Texas district uninvites "controversial" author to Teen Lit Fest; other authors withdraw in support

[villager]

Source: Publishers Weekly

Blogs, Twitter, and Facebook have been abuzz in the last 24 hours with news that four YA authors have pulled out of the annual Teen Lit Fest in Humble, Tex., a Houston suburb. The authors withdrew in support of writer Ellen Hopkins, who announced in a blog post last week that she had been disinvited from the festival, which is organized by the Humble Independent School District, and is scheduled for January 2011. In the post, entitled “Censorship Bites,” Hopkins announced that her invitation had been revoked after a middle-school librarian and parents approached a superintendent and the school board about her participation. Hopkins’s novels in verse deal with gritty subject matter: her Crank series, which concludes next month with Fallout, centers on meth addiction, while her 2009 novel, Tricks, was about teen prostitution. “We all feel badly that we’re making this stand,” Hopkins told School Library Journal. “We don’t want our readers to feel like we’re punishing them. But this is about having the right to read our books, and these people don’t have the right to say you can’t.”

In the last few days, four authors who were also scheduled to appear at the festival—Pete Hautman, Melissa de la Cruz, Matt de la Peña, and Tera Lynn Childs—announced in quick succession that they were also withdrawing. “What is important is that a handful of people – the superintendent, the one (one!) librarian, and “several” (three? five?) parents – took it upon themselves to overrule the vast majority of teachers and librarians and students who had chosen one of the most popular YA authors in America to be their headliner,” wrote Hautman in a blog post. “That is a form of censorship as damaging and inexcusable as setting fire to a library.” And on her blog, de la Cruz wrote, “I believe that as a writer, we have to stick up for each other, and against censorship, and against people who want to tell everyone else what to think, what to read, what to watch.” Other authors scheduled to appear at the festival are Sharon Flake, Brian Meehl, and Todd Strasser.

<snip>

Read more: http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/PWxyz/?p=1620

[John Q. Citizen]

1. I hope all the authors refuse to go along with censorship. Kudoos to those who are speaking out here

[happygoluckytoyou]

69. IN A RELATED STORY (sorry related story deleted due to censorshit)

[LWolf]

2. I'm glad to hear it. nt

[Frisbee]

3. I don't get it...

Was she glamorizing Meth and teen prostitution? I seriously doubt it, though I haven't read any of her books. Are the parents and school officials upset that their children/students will find out this stuff exist, because if that's their concern, I has some news that will shock them. I really hope they have to cancel the event because they can't find and author willing to support them and their censorship. They should be ashamed, but I'm sure their not.

[lobodons]

22. Breaking Bad

I will assume these novels treat these subjects much like Breaking Bad treats meth. In a realistic way that shows how fucked up your life becomes when you get messed up with these things.

[sasquuatch55]

49. Texas Commie Bastards!!!!

nt

[Ian David]

4. Say, baby. Put down that pipe and get my pipe up...

Studies in Crap
"Off With Those Pants": Bill O'Reilly Seduces You in Clips From His Dirty Audiobook
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/03/off_with_those.php

[progressoid]

82. That made my Creep-o-meter overload

:eww: :eww: :eww:

[gaiangreentree]

94. Blaaaaargggggghhhhhfffffff

*heaves*

Some warning before you pull that stuff would be appreciated

not trying to censor, just saying that filth needs to come with a warning

[Hestia]

5. I don't ever remember this going on when I was in high school back in the middle ages

we had "Go Ask Alice", which ain't a pretty book, SE Hinton's "The Outsiders", and the others with Pony Boy, et al. (what else?) Not once did my parents ever censor what I read, though they did make suggestions. Heck, I read Jack Douglas books in 10th grade, my parents heard me all over the house laughing about a wolf pissing on the carpet in a NY apt. I mean come'on, I found that in the school library, bet it's not there now.

[TrogL]

7. I went through it with 'Catcher in the Rye'

Later on somebody tried to have "The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe" banned because it wasn't Christian.

