Author Topic: The Highest Honour in American Literature  (Read 1135 times)

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Offline Skybison

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The Highest Honour in American Literature
« on: April 17, 2019, 02:46:36 am »
The highest honor in American literature has been announced: The American Library Association's most banned books of the year! The books that some fundie parent was worked up enough about to demand that since he didn't want to read the book, therefore no one else should be allowed too, so you know they're good!

11)Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
Reason: challenged and burned for including LGBTQIA+ content

Self-explanatory, a young adult novel about seven gay couples coming to terms with their sexuality. Been nominated for some other lesser awards like the national book award, think I might give it a look.

10) This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman, illustrated by Kristyna Litten
Reason: challenged and burned for including LGBTQIA+ content

Picture book for young children about gay pride.

9)The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: banned and challenged for sexual references, profanity, violence, gambling, and underage drinking, and for its religious viewpoint

Man I've really got to read this one, it shows up every year and I've heard great things about it.

8)Skippyjon Jones series written and illustrated by Judy Schachner
Reason: challenged for depicting stereotypes of Mexican culture

Okay this might be more legitimate, haven't read it but looking it up the mock spanish does seem cringey.

7)This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
Reasons: banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and certain illustrations

Ah, here's a return to form, an award winning graphic novel about teenaged girls dealing with puberty, boys, adults not being as great as they think and learning to grow up. KILL IT KILL IT!

6)Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Reasons: banned, challenged, and restricted for addressing teen suicide

Again the issue here seems more legitimate, since what I've heard about the book/show is that it's not a very good depiction of suicide.

5)Drama written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
Reasons: banned and challenged for including LGBTQIA+ characters and themes

Again if graphic novels for teens stopped mentioning that gay people exist, teenagers would stop being gay, and if we don't admit teens get horny they won't get horny anymore...

4)The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Reasons: banned and challenged because it was deemed “anti-cop,” and for profanity, drug use, and sexual references

...And if we don't mention police brutality it would stop happening. Reality is caused by admitting it. If we don't admit it it doesn't exist anymore.

3)Captain Underpants series written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey
Reasons: series was challenged because it was perceived as encouraging disruptive behavior, while Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot was challenged for including a same-sex couple

Ah man I loved those books when I was a kid, glad they're still around. Because the only thing more dangerous then underpants is gay underpants!

2)A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss, illustrated by EG Keller
Reasons: banned and challenged for including LGBTQIA+ content, and for political and religious viewpoints

This is the John Oliver book! It's about Mike Pence's bunny finding true love and battling homophobia. It's fucking great, deserves all it's gotten. (Oddly the pro-trump picture book alex jones made this is satirizing wasn't challenged by the free speech hating liberals, funny that.)

1)George by Alex Gino
Reasons: banned, challenged, and relocated because it was believed to encourage children to clear browser history and change their bodies using hormones, and for mentioning “dirty magazines,” describing male anatomy, “creating confusion,” and including a transgender character

OUR BIG WINNER! A young adult novel on the only thing worse then gay people existing: Trans people existing. George has placed highly in the past two years but this is her first win. Congratulations to Alex, hope to see you again next year.

Something to add is that for all the talk about how the left is against free speech, only one book was challenged for progressive reasons, while six were because GAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!! and two because WHITE PEOPLE DID NOTHING WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!  Come on SJWs we got to pick up the slack if we expect to outlaw free speech.

Offline Kanzenkankaku

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Re: The Highest Honour in American Literature
« Reply #1 on: April 17, 2019, 05:15:48 am »
Gee what a shock that LGBT+ content is the vast majority of challenged and banned books. Truly the right are the real and honest free speech warriors.

That being said 13 Reasons Why was an interesting book. It was frustrating but enrapturing and I couldn't put it down for a few days back months ago when I rented it from a library.

Though not a good or normal depiction of suicide. For those who don't know anything about it there's this girl. Hannah Baker, who kills herself and sends out 13 tapes to 13 people (hence the name, is also a reference to a Baker's Dozen) that describe why she ended up taking her own life.

The book follows Jay Asher, a boy who had a crush on her. He spends a day listening to the tapes and walking around town, following her instructions basically.

I get that the moral is to treat people better because you don't know what they're going through and your words might add to a huge depressing snowball unintentionally but like...

Hannah just comes across as a spiteful, vindictive little bitch. Also she put Jay on the tapes for a "different" special reason that I can't say because its a spoiler, but its pretty bs and not how I'd have handled it. So she really isn't that good of a person either. And maybe that's the point. I don't know. I'm just some random rambling on an obscure internet forum.

I don't agree with banning it because it can be analyzed through a lens that can examine the issues it has. However we should definitely ban season 2 of the netflix adaptation because it's a dumpster fire and nobody should be put through viewing it.

Offline Chaos Undivided

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Re: The Highest Honour in American Literature
« Reply #2 on: April 17, 2019, 10:08:44 am »
Gee what a shock that LGBT+ content is the vast majority of challenged and banned books. Truly the right are the real and honest free speech warriors.

That being said 13 Reasons Why was an interesting book. It was frustrating but enrapturing and I couldn't put it down for a few days back months ago when I rented it from a library.

Though not a good or normal depiction of suicide. For those who don't know anything about it there's this girl. Hannah Baker, who kills herself and sends out 13 tapes to 13 people (hence the name, is also a reference to a Baker's Dozen) that describe why she ended up taking her own life.

The book follows Jay Asher, a boy who had a crush on her. He spends a day listening to the tapes and walking around town, following her instructions basically.

I get that the moral is to treat people better because you don't know what they're going through and your words might add to a huge depressing snowball unintentionally but like...

Hannah just comes across as a spiteful, vindictive little bitch. Also she put Jay on the tapes for a "different" special reason that I can't say because its a spoiler, but its pretty bs and not how I'd have handled it. So she really isn't that good of a person either. And maybe that's the point. I don't know. I'm just some random rambling on an obscure internet forum.

I don't agree with banning it because it can be analyzed through a lens that can examine the issues it has. However we should definitely ban season 2 of the netflix adaptation because it's a dumpster fire and nobody should be put through viewing it.

Can we ban Holmes & Watson too?
Anti-authoritarian, anti-extremist, anti-bullshit.