Originally, I was going to start a book review blog that focused entirely on
banned books. During my youth, I fancied
myself to be a rebellious budding intellectual.
It’s laughable now, but at the time I thought I was doing something
particularly illicit if I spent my Friday nights reading books that other
people had deemed controversial. I was
lucky to be brought up in a home where my family encouraged my reading and
trusted my ability to discern whether or not something was truly inappropriate. Thus, my love affair with authors like
Francesca Lia Block, J.D. Salinger, and Margaret Atwood began.
The reason
that I loved those authors so much was because they opened up dialogue around
real issues. They didn't shy away from
the important subjects that are so stigmatized most people are afraid to speak
about them. (If you can remember reading
Go Ask Alice because you didn't trust your school’s D.A.R.E. program for information
about drugs and addiction, you probably know what I mean here.)
Banned authors
also embraced characters from marginalized populations that we don’t hear from
enough in literature. I’m all for the
canon we read in school and hold an appropriate level of reverence for the dead
white men that wrote it, but I want a more diverse selection of authors and characters to find their place beside
those I've been readily exposed to my whole life. (That’s not to say dead white men aren't also
diverse. For example, let’s not forget
that Oscar Wilde went to trial due to his relationships with other men. But we’ll talk more about intersectionality and
identity later.)
I’d like to
think that here on the web, I can do something similar to what those banned
authors did for me and so many others. I’m
hoping to create a space that’s safe for sharing ideas no matter who you are. Regardless of your race, religion, gender
expression, or sexual orientation, I want this to be an uplifting place for
you.
Maybe you’re
a teacher that wants to make your classroom bookshelf more affirming of GLBT
students? If so, I’ve got some
age-appropriate suggestions for you.
Maybe you’re someone that’s coming out of a tough time? I’ve got poems for you to read, songs for you
to listen to, and insights from others I’d like to pay forward. Maybe you’re just bored on the web. If that’s you, I've definitely got you
covered.
Pull up a
chair, crack open your drink, and let’s talk.
Use the comments to tell me what’s important to you. I can have one sided conversations with
myself without a blog—so don’t be afraid to speak up! You can also tweet me at @BannedBrooke.
No comments:
Post a Comment