Alright since I gave you some history and fact yesterday, I thought tonight I would share some personal thoughts. Let me start by saying I love that there is a Book Banning Week. It is a great week to bring light to the subject. Many people don’t think this is still an issue today but it is. Whether you agree or disagree with the practice, it is good to be aware of it.
Personally, my thoughts are mixed on it. Obviously, as a writer I want the right to publish what I want without having it ripped from the shelves because someone was upset about something in it. If I want to put a sex scene in, I don’t see a problem with that. If I want to talk about drinking and drugs, that should be fine.
On the other hand though, I see how there is a line. I think authors and definately publishers have to take some responsiblity for drawing that line. Just the other day, my boss at work was looking over the first draft of my book. She was shocked that there was swearing. Note, there is maybe five swear words total and one kissing scene. That is it. I immedinately answered back that I had no intention of the book being on a young adult shelf. It is meant for the regular fiction section or possibly mystery or crime. I feel that for that genre, what I put in the book is apprioriate. However, another series and a stand alone book I’m working on are meant for young adults. In those ones I have no intention of swearing or doing anything that in a movie would go above PG rating.
For the most part, I think authors are fairly aware of the audience that there book is meant for. I find it interesting that Zoey Dean’s novel How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls is being challenged. She said it was an adult book and every store I have seen it at put it in that second. The book is definately on the mild side anyways.
The issue becomes more complicated when you look at authors like Zoey Dean. They have popular series meant for young adults but also write for older audiences. If a teen loves there books though they might seek out the adult ones. Is that the author’s fault though? Should that be a reason to ban a book? The bookstores might be actively trying to keep these books in different sections but that can’t stop someone from buying whatever they want. Should we card kids for buying books like we do for music and movies?
The particular side of this I have thought about for a long time. Two things I have worked for over a year on have been a young adult series and a memior of my stories involving musicians. The latter would definately be something that parents would not want their kids to read. If I put out one wild adult book will that mean parents will not let their kids read my one intended for them? Will that hurt my career? Should I not publish something I really want to for risk of other books ending up being challenged? I’ve even considered writing the adult one under a false name. My thoughts on that are complicated too though. If I put in that much work, I want to be proud of it and put my name on it. It isn’t really about money or fame for me. Although those would be good, even if I write something one person reads, I want to have my name proudly written on it.
Since yesterday I have also been thinking if there really is a reason to ban some books. What if someone writes a guild to killing someone or a plot to kill the president or that are horribly racist or something and somehow publishes it? It is super easy these days to “publish” books online for people to buy on demand. Should we view books like that as just the authors right to say what they want? I don’t know that we should. There is a line, even if it is nearly impossible to define.
Do you think that in some cases book banning is okay? Does the author have some responsibilty to think about who is going to be reading their book?