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bridgie

Veteran

Is it acceptable to ask here if anyone here has read and their comment on a very controversial book, that was banned?
Maybe this comment will help explain why I even ask such a question.
As we all know this Covid we are dealing with has caused a lot of changes in all our lives, and as it stands at the moment that is the only book I have readily available to read.

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32 replies

Latest reply was from bridgie

Anonymous

Which book are you referring to ?

bridgie

Veteran

lisa p, I was happy to see you had replied. You are among the many people that I love to hear what you have to say. And even this post of mine, you have brought it to the surface.
My reply to you now, and I am chuckling, I didn't name the book because I thought it might be offensive, and that is what my original question was meant to be, is it OK to post the title of a book that might offend others or cause any kind of problem.?

Anonymous

I’m not the expert at diplomacy , but I also don’t believe in literary censorship - with the exception of a very few titles . Book titles are what they are - repeating them here can’t be cause for an uproar....at least I hope not . Is it material of a political, religious , or sexual nature ?

Anonymous

If you want to PM me , I’ll tell you what I think

Echo

Veteran

With few exceptions, I very much agree with Lisa: censorship isn't something most members here would agree with. Controversial titles and books encourage discussion and engagement and make people think. I'm open to hearing it.

However, if you're looking for new reading material, many libraries will do curbside delivery.

Sloper

Veteran

What is it, Mein Kampf?

Kidding not kidding.

You can read anything you want, but if it is that book, I'd say even soup can labels are a better choice.

Seriously though - is the title a dirty word?

bridgie

Veteran

Lisa, I PM 'd you. Thank you.
Echo, thank you.
As I keep reminding everbody here, I am in the older age group (86). I do not agree with censorship. Echo, I am taking the liberty to PM you the title of the book in question.

bridgie

Veteran

I have probably gotten so far off base with this, you are wondering what I am asking. And it really is simple, I just couldn't express it in a simple manner.
I really want to ask your opinion on a book, if you read it, did you like it, maybe why or why not, do you recommend it to others to read, or did you think it was a waste of time. After a reply from Lisa and Echo, I will probably post the title here.
Echo, I have always used the library, and even done a little voluntter work with them, and am anxious to get back to that point. I made a major move in October from North Carolina to Kentucky, and with all the things to take care of after the move (my children took care of the actual move, setting up, utilities, etc) but I,of course have to locate new doctors, etc, along with covid, terrible weather. I am quick to add that I know everboby has been affected in some way the past year, and in ways worse than I am. So, I am very thankful for everything I have.
Echo, I do appreciate you mentioning the library deliveries. I am going to check into that very soon.

Echo

Veteran

Thank you, bridgie, although I have not yet received the title. I appreciate your concern for offending others, though I would guess it is unfounded. Sloper, while what you say is true, the title itself is not offensive except for its association.

bridgie

Veteran

The title of the book is the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I look forward to any and all comments you wish to post. Thank you

Echo

Veteran

As an ELA teacher, I've taught this book countless times. It is a classic coming of age story, and remains a staple in many classrooms for a reason. Its voice, structure, symbolism, literary techniques, as well as its flawed main character and giving voice to adolescent concerns make it a valuable read.

bridgie

Veteran

Sloper, thank you. No, posted the title in post just before this. Actually, I haven't considered reading Mein Kampf. I don't think I would like it at all. And just kidding here, but it is true, I read soup can labels all the time, checking sodium content and they all have too much salt for me.!!

rachylou

Veteran

Catcher in the Rye... gosh, the one banned book I haven’t read! It was canon when I went thru school.

I’ve read half of Mein Kampf. I’m afraid the pennings of politicians rarely keep my attention. Hitler was not a bad writer though and he does have some incisive insights. It’s his murderous reaction to those insights...well, it’s why I thought it was worth the read: to see how a mind goes bad.

I’ve read Dr Seuss too, lol. I’ll miss Mulberry St.

Helena

Veteran

I read this book in high school and to be honest, I don't remember a single thing about it, except that it was supposed to be relatable to teens and I didn't relate to it at all.

