If an an attempted ban doesn't succeed, can it really hurt the book/author?
YES.
To talk about why a challenge can be detrimental, I'm taking a page from Jennifer Hubbard, who has an amazing post on this topic.
Neil Gaiman, my hero (swoon), also weighed in on the same topic yesterday.
Mainly it's about fear and the market. Books are a risky business in the first place and the people in charge of acquiring them (particularly librarians) have ever dwindling resources with which to buy books. If a book seems like it might cause a big kerfuffle then it might run the risk of not being acquired, shelved, or sold in the first place. The question thus becomes not "should I pull this book," but "do I dare even acquire this book in the first place?"
Also hooray for Yvonne at The Organic Writer for another great Banned Books Week post and challenge! How many banned books have you read?
Good point. Some librarians and teachers will go out of their way to protect books, while others will prefer to avoid a conflict. With so many books available why pick one that might cause trouble? One of the best responses from a parent's point of view comes from author Lisa Schroeder at http://lisa-schroeder.blogspot.com/2009/09/on-books-and-reading.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link, Tricia!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link Andrea! I've found 31 books I've read that have at one time been banned or challenged and I just finished THE GIVER so that makes 32! I've made a commitment to read just B&C books over the next year with some small exceptions (of course). You intrigued me with your plug for A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY and I plan to read the newly released BLOOD SAFARI and then of course yours!!
ReplyDeleteMy word was readro....isn't that funny?
ReplyDeleteReadro....I like it. Sounds like RedRoom (The Shining). Creepiest movie ever.