Wonderful Article About Eleanor and Park by Mandy Moran Froemming

abcnewspapers.comhttp://abcnewspapers.com/2013/11/01/writers-block-word-power-numbers/
Writer’s Block: Words have power in numbers by Mandy Moran Froemming

I spend a lot of my free time reading books, thinking about books or finding what to add to my library queue. So when I heard that a selection from the Anoka-Hennepin School District’s 2013 Rock the Book, an optional summer reading program, had struck a nerve with some parents, I had to see what the fuss was about.

I requested the book on the library’s online system. There was no waiting list, which surprised me given that “Eleanor and Park” by Rainbow Rowell must be pretty controversial if people cared enough to call for it to be banned from school libraries.

Before the book arrived a day or two later, I read online about what was so objectionable about the content. It seemed to have a pretty healthy dose of profanity. I don’t find that particularly offensive, unless it’s at a time and place that is inappropriate. I think using it to describe conversation between teens when no adults are present is likely pretty accurate. There were, however, a couple of phrases and sentences that gave me pause. Sexual in nature, it seemed pretty graphic for a young adult audience.

The book arrived a day or two later. I started reading. And reading. And reading. I kept waiting to be shocked, or offended. It never happened. I had been duped. When I read the critical descriptions of the book I had wondered what librarians were thinking by suggesting this book as school-approved reading.

Then came along this thing called context, which is what you get when you read the whole story. Words on their own don’t have much power. But string them together in a sentence and that starts to change. Put them in paragraphs and their true meaning is revealed.

The librarians were right. They were thinking it was a book that would resonate with teens during a long summer vacation when many students’ reading skills lose their edge.

I’m not naive enough to think that I can change the conservative mind of someone who thinks this book should be pulled from school library shelves and all parents whose children have read it should be notified.

As parents, it’s our job to make sure the books, TV and media our kids consume to be consistent with our own values, or have conversations about them if they aren’t. But it’s not up to me to decide what is allowed in the house across the street. By calling for a ban on a book, that’s exactly what’s happening.

If my son was 15 would I let him read it? Yes. It would be an opportunity for us to talk about judging other people, without understanding their personal struggles. We could discuss how important it is to be inclusive, to be kind and to be aware of bullying and abuse at home and at school.

Spoiler alert: the most provocative phrases in the book come not as a description of sexual acts between the teen characters in the story (who don’t have sex), but instead in the form of what I consider to be child abuse from an adult Eleanor should have been able to trust.

Another sad reality for more kids than we know. As parents, it’s our job to teach our kids how to treat people. Reading is a way to gain both knowledge and empathy about people and situations many of us will never find ourselves in so we can act compassionately toward those who do.

And from what I’ve seen of late, empathy and understanding is in pretty short supply in our adult world. I’m particularly disappointed about the cancellation of the visit by author Rainbow Rowell.

I think back to when I was a teen. Almost 20 years ago, young adult fiction didn’t offer a fraction of the quality selection of books that are out there today. If I had been able to read a book like “Eleanor and Park” and then be in the same room as the author, to have the chance to ask her questions about her writing, would have been amazing.

Parents and taxpayers in the district should be acutely aware of attempts to censor learning opportunities for our children. A review of “Eleanor and Park” is currently being conducted by a committee of educators, parents and a student. It will be interesting to see what that group has to say. While it might be easy to say this book is too graphic for a school library, it is a step down the slippery slope of censorship. This is a book about young love, about bullying, about abuse, about struggle and one girl’s difficult decision to save herself. Those are all stories worthy of telling.

