Last week was Official Banned Books Week! YEAH! But should such an important topic be given merely a week? The publicists with American Library Association, on behalf of all books and our lawful liberty to choose our books, chose Freedom to Read as a catchy title for the week’s events. As a proponent of readers’ choice, with help from parents and educators not school boards and states, I like the motto that spotlights choosing books you want to read.
But now, I find myself a little bummed because California now prohibits banning books. The Governor banned bans of books (that’s a mouthful) and said schools will be fined if they pull books that are diverse and inclusive. The Governor didn’t say anything about banning boring books!On the top of my list would be the Geology Textbook I had to read (I love rocks isn’t because of a dry telling of all the cool things about them) and Tortilla Flat. Maybe it’s me, but I’ve long felt Steinbeck was off the mark and really boring, too. (Don’t hate me! I love other Steinbeck books!) Of course, I wouldn’t burn theses books. And while some have said Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby is boring (and filled with violence, sex, and anti-capitalist sentiment ), to those people I say, you didn’t study the book with me!
Why has the Gov done this now? On the tip of my tongue (or fingers) is “Duh!” Some people have gone mad with power and ripped books off teacher and library shelves, determining their choice is the best choice. However, the media has specifically pointed out as cause: Murrietta school board who pulled books because they negatively portrayed former President Donald Trump and contained critical race theory elements. In their sheeple steps, Tehmecula’s school board rejected books because they included Harvey Milk, California’s first openly gay elected public official. SourceBooks must “accurately portray the cultural and racial diversity of our society.” Good. Tortilla Flat will definitely be banned. I recommend picking up Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima instead. It’s a loving portrayal of Southwestern Latinos, filled with mysticism, tortillas, and an awesome abuela — grandmother — figure. So many are wary of the “witches” in the story, but we’re meant to despise the characters who twist and corrupt everything. Of course, the war mentioned in the book is a much worse evil.
While I won’t comment on what your littles are reading — because that’s up to parents!– for your mature teens book list, I highly recommend Looking for Alaska (yes, drugs, sex, and mental health are in this John Green gem) because of its exploration of the confusion of adolescence and moving beyond of the maze of destructive thinking. I’d recommend Kindred, Bus 57, and just about anything written by Jason Reynolds and John Green. Of course, there are wonderful classics on the banned books lists, To Kill A Mockingbird, 1984, and as I mentioned Great Gatsby. I can’t tell you all the books to read. Partly because my list is much too long and partly because it’s a matter of FREE choice.I can warn you about one of the books on banned list: The Bluest Eye, not because of the sexual abuse of the main character’s father, but because when I read it, I was floored, mouth gaping, dazzled by its contents. Toni Morrison eloquently captures the tenderness of trauma and the consequences of our turning away, as if societal beauty standards are harmless. I was so moved that I was rendered mute with an episode of fangirl (reserved mostly for authors and artists) when I met the author at my college. It’s that kind of book we must warn our teens about, the ones that deepen our perspective, broaden our minds, and cause us to rethink what we know.
In the immortal words of The Trammps, “Burn, baby burn!” through the pages of books you read. If you want to gather for a bonfire at my house, please bring a book to read!
Your turn: What books did you find boring as a student? What specific books would you pull from the bonfires of extremism? How do you help your readers to choose books? What books did you find exciting, flooring, dazzling or forbidden?
One Good Mentor is all you need 
Textbooks were the main books I found boring in school, whether I was a student or a teacher! I agree about letting learners select their own books, but there’s nothing wrong with introducing them to something new. I was with a young student today at the library. He selects a book for me to read to him if we have time at the end of his tutoring session. Today he chose a “Smurf” early reader book. I think I should get hazard pay for these things!
I am wondering about “Tortilla Flat.” I’ve never read it, but what would you think about having students read it if they choose to, but also discussing what’s wrong or biased in Steinbeck’s account? Or, even reading a more accurate book and contrasting it? I don’t like the idea of bans or mandates. Both hinder learner’s freedom.
Beth, I actually meant The Pearl! It’s portrait of Noble Savages is insulting. One reader asserted the book could be summed up as “Never try, because wealth of any kind is bad. Ambition is bad. The biggest sin is getting from your place in society, etc.” Another reader I came across said, the book implies that “Kino and his family are morally wrong for wanting to benefit from the wealth that they find.” I won’t suggest a book that I dislike so much, but I will suggest things that I can teach in a profound way that opens up a youth’s perspective. While the overall question merits discussion, book banning isn’t something I support — but there are so many books to choose from!!
About Tortilla Flat, Steinbeck said, “I wrote these stories because they were true stories and because I liked them. But [some approach them with] the vulgarity of duchesses who are amused by and sorry for a peasantry. . . . I shall never again subject to the vulgar touch of the decent these good people of laughter and kindness, of honest lusts and direct eyes, of courtesy beyond politeness. If I have done them any harm by telling a few of their stories, I am sorry. It will not happen again.” (From the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2017/apr/18/john-steinbecks-tortilla-flat-is-not-for-literary-slummers.