Excellent analysis of these books! "I'd never ban Kobabe or Johnson. I just don't find much insight in them" -- exactly my view, and for the same reasons you note in the main portion of your analysis!
We recently had a challenge to Gender Queer in the library where I work. While it isn't my cup of tea, we also want a diversity of viewpoints in our collections, so it was added to our adult collection (we also want adult patrons who have heard about the controversy surrounding the book to be able to access it and *decide for themselves* what they think of the book!). We were thus able to defend the book from the challenge, which focused on the question of "why are we putting this book out for little kids?": We aren't -- it's in the adult collection, where kids won't just stumble across it. And any parents who want to make sure their kids don't find the book just need to take their kids to the children's department, where they can browse to their delight.
Thanks. I agree. Although I wouldn't ban books, I think the content of some recent books is (1) not appropriate for young children--likely to confuse them and make them anxious and (2) utterly dull. The idea there's never been "transgressive" or "genderqueer" literature before now is absurd. A brief dive into Shakespeare, Donne, Virginia Woolf--and so many others--should set that idea to rest. Part of what I'd see as the tragedy of Maia Kobabe is her poor education. So much anxiety, so much imagining nobody else had had her feelings or experiences--when there's nothing new under the sun.
In my local library this book was on display with around 30 other books related to sexuality. They had a platform of their own & were clearly directed at teens/young adults. It wasn’t pride month. My concern is that I have requested several non fiction books by authors presenting an almost whistle blowing view of gender ideology & its destructive effect on a great many kids/young adults. These requests for purchase are either denied or perhaps a few copies purchased. This is in stark contrast to the volume of material & number of copies available for books like gender queer. If the numbers to whom this affects are so small why are there so many? Some of the books I have requested have been recommended to me by parental support groups for gender questioning kids. So these are not theoretically banned, they were never purchased in the first place. The selection seems biased.
Yes--it sounds like the local library has taken sides and only wants to provide books supporting "gender affirmation." Alas. The biggest worry is children and teens who have mental health issues and imagine that these will evaporate with a gender "transformation." I have no magic bullet--I just keep saying what I think over and over. It's lost me friends (and I have friends who are either afraid to speak or won't speak about "this"). Those who avoid the controversial because they are afraid--of all kinds of things. Bullies. Losing their jobs. Losing respect. But if I went along with the notion that it's somehow good for children to be offered a smorgasbord of pronouns (what a misunderstanding of kids!) I couldn't live with myself. So I'm just a hermit writing what she thinks and glad when a few people read me.
Excellent analysis of these books! "I'd never ban Kobabe or Johnson. I just don't find much insight in them" -- exactly my view, and for the same reasons you note in the main portion of your analysis!
We recently had a challenge to Gender Queer in the library where I work. While it isn't my cup of tea, we also want a diversity of viewpoints in our collections, so it was added to our adult collection (we also want adult patrons who have heard about the controversy surrounding the book to be able to access it and *decide for themselves* what they think of the book!). We were thus able to defend the book from the challenge, which focused on the question of "why are we putting this book out for little kids?": We aren't -- it's in the adult collection, where kids won't just stumble across it. And any parents who want to make sure their kids don't find the book just need to take their kids to the children's department, where they can browse to their delight.
Thanks. I agree. Although I wouldn't ban books, I think the content of some recent books is (1) not appropriate for young children--likely to confuse them and make them anxious and (2) utterly dull. The idea there's never been "transgressive" or "genderqueer" literature before now is absurd. A brief dive into Shakespeare, Donne, Virginia Woolf--and so many others--should set that idea to rest. Part of what I'd see as the tragedy of Maia Kobabe is her poor education. So much anxiety, so much imagining nobody else had had her feelings or experiences--when there's nothing new under the sun.
Thanks, Melissa. Next topic?
Next: Not Yet Banned: Trans-Friendly Children’s Classics
Coming soon.
In my local library this book was on display with around 30 other books related to sexuality. They had a platform of their own & were clearly directed at teens/young adults. It wasn’t pride month. My concern is that I have requested several non fiction books by authors presenting an almost whistle blowing view of gender ideology & its destructive effect on a great many kids/young adults. These requests for purchase are either denied or perhaps a few copies purchased. This is in stark contrast to the volume of material & number of copies available for books like gender queer. If the numbers to whom this affects are so small why are there so many? Some of the books I have requested have been recommended to me by parental support groups for gender questioning kids. So these are not theoretically banned, they were never purchased in the first place. The selection seems biased.
Yes--it sounds like the local library has taken sides and only wants to provide books supporting "gender affirmation." Alas. The biggest worry is children and teens who have mental health issues and imagine that these will evaporate with a gender "transformation." I have no magic bullet--I just keep saying what I think over and over. It's lost me friends (and I have friends who are either afraid to speak or won't speak about "this"). Those who avoid the controversial because they are afraid--of all kinds of things. Bullies. Losing their jobs. Losing respect. But if I went along with the notion that it's somehow good for children to be offered a smorgasbord of pronouns (what a misunderstanding of kids!) I couldn't live with myself. So I'm just a hermit writing what she thinks and glad when a few people read me.