Musings on Banned Books

Banned Book List for 2014
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When I read over the banned book list, I realized that I had read quite a few of them for school. Some I read for leisure after I had graduated from school. However, I was surprised at how many banned books that I had unwittingly read, since so few of them seemed to have perturbed me.

 The banned books and other classics that I read for school were actually meant to be read only by mature people. As teenagers, we often missed the point that the author was making. But since it was probably the only exposure that we would have to any serious literature, we were required to read them.

 The banned book that everyone wanted to read was J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye.” At the time, it was not considered worth studying. However, we had heard about it being smutty and vulgar. So, naturally everyone had to read it on the sly.

 Meanwhile, the state school board required that everyone read “Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain. Even though it was reported to be racist, they still wanted us to read Twain’s classic of American literature. At the time, my school was a majority African-American/ Hispanic high school. Half the students had problems with the dialect of the characters, while the other half with the culture it portrayed. Racism was the last thing on people’s minds as to why they disliked the book.

 The other books that we had to read for American literature class were “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Red Badge of Courage” by Stephen Crane, and “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The complaints that my class had about all these books was that someone always ended up dying in them. We were so sick of reading about dead and dying characters that we revolted and stopped reading. As far as I know, none of these books were banned because for having too many deaths depicted. What adults failed to realize is that teenagers do not share their sensibilities. Each group is shocked by unrelated things.

 With the other banned books that I read as an adult, I was unaware of any controversy. “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury and “Stranger in a Strange Land” by Robert Heinlein, I read since I enjoy science fiction. However, I disliked Heinlein’s fascist overtones in his book. I was thrilled to read “Our Bodies, Ourselves” by the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. Finally a book about women’s health issues written by and for women! “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” by Dee Brown fascinated me with its counter point of view of history. However, I disliked Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind” because for me, it was a racist soap opera.

 I met people who both loved and hated these books. I think that each book, in its own way, make adults uncomfortable. Moreover, I think that some adults transfer their discomfort to children. Rather than realizing that people do have the freedom not to read, certain adults decided to instead ban these books. Personally, I think that the more attention paid to these books, the more people will want to read them. (Consider “Catcher in the Rye.”) As for whether children would be troubled by them, people such as Stephen King, noted horror author, have pointed out that what bothers children is different from what adults are concerned about.

Animals: Review: The Meerkat Wars by H.S. Toshack

“The Meerkat Wars”, H.S. Toshack, Paka Mdogo Press: 2010.

Quite by accident, Sheena, a small black and white cat, becomes a part of the meerkat wars.  After saving the life of young Pebble, she carries him back to his home at the meerkat burrow of Deepend.  While with the Duwara tribe of meerkats, Sheena learns of their conflict with their rivals, the Utongo.

This exciting opening of H.S. Toshack’s story draws us into “The Meerkat Wars”.  Younger readers will want to know what happens next.  Set in a national park in Africa, this book chronicles Sheena’s adventures in resolving the conflict between the two meerkat tribes.

Through Sheena’s adventures, the author introduces us to the great variety of animals on the African savannah.  We become a part of not only the lives of the meerkats but also the porcupines, cheetahs, and others.  While reading this book, we discover their caring and love for their little ones and old ones.  For a brief time, all these animals become a part of our lives, and we care about their futures.

This young adult book is focused on having children explore the world of Sheena and the two tribes of meerkats.  Each short chapter starts with a riddle poem, thereby setting the theme and encouraging the child to find out more.  Also within each chapter is a lively illustration that highlights a major point of the story thus far.

In “The Meerkat Wars”, Mr. Toshack tackles the serious issues of bias and prejudice with gentleness and sensitivity.  We see the meerkats from Sheena’s neutral point of view.  We feel their struggle over who will live under the One True Sun.  Meanwhile, Sheena goes from interested bystander to active peace negotiator.  Through Sheena’s discoveries about herself and the meerkats, we find ourselves rooting for Sheena to succeed.

I recommend this book for children who read chapter books.  It is a marvelous book for a parent or teacher to read out loud as a part of their story hour.  In addition, the publisher offers an on-line set of resources for helping young readers enjoy the book.

Come and explore the world of the African savannah through the eyes of a small black and white cat.  Be enthralled with the lives of the animals that live there.  Together with your child, enjoy the poignant and satisfying end.

Review: "The Sun and The Moon", Brian McClure

“The Sun and the Moon”,  Author: Brian D. McClure, Illustrated By: Buddy Plumlee, Hardcover: 36 Pages, Universal Flag, Lisle, IL, 2008

Advertised as a book for children ages from 1 to 100, “The Sun and the Moon” can be enjoyed by the entire family. One Sunday afternoon, I read the book to my assembled family. This diverse and picky group of people loved Mr. McClure’s story. Adding to their enjoyment was the ending: “We are One.”

An argument between the two old friends – the Sun and the Moon – caused the earth to freeze. Then as the two heavenly bodies began to feel out-of-sorts, they became sad. Upon hearing a sound from the earth, the Sun and the Moon saw how much the earth was suffering because of their stupid fight. Realising how they, the earth, you, and I are all interconnected, the Sun and Moon apologized to each other. Then together, they restored the earth to wholeness again.