I don't totally understand the 'ban' on this book ... I do not believe (generally) in government censorship (exceptions to every rule - gov'ts in Europe banning MK makes total sense to me); however, I think school boards, etc. only have so many slots of their curriculum for books or any other materials, and if they decide something no longer serves the curriculum, then that's legitimate. They do it all the time. I think the definition of terms is essential. To me that's curation, not a ban (those kids can find the book elsewhere if they want to read it).

For example, the recent foofaraw about a certain children's author's estate no longer publishing some of his frankly pretty awful books that I pulled from my kids' collection 12 years ago, and the apparent "decline of western liberal democracy" that this indicates, has elicited more than a few eyerolls from me!

Jules

Veteran

bridgie, your local library might also offer ebooks that you could read on a tablet (iPad).
As for Salinger, I don't think I really "got it" in high school (or get it now), but that didn't stop me from writing essays I thought were deep and meaningful at the time!

JAileen

Veteran

When the pandemic started, and the libraries closed, I got a lot of ebooks. I hope your local library has that. They might check out regular books, too. Ours eventually started doing that, which I really appreciated. The branch I go to has a drive thru, but you have to get out of the car because it’s on the wrong side of the car, on a one way alley. Really, who designs these things?

As for Catcher in the Rye, my brother gave me a set of four Salinger books for my birthday back when I was 12 or 13. I read them but don’t remember much about them. What did you think about them?

Anonymous

Oh for heaven's sake, the way this was winding up I was expecting to be horrified, haha.

Sloper, hahahahaha

kkards

Veteran

I read this book in Jr High for fun, and then in high school because it was requires. Honestly, I don’t get it. I mean i get the book, but I don’t get why its a classic or why its been banned. And now as an adult, I’m perplexed that its still considered a classic.

moreover, google JD Salinger and Joyce Maynard...enough said

bridgie

Veteran

Rachylou, Thank you, Always one thing or another changing. How does your Mother deal with all the things going on? For myself, I had to stop trying to keep up with all of it, just slowed down (more than I like but hey, it works) and accept what I have no control over.

Torontogirl and Jules, Thanks to each of you for your comments. Torontogirl, in your introduction you say you are an overthinker. I share that trait with you. As a matter of fact, overthinking about the book is what prompt me to make my original post. Jules, your decision to write your meaningful essays, even without understanding speaks wisdom!

Echo

Veteran

Helena, generally the board helps decide curriculum, but they don't decide lesson plans. In other words, they can state that, say, theme, symbolism and irony must be taught, but they usually leave the novels a teacher uses up to the teacher/department. So the English department might get together and decide what novels are taught when and which ones they will use, but the board rarely gets into the nitty gritty of things. Likewise in a school library, while books are gone through and refreshed periodically, authors like Salinger are rarely removed unless the board has decided to "ban" the book.

It is easy to gloss over censorship by saying something "no longer serves the curriculum," but if a school banishes something from its library, it goes deeper than a concern about what's being taught.

rachylou

Veteran

That’s a good question, Bridgie. Esp this year, I’ve personally become quite out of touch. My young co-workers who kept me informed - they’ve all crested 25 and gotten old too now! Lol. I had to ask my mum her thoughts on this: she says she spends hours a day online reading the news. She talks a lot with her friends too, I must say.

My mum has always been non-stop though. If we go to LA to visit my brother (5 hours) and I drive - we stop every two hours. If she drives, it’s straight through. I’ll always remember this one time, in my teens, we had rented a house in England and went somewhere on a day trip. At 6pm prompt, my little brother and I got on a train and went back home. My mother didn’t call her sightseeing quits until midnight! Exhausting!

Sal

Veteran

I never knew the book was banned....I have a copy.

I read this twice, and found it quite powerful and interesting at the time. The first time I didn't quite understand how unwell the main character is, and how his view of the situation was colouring the story.