[hatrack]

12. Somebody wanted to ban C.S. Lewis because his books "weren't Christian"?

Wow, that's high-octane stupid.

[liberalhistorian]

54. My parents were both English teachers and I was pretty much

allowed to read whatever I wanted; they would then have discussions with me about it. I turned out to be ramrod straight in high school and adulthood (no drinking, drugs, casual sex, or hard partying), whereas those with the censoring helicopter parents, well, let's just say that they went in the opposite direction.

I've never understood parents who insist on group censorship. You don't want your kids to read, watch, listen to, or look at something, fine, then don't allow them to do so. You have that right as far as they're concerned. But those are the key words, as far as they're concerned. You do NOT have the right to make that decision for any other parent and their children. Period. It drove me crazy when my son was growing up when parents would attempt to forbid something for ALL the students just because they didn't want it for their own kids. Good for these authors for sticking up for their fellow writer and I hope all of the invited writers stand behind her.

[pgodbold]

6. When I lived in Portland Ore I fell in with a gaggle of librarians. Best friends I ever had. nt

[awoke_in_2003]

9. when librarians throw a party...

how quiet is it? :)

[MrsBrady]

18. I've worked in three different libraries.

All I can say is that librarians are only quiet because they have to be.
Some of the best jokes I ever heard were told back "in the back"

[LostinVA]

23. Are you kidding?!

Not one other group drinks and parties like a bunch of librarians.

[Missy Vixen]

41. Romance authors do

We work alone. Most are introverts. When we get together, it's time for some drinks.

And yeah, the hotels that host our yearly national conference always seem surprised by this fact.

We heart librarians as well.

[TygrBright]

62. Oh, man... Check out the national ALA convention sometime....

...if you wanna see some SERIOUS party animals.

No drugs, no destroying hotel rooms, just knots of librarians everywhere, kicking off their Birkies under the table, ordering another Margarita, and laughing hysterically at County Commissioner jokes...

informatively,
Bright

[Missy Vixen]

86. We're in NYC next year

We have a Librarian's Day that's pretty well-attended.

If you're in the neighborhood, I hope you'll stop by! I'll buy you a margarita, and we'll listen to everyone else laugh about their rejection letters. ;-)

-MV

[pattmarty]

26. You're also talking Portland, a pretty cool liberal city, not Texas.

[progressoid]

83. ...

I believe they prefer to be called a pod or bevy of librarians. ;)

[pgodbold]

87. Love it! From now on I shall call them pods!

[Jkid]

8. Censorship.

Ensuring that books don't remind you of reality and real issues, and enforcing pure escapism. That is the real reason why the Texas District uninvited the author.

[No Elephants]

10. Solidarity around principle is a wondrous and empowering thing.

[ladywnch]

11. So, what happens when you throw a Teen Lit Fest and no authors

show up? Is it still festive? Is it still literary? I agree, teens should only read about lollipops and sunshine.....that's how they grow up to handle life's struggles.

[Sabriel]

13. I'm surprised Strasser is still attending

One of his books was also the target of censorship (Give a Boy a Gun).

It's a good idea to send thank-you notes to the four who did remove themselves, in support.

[Loki]

14. Humble is just down the road from me

and we are infested with the bible belters who get their panties in a twist if you actually try and teach students anything down here outside of church, god, country and texas. My teenager who is not confrontational, had a science teacher tell him he "wasn't a good "Christian" because he believed in the Theory of Evolution.

[olegramps]

20. I really don't think I could handle living in Texas. It must be a bitch.

[Loki]

84. Believe me

when I can leave this hell hole I won't ever be back.

[knitter4democracy]

15. I've perused Hopkins's work. They're idiots.

Her books are impossible to get in our library, as teens have spread a campaign through their community, getting more and more students to read. She writes verse novels. Seriously--these kids are stealing books from the library and racking up fines and keeping the local bookstore busy because of a series of verse novels.

She definitely should be there, and if she can't be, none of the other authors should be, either.

[RainDog]

16. glad the writers showed solidarity

I know the series.