I shall not tell you what the sound was that the Sun and the Moon heard. You will need to find that out by reading the book yourself. I shall give you a clue though -- it came from you and me.

Sitting with my child, as we looked at the illustrations, we felt that we too were a part of the story. The Sun and the Moon both looked like what we can see outside our window. Their faces of anger, sadness, and joy were done in subtle brush strokes by Mr. Plumlee. Because of his art work, we could easily connect to them and the other characters in the book.

As the illustrations help us to be a part of the story, so does the writing. Mr. McClure asks us to consider our feelings of fear. Feeling afraid, we would rather fight with each other, than remain friends. However once we realise that we are One, our fear will leave us.

As the book states, “It happened one day right out of the blue,
the Sun told the Moon he was tired and through.
"What do you mean?" the Moon asked the Sun,
"That would be the end of everything, and that wouldn’t be fun!"

Read for yourself. Better yet, read out loud for your family to hear. Even better read with a child. Enjoy the feeling of Oneness with the Universe, and the serenity that this book brings.

You can purchase this book and others directly from UniversalFlag, the author’s website, UniversalFlag
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"Toad Rage" by Morris Gleitzman

I have been reading a children's book written about Cane Toads in Australia. This book is from the Toad's point of view. The story is of a young cane toad who goes on an epic journey to understand why humans hate his kind. He finds out that the answer is more complicated than he ever thought. But he also finds out how to save his family from getting squashed by cars.

It is a refreshing book from a unique point of view. Cane Toads are considered pests in Australia.



Toad Rage
By Morris Gleitzman
Release date: 11 January, 2005

"An Introduction to Roman Religion"

John Scheid, “An Introduction to Roman Religion”, (Translated by Janet Lloyd 2003, Indiana University Press, 1998, USA, ISBN 0-253-34377-1).

I recommend John Scheid’s excellent book for an introduction to the Roman religion. In his book, the author emphasizes the major role that the Roman religion had in Roman government, both in the Republic and later in the Empire. Also, he analyzes the Romans’ perceptions of space and time, rituals, sacrifices, and their deities.

More importantly, Mr. Scheid tackles how modern people should interpret the intent of ancient Romans. How can people see the Roman religion beyond the prism of Christianity? Studying the religion of the Romans is more than comparing it to other Pagan religions such as the Norse. The author stresses that scholars need to decolonize the religion of the Romans from their modern sensibilities.

He writes, “But none of us can escape our prejudices and the assumptions drawn from our own society and history. Even if we were to bury ourselves in antiquity and read only the ancient sources, we would still hardly be able to guard against those insidious influences. A better tact is to remain conscious of weight brought to bear by the recent past and the implicit cultural attitudes which threaten to distort our judgment, and then act accordingly, with those influences in mind.” p.17.

Rome, the city, had also a major function in the Roman religion. The City defined both time and space. Gods of death and destruction had their sanctuaries outside the Pomerium (City boundaries as defined by Romulus, the Founder.) As Rome grew and added more Deities, those who were hostile to Rome, had their shrines outside the Pomerium. Meanwhile, the founding of the City and other important historical events determined the religious calendar.

According to John Scheid, the Roman religion fostered liberty and dignity for both the Romans and their Kindreds. The Romans approached their Kindreds with reason, and not in fear. They saw their relationship with their Deities as one of a client-patron relationship. The clients (people) provided support, while the patrons (Gods) provided favors. Together, they brought about the common good for Rome.

Because there was a compact between the Gods, the Senate, and the People of Rome, everything depended on proper ritual and sacrifice. By the auspices, the Gods informed the magistrates of their Will. However, the interpretation of the auspices could be contested by anyone with standing in the government. Therefore, the magistrates had to be mindful of the will of the People in their interpretations.

The Roman Civil Wars disrupted their religion. Since Caesar and Pompeii had equal standing, they fought over who the Gods wanted for Rome. When Octavian became Emperor Augustus, he reformed the religion. He changed the taking of the auspices from granting public liberty to ensuring his personal power. In addition, Augustus began the Cult of the Emperors by deifying Julius Caesar, his uncle.

The author sums up the religion of the Romans, thusly, “As we have seen, the only religious ‘belief’ for Romans consisted in the knowledge that the gods were the benevolent partners of mortals in the management of the world, and that the prescribed rituals represented the rightly expected counterpart to the help offered by the immortals.” P. 173

Shameless Self-Promotion: BOOK SIGNING

Meet and Greet Your Intrepid Blogger at

The Whispering Bear
310-C Mill Street
Occoquan, Virginia
USA

January 13, 2008
1PM-5PM

I will be signing my seven published books.

For those who cannot make the signing, you can order my books and request for a signed copied.

My Book Catalog is at:
http://funkman.org/animal/services/catalog.html

Books include:

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DISCOVERING ANIMAL WISDOM

“Finding Your Animal Teachers” by Virginia Carper

“Learning From Your Animal Teachers” by Virginia Carper

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WISDOM FROM THE ANIMALS

“Mammals (Volume One)” by Virginia Carper

“Birds (Volume Two)” by Virginia Carper

“Insects, Reptiles, and Fish (Volume Three)” by Virginia Carper

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MYTHICAL ANIMALS

“Dragons!” by Virginia Carper

“Mythic Animals!” by Virginia Carper

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