In Honor of Banned Book Week

In honor of Banned Book Week, read a banned book.  Listed below is part of the ALA (American Library Asociation) list of top banned and challenged books from 2000-2009.  You can find the rest of the list here, find their list of banned and challenged classics here or find more lists and information about banned and challenged books here.

Think for yourself.

This week, choose a banned or challenged book and read it in support of freedom of thought.

1. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
2. Alice series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
3. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
4. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
5. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
7. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
8. His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman
9. ttyl; ttfn; l8r g8r (series), by Myracle, Lauren
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
11. Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
12. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
13. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
14. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
15. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
16. Forever, by Judy Blume
17. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
18. Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
19. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
20. King and King, by Linda de Haan
21. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
22. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar
23. The Giver, by Lois Lowry
24. In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
25. Killing Mr. Griffen, by Lois Duncan

As seen on a Facebook thread: My Cleanflicks Rant

<rant mode>

I've always been of the opinion that if you make the choice not to watch certain films or certain types of films, then that is exactly what you should do (or not do, I guess).  It is a personal choice, and nothing others say or do should affect it.  That should include others saying a film is good and you need to see it.  Seeing a movie in an edited form is still seeing the movie.  You're still buying into the idea that you need to watch it.  You're just refusing to watch all of it.

Having access to an edited version of the film (edited legally or otherwise, but we won't even go there) shouldn't change your choice of whether or not to watch it.  In addition to which, all you're doing is paying other people to think for you.  You're paying someone else to decide what is or is not appropriate for you to see.  You're paying someone else to watch something you yourself won't watch in order to make it acceptable to you.

Having somebody else edit a movie for you, instead of making the decision not to see it at all, is just as bad as not reading a book simply because a person or group of people got your local library not to carry it.  The more we allow others to think for us, the less we have to take personal responsibility for our decisions.

</rant mode>

Portents of things to come

The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting colder, the leaves are changing color, Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations are beginning to appear in the stores and my allergies just won’t leave me alone.  All that can only mean one thing: it must be Autumn time.  I really do enjoy Fall; the weather, the colors, the fresh produce, hot caramel apple cider and hot chocolate.  All of it is enjoyable.  However, I wish harvest time was over and I could get back to feeling like someone who can breathe without sneezing and swallow without my throat protesting.

The biggest problem I have with Fall, however, is that it is a portent of Winter on its way.  Each of these things that I really enjoy become an ominous indicator that it’s getting late in the year.  It’s not that I truly dislike snow and cold.  After all, that’s what heaters, blankets and coats are for.  It’s just that I hate driving on ice and dealing with people who think that if they have a 4-wheel drive truck they don’t have to be careful.

Oh well, c’est la vie.  I’ll just have to enjoy all of the wonderful parts of Fall and hope that I can ignore the looming presence of Old Man Winter hiding just out of sight over the horizon.

A Review of "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski

A friend at work told me that I should read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski.  I borrowed it from her, and started reading it with no idea what it was about.  Having finished the book last night, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading.  I will, however, tell you this much, if I'd read a synopsis of this book I probably wouldn't have read it.

That being said, here is part of Amazon.com's description of the book:

Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose thoughtful companionship is epitomized by Almondine, Edgar's lifelong friend and ally. But with the unexpected return of Claude, Edgar's paternal uncle, turmoil consumes the Sawtelles' once peaceful home.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book.  Despite seeming like it would be boring, Wroblewski's writing draws you into the world and truly makes you care for the characters.  He weaves a vivid story so rich that it creates a desire to know more of what is going to happen to the characters.

I'm glad I had this book recommended to me because I probably never would have read it otherwise.

Decorate your own soul

Every once in a while, something happens that just makes me want to scream!  Usually it has something to do with guys and dating.  Unfortunately (or thankfully), being passive-aggressive means that instead of screaming and making a scene that wouldn’t actually accomplish anything, I usually just wallow in self-pity and allow myself to slip into a morass of melancholy and anger.  Thankfully I have some wonderful friends who allow me to alternately wallow in misery and rail at the unfairness of life.

Then we go get ice cream.  We do this because there isn’t much that can’t be made better by eating sugar and chocolate.  Being able to get some of the self-pity out of my system means that I can allow the emotional storm to calm and be replaced with an introspection that, while still melancholy, at least doesn’t make me want to lash out at people.

There are some days when all I can think is, “I wish my Prince Charming would show up already.” On these occasions, I can’t stop myself from thinking that I’ve earned it.  I was married to a guy that was totally wrong for me; I’ve been used, lusted after and objectified; I’ve even tried dating websites.  Yes, I’ve been that desperate a time or two.  Don’t I deserve to find my knight in shining armor?  Why can’t I find my “happily ever after”?

These bouts of self-pity lead me to seek out words of wisdom from people much smarter than I am.  For instance, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf has said,

     “Sometimes it can be difficult to see anything beyond the path immediately before us. We are impatient and do not want to wait for a future fulfillment of our greatest desires. Nevertheless, the brief span of this life is nothing in comparison with eternity. And if only we can hope and exercise faith and joyfully endure to the end—and I say joyfully endure to the end—there, in that great heavenly future, we will have the fulfillment of the righteous desires of our hearts and so very much more that we can scarcely comprehend now.

     In the meantime, do not wait for someone else to make your life complete. Stop second-guessing yourself and wondering if you are defective. Instead, seek to reach your potential as a child of God. Seek learning. Become engaged in a meaningful career, and seek fulfillment in service to others. Use your time, your talents, and your resources to improve yourself and bless those around you.”

I need to figure out a way to internalize the wisdom I can see in counsel such as this.  I see the sense of it, but it’s much more difficult to apply those lessons than to hear them and agree.  While I work on that, I’ll close with a poem I’ve liked since I first heard it while I was in high school.  Now if I could just apply the lessons in it.

After a While

By Veronica A. Shoffstall

After a while you learn
The subtle difference between
Holding a hand and chaining a soul
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't always mean security.

And you begin to learn
That kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes ahead
With the grace of a woman
Not the grief of a child

And you learn
To build all your roads on today
Because tomorrow's ground is
Too uncertain for plans
And futures have a way
Of falling down in mid flight

After a while you learn
That even sunshine burns if you get too much
So you plant your own garden
And decorate your own soul
Instead of waiting
For someone to bring you flowers

And you learn
That you really can endure
That you are really strong
And you really do have worth
And you learn and you learn

With every good bye you learn.

I get bored. . .

I've spent some time recently reading interesting posts on blogs belonging to some of my friends and, though I'm still not sure why anyone wants to do a blog, have decided to give it a try.  After all, I get bored on occasion and having a blog might give me something to occupy some of that time.

I'll begin with an explanation of the name of my blog.  Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. is one of the authors that I really enjoy reading on occasion because he doesn't fit into any kind of mold or cookie cutter.  He marched to the beat of his own drum and wrote books that don't fit nicely into any kind of genre description.  In his book Cat's Cradle, is the conversation that appears in my blog description, minus the asterisks used as edit marks.  Later in the book, the same two characters encounter something that makes no sense and one of them shrugs and says, "See the cat?  See the cradle?"

I'll probably use this blog as something of a stream of consciousness.  I'll probably pontificate on random topics that just happen to be on my mind.  There probably won't be much sense in what I choose to write about and I don't think I care if that bugs people.  If this turns into a compendium of nonsense, so be it.  It'll at least be an excuse to write, which I enjoy doing even if I'm not that great at it.  Enjoy.