[DWinNJ]

17. Celebrate Banned Books Week Sept 25 to Oct 2

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read!

http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/info.html

[wookie72]

53. Interesting that To Kill A Mockingbird is listed for racism...

But for the most part the list suggests that its only conservatives banning books, which has never been true. There are a lot of well-meaning people who object to the N-word in Huckleberry FInn.

[Confusious]

72. There was one woman in california

Who said the names of hard drives in computers was racist.

She objected to 'master' and 'slave'

[voteearlyvoteoften]

19. kick

[Yuugal]

21. K&R

[KansasVoter]

24. You got to love Texas! LOL

[Javaman]

28. It's becoming the new florida...

I live in Austin by the way.

[pattmarty]

25. The "new" dark ages are upon us. It ALWAYS works when you..............

........hide your head and pretend that what is happening is NOT happening. We are so fucked.

[MadMaddie]

27. I am surprised that the librarian and superintendent

haven't pulled the books off the shelves and burned them. That's the next step..these fanatics want to rule everyone's lives.

Good for the authors.

[MadMaddie]

29. How do you get teens to enthusiastically read?

Ha...ha..ha.. you attempt to ban the books from the library and ban the author from coming to a book festival.


Ha..ha.. the librarian and the superintendent are idiots. Pssst the kids can order the books from the internet from a number of sites.

Ha..ha..ha..and literacy goes up. :rofl:

[NBachers]

51. "Okay, kids- whatever you do- DON'T READ THESE BOOKS!"

And don't go into the basement if a homicidal maniac has excaped the insane asylum on a night when a thunderstorm rages and the lights go out.

[Wednesdays]

30. Heh, so the author writes about meth and teen prostitution

...did it ever occur to the morans in the school district that maybe the kids learning about meth and teen prostitution can help them avoid those things?

Oh wait, I forgot. "Just say no" is all the kids need to learn. That cures everything. :eyes:

[RaleighNCDUer]

31. Hey, come on, teens shouldn't learn about this kind of stuff from their libraries.

They should get it from their friends and from watching CSI, like everybody else.

[proteus_lives]

32. Censorship sucks.

[eagertolearn]

33. It happens all the time in schools in more conservative areas

Censorship in Biology, the library,with plays and with the school nurse in the schools. It is sad. The parents who believe in this spend so much energy trying to block reality from their kids that they don't seem to notice that their kids are drinking and having sex. The best thing you can do is talk about what is happening in the world outside their church and protective homes. As soon as they leave it will be a shock. I handed my kids Go Ask Alice and It Happened to (? forgot the name but it's about a high school girl who gets AIDS from her 1st sexual encounter) when they were in middle school. Then we talked about them. My girls are doing a lot better than those who were protected when it comes to drinking and sex. It is very sad. We fought a censored play in our high school and it ended up being performed at our local college,with Steve Martins financial help (he wrote the play), and over 1,000 people saw it because of the fight. I hope more authors refuse to go.

[Uncle Joe]

34. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, villager.

[wookie72]

35. Torn on this

It's funny, but I'm torn on this. I hate all censorship. However, I know the books, and they're trash, not because of their subject matter (which is pretty sensational) but because they're horribly written. They're written in verse form, and believe me, Hopkins is no J.K. Rowling. I would probably boycott it as well if I were in the other author's position, but sometimes fighting censorship calls for sticking up for crap.

[xxqqqzme]

40. wow, who knew

a 15 yr old literary critic!

[wookie72]

46. Actually, I work at a bookstore

And they're shit. A lot better stuff out there available for teens.

Hell, when I was that age I was reading Hitch-Hiker's Guide and Vonnegut. Not great literature, but better than this.

[chervilant]

63. hmm...

So, neither Douglas Adams nor Kurt Vonnegut produced 'great literature'? Whatever...

Your personal opinion should not drive a child's choice of literature, ever.

[wookie72]

67. What if I was a parent?

Are you a parent? If your kid brought home something you found offensive, you wouldn't object? You wouldn't be upset it your kid brought home Justine by de Sade?

