Jaci Dawn

This is probably one of my most favorite events of all time, not because I am for banning any books but because it tends to have the exact opposite effect on reading.

The list of Banned Books varies from year-to-year and while I am an advocate of age-appropriate distribution of certain books, I am also a failure at monitoring my own children when it came to certain books.

I hid The Color Purple by Alice Walked in my bedroom, deeming it highly inappropriate for my pre-teen daughter.

I didn’t miss it until she’d read it and was ready to replace it.

She didn’t know it was “banned” so she didn’t hide the fact that she borrowed it from me.

We rented the movie and made it a Girl’s Weekend of Great Movies and popcorn.

Banned Book = Teachable Moment.

(We also rented The Stepford Wives, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane and The Birds.)

My son discovered Catch-22 by Joseph Heller and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess before he was 14. He used to quote Catch-22.

I read A Separate Peace by John Knowles every year throughout high school.

My dad borrowed Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger from me when I was 16. I was quite worried about what my dad would say when he returned the book (a library book) to me. All he said was, “You know that kid is in a nuthouse, don’t you?”

Banned Book = Teachable Moment with your parent.

I just set down Micro by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston (Preston finished the novel for Crichton) in time for Banned Books Week. (It is not one of Crichton’s best and is written like a screenplay (not surprised to see it is already a film). Now that I have my hands free to read a really good novel, I think I will tackle one on the Banned Books List.

I think I will start with a scam on how not to white wash a fence and still get paid for it.