I am not sure what I would think, 30 years later.

bridgie

Veteran

JAileen, I haven't read anything yet by J.D. Salinger, but I have the Catcher in the Rye here and am going to read it very soon.
Hope you are getting in a lot of bird watching!
Phoebe, sorry I let you down. Ha, ha. But I really don't read or watch much that has a lot of horror in it. As Sloper suggested, I read soup cans, for their salt content. Thanks for posting.
kkards, I did google J.D. Salinger and going to google Joyce Maynard next, and I have decided to read the Catcher in the Rye . Thank you for commenting.
Sal, interesting. Do you plan to read it again?

Vildy

Veteran

There's a lot of interesting stuff about Joyce Maynard. When you've seen the standard stuff - how her counselor writer mother "groomed" her to be of interest to Salinger - how she auctioned off his letters - get a load of this article:

https://www.joycemaynard.com/your-friend-always

I heard this on NPR on the car radio read in her own voice, thinking
"where is this woman's sense" and then it turned out to be Joyce Maynard. A woman committed to diarizing her life, once involved with the ultimate privacy hound.

Flytigress

I remember hearing something about Joyce Maynard adopting two young girls from Africa and the adoption failing. I don't remember details, just that I was shocked by the story.

kkards

Veteran

Vildy and Flytigress, yup, she’s an interesting women, who made some interesting/disturbing/unexpected choices, but in this case, i was really thinking about the fact that this “classic” book was written by a man who didn’t want to be bother, that is until as 50+ man he invited an 18 YO girl to come live with him...and that his pattern was to “date” young women and to ask them to give up everything for him.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Studied this at school when I was 14 so am very surprised to hear that it has been banned but all I can remember about it is that I didn’t like it very much but I can’t remember why now!

Sloper

Veteran

Bridgie,

Apologies for my sometimes too sharp and not very clever sense of humor!

I too read labels - for sodium, carbs, protein, etc.!!!

I read The Catcher in the Rye in high school or college I think (not assigned, just part of a bunch of books passed on by a cousin).

I've always thought of it as one of those coming-of-age books - sort of a rite-of-passage type thing to read in my middle-class suburban East Coast late-teen years, like "Go Ask Alice." And then of course everyone read The Exorcist and The Godfather for the naughty bits. Or watched The Graduate.

I Googled around and saw that it is one of the most frequently censored books of all time (as of 2008 that is):
https://entertainment.time.com.....ed-books/s

But I hadn't heard of it as a banned book back when I read it (late 70's, early 80's). I think of book banning as a very localized thing - certain school districts or counties - guess there wasn't much where I grew up.

Maybe I should revisit it. I've found that as I get older, the same book will say new things to me - even books I've read many times.

bridgie

Veteran

Vildy, Flytigress and kkards, I am so glad you brought Joyce Maynard to my attention. I have read just enough now to realize what an interesting
story she is, and anxiously wanting to read more.
But, as things happen, since about a week ago when I made my first post concerning the Catcher and the Rye mainly because I was down to nothing very interesting to do, and I was getting discouraged because I could get not be scheduled for Covid vaccine or get any info as so many others have expressed also. I will add here that I happened to have only this book available because my DD in Texas had read it as part of a project in 2021 to read certain books and this was January selection, then she mailed it to my mailbox here at home. I was beginning to wonder where it was, so eventually a post office note was left in my mailbox saying that it was at post office bacause there was postage due on it. Now,I know my daughter well enough that if it was coming postage due she would have told me (anyway I don't think the post office works that way, don't you have to send mail postage paid at orgin). Anyway, we were just getting over the bad weather here and I drove very carefully to post office to get it. Postage of $1.80 had been paid and $3.85 was due. I didn't hesitate a second, I paid the $3.85 with no questions and I didn't tell DD either because she would have not liked the situation at all and I am sure would have gone to post office demanding answers. And the answer would have been postage was due!
In the meantime, my Covid vaccination has been scheduled for Tues 16th March, same date as my overdue dental appointment which has been rescheduled three times because of weather. I'm going with the Covid. The appointments are in two separate towns, so cannot count on being able to do both. And yesterday I spent most all day getting drivers license and other time consuming changes taken care of. Needless to say I just have not been able to relax, sit back and read. But I think I can count on some free time this weekend. In the meanime, this discussion has been good therapy for me.
Thanks all all of you!

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