Author Archives: ndawsey1@gsu.edu

Religious Censorship and A Wrinkle in Time

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wrinkle in time

Although I was skeptical in choosing a book that we discussed in class, I do find myself drawn to the religious elements of A Wrinkle in Time. There seems to be nothing too outlandish when it comes to L’engle’s use of religious elements (apart from the story itself being weird image-wise), so I wonder why exactly this book is targeted on the grounds of religion. Although I haven’t found anything in particular about the book’s challenging other than “religious reasons” with no context, it is interesting to see how people want Christianity to be delivered to readers, and if the message isn’t conveyed in the style that they wish for it to be, then it’s automatically considered “wrong” or “immoral.” I hope in re-reading the book and picking different elements of it, I’ll find something that helps to clear things up for me.

Response to David Levithan

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Levithan makes a point that should be understood without saying (as a lot of social issues should), but expressing the need for works of LGBT literature to be presented to young adults is still something that authors have to do simply because the majority of the public are either against it or would prefer to turn a blind eye. Books being challenged after being presented in libraries is an issue, but what about the censorship that happens before a book is even published? Do LGBT stories for young adults get censored or even rejected by publishers because of the content? These are questions that I have that I have after reading his statement.

Another question that I will probably ask until I’m blue in the face is why do we even need to censor books with LGBT characters? It’s as if some of those who challenge these books believe that providing this content to young adult readers will “turn them gay,” which is something that, to this day, doesn’t make any sense. If we even go back to Selznick’s words on gay characters in children’s literature (Wonderstruck), having LGBT characters within stories provides representation for those who might share the same characteristics (race, gender, or sexuality) as the characters they read about. Perhaps this logic seems so obvious for some of us is because we can’t understand why books need to be challenged in the first place.

Jay Parini’s insight to dystopian novels in YA lit

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Jay Parini, who wrote a blog post on teenage interest in YA lit in 2011, suggests that young adult readers turn to dystopian novels as a way to escape the stifling world of standardized testing and the watchful eye of the system as a whole. To teenagers, this “system” works to turn them into adults and to “separate the sheep from the goats.” While I do agree that current dystopian novels work so well because they take aspects of reality–such as an ever-present surveillance system–and makes the audience think about the real world, I do believe that the popularity of such books stems from interest with the genre itself without feeling “trapped” by the system that they are in. Even with the example of The Hunger Games, its massive popularity stemmed from various reasons (strong female protagonist, romantic plot that surfaces in the midst of the novel’s chaos, and the Battle Royale-style of picking a group of young adults to fight to the death); finding that as any “escape” from the world of standardized tests, Facebook status updates, and demanding adult figures could only work to explain a handful of novels in the genre.

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

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While scrolling through the list of Caldecott winners, this book’s title stuck out to me right away. Written and illustrated by Mordecai Gerstein in 2003 and winner of the Caldecott in 2004, this book serves as both nostalgia to the author’s favorite street performer, Philippe Petit. Considering that this was only written two years after 9/11, its significance is heightened through its illustration of the Twin Towers and its underlying theme of triumph within the human spirit. While I was not aware that this book existed until recently, it still manages to pull at my own heartfelt emotions towards such a significant place in our country.

Counting on Angels: Early Memories of Religion and Comfort

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While I cannot remember all of the instances where I was forced to sit by a computer chair and read aloud to a mother who made me restart until she heard me pronounce every word, I can recall reading one pop-up picture book entitled Counting on Angels. The story’s main focus is teaching children the numbers one through ten with the use of cool and neutral colors that spring to life once they open a new page; but looking back, there were other elements of the book that I didn’t catch on to when I was younger.

The imagery of angels ties into Christianity, and while I do not remember any references to God, the book mentions prayer at the very end. Throughout the ten-page story, the angels are seen as figures looking over children as they prepared for bed. They are always present, but never speak to the children directly. Towards the end when they see that their “work is done” for the day, they fly off and go to other sleepy children to protect them as well. This was a subtle approach to introducing me to religion without having to throw me right into creation stories or bible verses. It allowed for me to realize that I was being watched over and protected all of the time. It was comforting to know that children like myself had guardians, and that they were benevolent beings that only wanted my safety and happiness.

Another interesting aspect of the book is that this is my first memory of diverse characters in a picture book. Like the angels tying into Christianity, I did not pick up on this consciously. There were angels of all races, which shows that the author/illustrator intended for the book to include more than one type of person. For children, this could send off a message that anyone could be an angel regardless of how they looked, and that they were protected and loved unconditionally.

Counting on Angels is simple and provides a type of interaction that one would find in most children’s books, but there are still features of it that I still probably haven’t analyzed in my adulthood. If I ever have the chance, I would like to find this book again and see what other messages I may find.

coa