I have never said to a teen that they shouldn't read that. I *have* informed parents that some books might have stuff they find objectionable, and that they should read it themselves first.
(Morally, I have more of a problem with Stephenie Meyer's stalker fan fiction than Hopkins' stuff, but in terms of literary quality, Meyer comes out ahead of Hopkins.

Vonnegut may be close to great literature (I have a feeling he'd blanch at such a suggestion) but Douglas Adams is a fun, popular writer, nothing more.

[chervilant]

92. Well,

since you asked--and since you apparently read--I suggest you look to Magical Child (Joseph Chilton Pearce) and For Your Own Good (Alice Miller) for a glimpse at why I say one should never tell a teen not to read a book...any book (even a book that you, as a proverbial parent, find offensive).

BTW, as a pre-teen, I was already reading books (including Vonnegut, Marx, Weber, Heller, Salinger, and Camus, to name a few) my parents would have found offensive, had they made it an issue to track my reading choices. Instead, they were thrilled that I was reading voraciously (although my father thought science fiction was an egregious waste of my time). I could and did discern great literature--provocative literature--from the banal. If a book was poorly written; if I personally found the book offensive, I would move on to something else.

Your opinions of Vonnegut and Adams, for what they're worth, are duly noted. I'm sure you understand that others disagree with you on one or both, and that should not get your wee panties in a wad.

[Missy Vixen]

42. They're not written for you

They're written for teens 12-18. There's also a book in the YA section of our local Borders written entirely in text-speak.

Is it what I'd like to read? Probably not. Is it "trash" because I don't like it? NO.

Why don't you post the first chapter of your magnum opus? I look forward to reading it.

[wookie72]

47. I actually have written a bit

But that's not the point.
Just because it's been challenged doesn't mean it's above criticism.
There are plenty of good authors writing for teens. Hopkins is not one of them.

[wookie72]

52. Oh, also

The surest way to get a YA novel published these days (other than having sexy vampires, sigh) is to tackle "controversial" subjects. Lot of crap being published out there.

[LanternWaste]

75. By "these days", we can assume you are going back 30 years....?

By "these days", we can assume you referring to the past thirty years or so when Judy Blume (an author of very controversial material by anyone's standards) was a prolific author of books found in schools?

[wookie72]

90. Judy Blume was a drop in the bucket

Compared to what's popular right now. The YA section has grown exponentially in the last few years. At the store where I work it had to be moved twice because it had gotten too big.

And there's a lot of authors doing good stuff based on serious issues, but there are some that just exploit it to get noticed.

[Missy Vixen]

85. Thanks for playing

>Lot of crap being published out there.<

The YA authors I know worked for years to be published. If their books were unreadable, they wouldn't be on the shelves, and readers wouldn't be snapping them up to the tune of a 19% increase in sales over the past YEAR. That stat appeared in this morning's Publishers Weekly.

[wookie72]

91. "If their books were unreadable, they wouldn't be on the shelves"

Sure, because that's so true for general fiction. Each book a potential Pulitzer winner. That's why Nora Roberts' latest cut-and-paste outsells Joyce Carol Oates and Philip Roth by the hundreds. I'd say your stat shows the opposite - that there's a growing market for teen fiction, which means that the market is being flooded with cheap vampire stuff and "edgy" books.

The Hopkins books may be in "verse form," which might seem challenging, but it's the kind of blank verse that high school students put out. (I guess that's fitting, but it's hardly challenging material, and the verse form allows for a lot of white space to make the books seem thicker than they actually are.

I have never said ban Hopkins. But don't hold her up as the best of YA lit. that's just insulting to other authors.

[Missy Vixen]

70. Actually, it is

the point, and it's not the first time I've had a discussion on DU with someone who can't wait to pitch on YA authors, but won't post their own work.

>Just because it's been challenged doesn't mean it's above criticism.<

That's interesting. I've read favorable reviews of Hopkins' work. One thing's for sure, she's speaking, and teens are listening.

[wookie72]

77. What-ever...

I don't have to answer to you in terms of writing talent, all I know is that to me they're not very good.