Atom & Eve by Jeff Yager

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


This book has landed on my "abandoned" shelf. I just could not continue reading it. Here are some of the issues I found objectionable:
1. Yes, young adult literature is hotter than ever and I can understand an author writing for this audience. However, YA readers are not stupid and do not deserve to be talked down to as this author does from the beginning.
2. The conversations are totally inane. Here is the senior research scientist alerting her team to a discovery which may get them over a temporary hurdle: "Hey, guys, I think I might have figured it out....well, I was dreaming and in the dream I was messing around with the main substance in B317 and a few other molecular compounds." This sounds a bit more like a 15 year-old boy who found a solution to a skateboarding problem.
3. The characters are inconsistent and unbelievable. The research scientists and news reporters talk about the fact that a cure has yet to be found for this flu that is "going around". There never has been a cure for the flu or for a cold. Flu shots prevent or reduce the severity of the symptoms, they do not cure. The doctor caring for our main character asks him to stay in the hospital to help them discover a cure, and then releases him from the hospital 3 days later. And, the news is full of this "mysterious new flu" that is spreading quickly, yet the hospital releases the patient who still has the flu, allows him to travel from Baltimore to Illinois and says he should be okay if he wears a mask. What?? No quarantine? Travel that would put him in the position of being able to spread the flu? A couple of hours after arriving home, Ricky asks his mother to take him to the mall, and she is fine with that as long as he wears a mask. He still has the flu and was in a coma for 3 days and she says it is fine for him to head to the mall within minutes of arriving home.
4. Then it gets even crazier. Ricky is a freshman in college, but he "skipped" his last two years of high school. That would make him about 16, right? The minute he arrives home to Illinois, he fills out an online dating questionnaire and finds someone immediately and arranges to meet her two hours after he has arrived home. She has placed an old photo of herself in her profile, and is now 10 years older and 100 pounds heavier than she had claimed. So, Ricky lies to her that he is "Ricky's twin" and that Ricky had just committed suicide and sent his twin to give her his regrets. There is so much wrong with this situation I cannot begin to spell it out.
5. We have a woman running for president of the US who makes statements like "It's not fair that we women have to feel like we're inferior to our loved ones, our male friends, and especially our bosses..." I would think most people stop using a phrase like "it's not fair" at about age 12. Who would take a person seriously as a presidential candidate who seeks to run based on her ability to alienate the male population of the country?

Then we can talk about grammar, run on sentences, the overuse of the word that, and many other basic writing concerns.

I understand that this story then goes on to describe the "cure" for the flue has been tainted by our research scientist and it causes men to become women and women to become men. Interesting idea, but I just couldn't get that far...

I cannot recommend this book to anyone.

I received an advance reader copy from Edelweiss.



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Sia by Josh Grayson

Sia by Josh Grayson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A very sweet, lovely story with a great deal of predictability.

Sia awakens on a park bench to realize she has lost her memory. The only reason she knows her name is from a playlist on her ipod, which says "Sia's playlist". Instead of going to the police or a hospital to find out either what is wrong with her or if someone is looking for her, she becomes homeless for about a week. She meets Carol, a wise and lovely homeless woman, who helps her maneuver through soup kitchens, getting clothing, and sleeping under a bridge.

When Sia is in an accident, she wakes up in a hospital, still without her memory, but at least with an identity. Sia finds she has fugue amnesia, which is caused by some form of stress. As she tries to return to her normal routine, Sia discovers several family issues which could be the cause for her amnesia. She also finds the person she has been was a cruel fashionista who "ran the school" with her best friend Amber.

The best part of this YA novel is Sia getting a second chance at life. Due to her amnesia, she starts over as a much more loving and giving individual. Her father helps her to see this is more consistent with the young child she was than with the teenager she has become. Even when her memory returns, Sia stays the sweet girl she has become.

What makes the story difficult, is Sia's life now does a 180 due to her amnesia and everything works out amazingly well. All of her family issues, and her personality concerns disappear in the blink of an eye. The new Sia is loved by all and has a totally giving, loving personality. In addition, she is beautiful, confident and able to turn around the lives of her family, her friends and her community.

This is a sweet story with a very interesting premise. It is not difficult to like Sia, the person, but it is difficult to believe Sia, the book. I would recommend this for a very young and innocent preteen as a sweet coming of age story and an opportunity to think about those who are less fortunate. A more savvy, high school teen may just find this a bit too saccharin.



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