"Dark" literature seems to be the most often challenged. Why this is, I'm not sure. Crutcher examines this notion with a blog on the Huffington Post titled "How They Do It." I think that you will find this article interesting and also appalling to realize that this type of censorship continues. There are countless stories of books (Crutcher's and others) being challenged and eventually banned. (Some of you may recall my story about Barbara Ehrenreich's non-fiction work Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America while I was student teaching.)
Amongst a great deal of readers out there (and specifically English teachers and librarians), there is a pride in reading banned books. So much so that there is a week set aside each year to celebrate these banned books, along with merchandise to support the cause.
Why do we read banned books? What purpose do they serve? Why are they banned to begin with?
Think about Crutcher's Deadline, his most oft challenged book. Why might this be so? Why, then, is it beneficial to read such a book? Remember to respond with at least three hundred words and good writing conventions.
Oh, and here's Chris Crutcher reading a passage from Deadline for 2011's Banned Books Week.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Friday, February 13, 2015
Beginning Crutcher's Deadline
Of all the books that have entered my classroom, there is not one by which students have been more moved. Students have laughed, cried, yelled, and smiled during the novel as well as encountered real-life problems. I am, of course, talking about Chris Crutcher's novel Deadline.
I recently read and article by If I Stay author Gayle Forman titled "Teens Crave Young Adult Books on Really Dark Topics (and That's OK)" and couldn't help but agree with her. Hoping to find out more on this (I know squarely where I stand on this so-called "dark" literature), I read the New York Times: Room for Debate feature "The Dark Side of Young Adult Fiction" which is a collection of short essays debating the nature of young adult literature. Of the experts writing for this piece, when Michelle Ann Abate wrote "Such elements permeate even the Victorian era, commonly credited with romanticizing children and 'sanitizing' children’s literature. Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz all are loaded with social commentary and sharp political satire," I couldn't help but smile. Routinely in my classes (not just the English ones) we will discuss the social implications of these works. I also read Mary Elizabeth Williams' article "Has Young Adult Fiction Become too Dark?: A scorching Wall Street Journal editorial rips apart the genre -- and lights up the Internet" and again found myself agreeing with the author. And because I read the rebuttal to Meghan Cox Gurdon's Wall Street Journal article "Darkness Too Visible," I read it, too.
Would Crutcher's work be considered "dark?" Sure. And worth while.
You need to write a blog post of at least 300 words that demonstrates good writing conventions on the following statement:
You have a year to live.
Go.
I recently read and article by If I Stay author Gayle Forman titled "Teens Crave Young Adult Books on Really Dark Topics (and That's OK)" and couldn't help but agree with her. Hoping to find out more on this (I know squarely where I stand on this so-called "dark" literature), I read the New York Times: Room for Debate feature "The Dark Side of Young Adult Fiction" which is a collection of short essays debating the nature of young adult literature. Of the experts writing for this piece, when Michelle Ann Abate wrote "Such elements permeate even the Victorian era, commonly credited with romanticizing children and 'sanitizing' children’s literature. Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz all are loaded with social commentary and sharp political satire," I couldn't help but smile. Routinely in my classes (not just the English ones) we will discuss the social implications of these works. I also read Mary Elizabeth Williams' article "Has Young Adult Fiction Become too Dark?: A scorching Wall Street Journal editorial rips apart the genre -- and lights up the Internet" and again found myself agreeing with the author. And because I read the rebuttal to Meghan Cox Gurdon's Wall Street Journal article "Darkness Too Visible," I read it, too.
Would Crutcher's work be considered "dark?" Sure. And worth while.
You need to write a blog post of at least 300 words that demonstrates good writing conventions on the following statement:
You have a year to live.
Go.
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