGINE THE SCANDAL (if an author whose books are powerfully scary could reach one kid and help them understand why drugs and sex or both might not be the best answer to whatever is hurting them right now)? WHAT THE HELL WAS SHE THINKING (that librarian who decided she knew best and better than everyone, let alone the superintendent who listened to her)?
Raising children is tough business. There is some scary ass shit out there that I don’t know when to mention to my own children, much less how to deal with any of it, but I do know that I learned a powerful amount of fear and the antidote to much of my self-loathing from books. Decisions like these are the lowest form of asshattery, and I want to start screaming and handing out free books. Censorship is not the answer – but maybe knocking heads with hardbacks is?
Ellen Hopkins published the email address of the superintendent on her site, so if you’d like to send a strongly worded (please don’t cuss at him, though it’s tempting) explanation as to why this decision makes you see steamy red demons of rage and sadness, have at it. His name is Guy Sconzo and his email is Guy.Sconzo@humble.k12.tx.us. Please feel free to post your reaction or the email you send in the comments, and holy smacking morons, I hope this decision is reversed, and her publisher plasters Humble, Texas, with copies of her latest book for all who ask for it.
Hell, let’s give away some right here. I’ll pick three comments from this entry and send a copy of her latest book, Tricks. You can accept or donate to your local library. Obvious disclaimers apply: I’m not being compensated for this giveaway, except to ease the raging vitriol currently circling my brain. Censorship blows.
I kept pondering this, and I ended up blogging about it. Anyone is welcome to hop over and read it (http://bit.ly/awlvZI)
Best, and keep on blogging.
As a former Houston resident (Westchester HS, Rice University, and several years after graduation), I’m ashamed that this area should be so short-sighted as to believe that teen literature could be celebrated in a Teen Lit Festival that invites-only-to-uninvite such a noted writer as Ellen Hopkins.
YA lit is not the root of all evil. If teen readers are only allowed to read pablum, they will either grow up to be bland, unquestioning, poorly-educated adults, or they will fiercely beat at the intellectual bars which confined their questions and end up experimenting in real life with the types of damaging behavior behavior that they might have explored vicariously in teen literature and discovered that they preferred other options. That any librarian could be so short-sighted as to not perceive this is an embarrassment to the profession and a disservice to teen readers.
I applaud the authors who have chosen not to attend in support of Ellen Hopkins, but I also applaud those authors who have announced that they will attend so that they can speak out against this act. I hope that their determination will give Humble teens the chance to question the decisions of the Festival organizers, and will also give these teens the opportunity to choose to read Ellen Hopkins, and other honest (how did honesty in writing become elitist in the perception of some commenters, I wonder?) writers for today’s teens.
I abhor this kind of thing. TV is much worse IMO. There’s so much dreg on TV we no longer watch it. No cable, satellite, zip…Our local library has it’s own form of censorship that grinds my hamburger. The Friends group (where people donate books for the sales to raise $ for the library~the library itself often takes donated books because funds are so scarce.) has taken it upon themselves to throw books away if they find the covers offensive. I am still so mad I’m barely coherent about it…They should just have a good old fashioned book burning right on the front lawn. Who died & made them the arbitrators of morality for the community? Sorry….I just get so pissed about this kind of thing…Please enter me, I’ll make sure my 13 yr. old reads it and passes it along…
Wow, I’m shocked! I can’t believe the librarians would do something like that, without even bothering to read her books first. It makes me happy that some authors dropped out to protest!!
I live in Humble, Texas and in addition to banning authors on the first day of school this week my child’s middle school principal said the children were to have a moment of silence (2nd one that day) and then asked those ‘so inclined to say a prayer’ the Head Football coach at the end then said God Bless to the students. Coach is also famous for chasing local skirts. Great example of Christianity. I just laugh. Yes I complained where I also mentioned coaches notorious skirt chasing and was told by the deputy Superintendent it was legal (maybe the skirt chasing not so sure about the religious suggestions) but hey I come from the same school district who banned an award winning New York Times bestselling author from a literary festival because she was too controversial so the whole shebang had to be cancelled because most of the other authors boycotted on behalf of her. And the band director at the hogh school plans to have the band play the Catholic hymn “god of our Fathers’ at EVERY half time football performance. Since he and the Head Football Coach attend that church it works for them. Never mind they’re changing the history books to ban Thomas Jefferson too agnostic.
For those so inclined look up what our founding fathers really believed about Christianity. You might be upset or delighted. Our best President, Lincoln was all but an athiest. Figures it would take someone who got their morals from some place besides the bible to end slavery since the bible (written by rich, elite rulers) condoned it, endorsed it and explained it away. That’s okay though my kids are tops in their classes and have already been accepted at the “elite godless’ universities and I have urged them to flee this area but my kids stand up against their teachers and peers about Christianity being shoved at them.
My sons athletic team, lead by the Captain, says a prayer before and sometimes after every practice where they coerce other kids to pray with them in a circle and if they don’t they harrass them pubically. Don’t you just love Texas and public schools? Privately many tell me they agree with us but are afraid of the harrassment and they admire our principles. I also volunteer more than just about anyone I know for the public schools. I am proud to be a non-christian. My children continue to be well liked and popular despite the shunnings by some. These aren’t exactly the kind of kids I approve of my children hanging out with as they tend not to be self thinkers and actually have a higher rate of pregnancy and STD’s then agnostics/athiests. We also have much higher IQ’s (obviously).
In the meantime my son can’t get a Physics book for his Honor class because they don’t have any but they just opened the brand new Football Stadium last night. Oh I love where Humble ISD puts their priorities. Oh yeah they have pictures of Jesus hanging aroung the high school. None of President Obama cause you know he says he’s Christian but probably is Muslim. You never can be too careful some Librarian might complain if the hang a picture of Obama.
Texan in Humble –
I’ve been thinking about your post, and I’m saddened that your view of Christians has been so tainted. It really is a shame that a faith that can be so inspiring and accepting can be so misconstrued by people who feel it’s been pushed on them. As a Christian I believe this country must keep a separation of church and state. This country is not a Christian country, but allows for all types of beliefs and disbeliefs. I do not support prayer in school. A moment of silence to reflect is fine, but I would never wish to force my personal beliefs on anyone. And, honestly, neither would Jesus. So I’m sorry that you’ve felt that Christians have forced their beliefs on you. That’s really sad.
But the point of this post, is not about Christianity, but about censorship. I admit, many people practice censorship in the name of God or Allah, so it seems fitting to drag religion into the discussion. But all of us censor to a degree – we decide what we’ll allow our children to watch or listen to, but that does not give us the right to force it on others. I am emphatically against censorship. And feel that books such as the ones Ms. Hopkins writes give all parents, whether Christian, Islamic, or Purple People eater, an opportunity to talk about serious problems in our society. Some parents wish to protect and pretend that these sort of issues don’t exist. How wonderful that we have authors willing to explore and be honest with kids about where their choices can lead them. This banning of such an author is a shame all around.
Liz Talley