[DainBramaged]

81. We got questionable motives everywhere on the DU

and when they come to compare the Blue states to the Red states, you HAVE to wonder about the motives.


:hi:

[wookie72]

89. Seriously?

Ever heard of people in glass houses?

My point was that there are censor-happy people everywhere.

Am I supposed to say that all evil in the world comes from Red states? Because frankly that's bullshit.

[LanternWaste]

74. I think you confuse criticism with censorship...

"Just because it's been challenged doesn't mean it's above criticism..."
I think you confuse criticism with censorship.


"There are plenty of good authors writing for teens. Hopkins is not one of them..."
So says your lay opinion which is no more, nor no less valid than the lay opinion of someone who believe Hopkins to be a good author.

[wookie72]

78. Not really.

When did i ever say it was worthy of censorship? I simply pointed out that sometimes fighting censorship means defending stuff you think is mediocre.

[Hannah Bell]

45. wouldn't want the kids reading any poetry.....

[wookie72]

48. Not sure where you got that from...

I read the Odyssey in high school, believe me, Hopkins is no Homer. She's barely even on the level of Jewel.

[Iggo]

57. We get it. You don't like it. Sheesh.

"I hate all censorship. However..."

No However about it.

Either you is or you ain't.

Whether or not you like Hopkins's work is irrelevant.

(EDIT: I misquoted you...sorry.)

[wookie72]

59. So..

You would stick up for, say, 2 Live Crew?

I totally agree with you. I think the librarian is being fascisitic, not to mention stupid, because the one thing that gets more kids interested in something is to say it's not good for them. There was an Onion article about kids being really disappointed with the books on a banned list, because they were boring and tame.

But I'm not going to censor my opinion on what I think is bad literature.

[Iggo]

66. I'm just saying it's two different things, not an either/or.

"I'm against censorship" is not the opposite of "I dislike the author's work."

The two are completely unrelated.

[wookie72]

68. Point taken.

Let me put it this way... I would never say to a kid "don't read Ellen Hopkins." However, if one asks me what's good to read (you know, part of my job) her books would not be the first to which I would direct them.

[texastoast]

55. They are not sticking up for trash

They are fighting against censorship. They got the big picture in mind. This author nor her work are the subject of this fight--just the catalysts.

We had the same kind of nutters due west of Humble a few years ago in puckertight Shenandoah, Texas, where we put fig leaves on reproductions of The David because that penis really shouldn't be there for everyone to see. Our nutters wanted to remove books from our local library--seems like it was the two moms story.

Now OUR librarian said not no but hell no in this 78% straight Republican ticket neighborhood and we had one hell of a book fight here with the nutters getting some library non-financing deal on the ballot. The nutters lost. That little librarian held her ground and ended up getting I believe it was a $25,000 award from one of the big library associations for winning her stand against censorship.

Now that Humble librarian is a freaking idiot and very unAmerican.

[wookie72]

58. I think the other authors did the right thing

But it reminds me of what Dennis Miller (back before he went nutso) about 2 Live Crew: "you have to admit it's a really bad album."

[woo me with science]

93. There's a difference between censoring a book

and not choosing it to be among a group of highlighted books.

I haven't read this particular book, so I don't have an opinion on praising it or not, but I don't think I see "censorship" here....just a decision not to laud.

[donco6]

95. "Hopkins is no J.K. Rowling" - that's probably a good thing.

If you're thinking that's a put-down, you're sadly mistaken.

[hamsterjill]

36. Good for the others for standing solid!

Good for the other authors for refusing to participate. When people stand together it is both courageous and effective.

I live in Texas and this shit (censorship) needs to be stopped in its tracks!

[bora13]

37. I would have shown up anyway

show those fascists...

[wookie72]

38. Oh, and we liberals shouldn't be too smug...

For one thing, a quick look at the school libraries that ban books will turn up at least a few in blue states (and even, gasp, Canada). As well, it's not always for conservative reasons that books get banned. Huckleberry Finn has been banned for its racist language by well-meaning people.

[DainBramaged]

50. The majority ARE IN red states

Texas, embarassing America since 1800 something

[wookie72]

60. source please?

It wouldn't surprise me, but even if a minority of the books being banned are in blue states, that's too many.

Nat Hentoff (a free speech absolutist) wrote a book called "Free Speech For Me But Not For Thee" which was very enlightening. Among other things, he documents the PC movement of the 80s and 90s, which had real ramifications in terms of speech codes at universities (including such red state bastions as Harvard).

[DainBramaged]

61. Google is your friend, I'm busy

If you think that more books are being banned in Blue DEMOCRATIC states, keep believing that.


Sometimes the smallest comments expose the underbelly of truth.......about people hmmmmmmm.

[wookie72]

64. "The underbelly of truth.....about people"

the truth about you is that apparently you don't bother to read before you comment.

"even if a minority of the books being banned are in blue states, that's too many." Not a majority. Not more books being banned in Democratic states.

My point was that censorship is not some Red/Blue state issue, any more than racism is.

[DainBramaged]

71. (sigh) whatever believe what you wish, and make sure you let the world know you are right

in your own mind.

http://childrensbooks.about.com/cs/censorship/a/censorship.htm

http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm

http://www.booksatoz.com/censorship/banned.htm


http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/bannedbooksweek/bookburning/21stcentury/21stcentury.cfm


Go play in the library

[wookie72]

79. Lots of pretty links...

Few of which actually compare states.

This, however does...

http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/Mapofbookcensorship.html

Quite a few blue states there. No, not the majority, but never said it was.

[DainBramaged]

80. Let it fucking go

goodbye


Amazing, so so so concerned about book banning in BLUE states. Thank dog you can try and convince someone else to follow your lead. I certainly won't be.

[wookie72]

88. What a gracious attitude

My main point being that we shouldn't be so smug about these things only happening in red states, because there are people who do the same thing in blue states. Apparently your reading comprehension hasn't reached that level yet.

[DeSwiss]

39. K&R n/t

[DainBramaged]

43. the superintendent, the one (one!) librarian, and “several” (three? five?) parents

Red state America, don't ya love it.




Scaridy assholes.

[wookie72]

44. Read my comment above

It ain't just Red States, and we shouldn't kid ourselves about that.

[txlibdem]

56. Perhaps if they actually read the book that they say guides all their actions

they would be able to make better decisions about discriminating against their fellow man, stealing, adultery, etc.

[KamaAina]

65. One of my dear friends has written a teen book with a lesbian theme

"Name Me Nobody" by Lois-Ann Yamanaka.

I would imagine she would have joined the exodus had they had the sense to invite her in the first place.

[davsand]

73. You gotta give them credit for teaching about censorship and the arts--up-close and personal!

What a wonderful way to illustrate censorship--you have to admit! My kid would probably be on the front line with a picket sign had anybody done that locally. She reads pretty much what she wants, and my husband or I will usually sit down and read it too. That way we can talk about it (which she seems to enjoy.)

I can't say I am impressed with the writing quality of the whole Twilight series, but I will admit that some of the other YA novels I've seen in the last year have been pretty good stuff. I dunno if I do my kid any favors or not, but I do offer comments about my opinion of the writing on occasion. (I offer comments about the writing quality of the stuff I read for fun too--so I don't think there's too much hypocrisy going on here...)

I've always thought it was important for her to be able to read for fun even IF the literary merit is scarce. Taste develops with exposure, and the more she reads the better off she's gonna be.

YMMV.



Laura

[Stargazer09]

76. I can thank my kids

For introducing me to Harry Potter. They got hooked on the series, so I decided to read the first book to see what the fuss was all about. JK Rowling is actually responsible for my second son's love of reading; until that series, he absolutely HATED reading and would only read what his teachers required him to read. Now, he's majoring in English and writing in college. :D

My younger children are into the Percy Jackson series now. We saw the movie, and we're going to read the books together. I've always loved Greek mythology, so it should be a lot of fun.