The Power of (Certain) Words...
Sunday morning my son, who is 3-and-a-half, dropped the F-bomb. Yep. Out the F-word came from his innocent little mouth. Twice. Do they still make Lifebouy soap? thought I. Crap--I hope he never says that in front of my mother. Or at preschool.
My husband was witness to this. After a What did you say? to confirm, he asked Murray where he heard That Word. "From you," he said to his dad (AHA! I KNEW IT!), "And my mommy."
Um--I don't think so! It couldn't have been me! I don't say it much. (And if I do, it's more likely I'll say it at the office, and even then, under by breath.) But if not us, then who? He's only got basic cable in his room. All his DVDs are rated G. He hasn't seen our potty-mouthed friend Jerry since summertime. We must be the guilty party. What a proud moment in parenting!
And how do you explain to a kid his age just why that's not a nice word to say? Why can one little word can have so much power? The F-word. Scrotum.
The fact that's it's ALA awards time, along with the fact that my son suddenly curses like a sailor, reminded me of the whole The Higher Power of Lucky/Newbery/scrotum controversy happening around this time last year. Based on my quick BookScan check, Susan Patron's Newbery winner seems to be selling just fine, controversy or not. At home, I haven't gotten Murray to use the s-word when discussing his anatomy, but these days I'm not sure if it would be preferable to the daddy-taught terms he currently uses. I suppose I should go Google Lifebouy. Just in case.
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Blog: Alice's CWIM blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: the F-word, Lifebouy, Newbery, Susan Patron, The Higher Power of Lucky, scrotum, Lifebouy, the F-word, Add a tag
Blog: The Well-Read Child (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: susan patron, the higher power of lucky, young adult book challenge, newbery award winners, Add a tag
Hardcover: 144 pages
Publisher: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books (November 7, 2006)
With this year’s Newbery winner being announced on Monday, I figured I’d better get around to reading last year’s winner and also complete the first book in the Young Adult Challenge hosted at Thoughts of Joy.
The Higher Power of Lucky is set in Hard Pan,
When I first read this book, I thought, “THIS won the Newbery Medal?” I thought it was a good story, but I didn’t think it one of THE BEST young adult books I’d ever read and certainly not as good as Hattie Big Sky, which was named a Newbery Honor Book last year.
But as I kept thinking about the story and the characters, it grew on me. Patron does an exceptional job with characterization in the book. Lucky is extremely smart and creative. She loves to make up stories about the “Olden Days” where her companions, HMS Beagle (her real-life dog who is “not a ship or a beagle”) and
Patron gives us a glimpse into what it feels like to live in constant fear that you’re going to be abandoned and not know where you’re going end up—the fear that is all too real for most foster children. Even little Miles, who lives with his grandmother, doesn’t know where his mother is and carries around a worn copy of “Are You My Mother?” I couldn’t help feeling empathy for him as Lucky refused to read it to him—again.
Even with all of the heart wrenching moments, Patron does a fine job of balancing them with humor and an engaging storyline. The book is not too heavy or depressing and has an uplifting ending.
I was surprised (well not really) to hear all of the hubbub about Patron’s use of the word “scrotum” on the very first page of the book—she’s retelling Short Sammy’s story of his lowest point with his alcoholism where his dog gets bit on the scrotum by a snake. There is nothing sexual or perverse, and in fact, Lucky is not even sure what a scrotum is—another example that she is just a child. My two cents—children have heard much far worse, and it is the proper name of a sexual organ. Patron could have used a number of alternative terms. It is not and should not be a focal point of the book, and the fact that it has been banned is completely ridiculous. But don’t get me started on what I think about censorship…even I am making this is the focal point of my review.
The Higher Power of Lucky is a good book with lovable characters, great and believable dialogue, and both poignant and funny moments. I personally would have picked Hattie Big Sky to win the top honor, but I’m not on the committee, so what can I do?
Blog: The National Writing for Children Center (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Susan Patron, The Higher Power of Lucky, Newbery winner, Add a tag
Children’s author Susan Patron won the Newbery Award for her book The Higher Power of Lucky, yet many librarians don’t want the book on school library shelves. Find out why.
Newbery winner Susan Patron The Higher Power of LuckyNewbery winner Susan Patron The Higher Power of LuckyNewbery winner, Susan Patron, The Higher Power of LuckyBlog: A Fuse #8 Production (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Delicious Mysterious Government Cheese, The Higher Power of Lucky, Newbery Banquets, Add a tag
But only if it's federally regulated USDA cheese. Can't you just imagine everyone in their gowns n' gear lining up with plates to push the button?
Thanks, of course, to BB-Blog for the image.
Blog: A Fuse #8 Production (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: The Higher Power of Lucky, The Lucky Debate, Add a tag
Librarians, as a whole, have many charms. But apparently indulging in a serious form of discourse online isn't one of them.
... one thing I greatly admire about my librarian colleagues is how vastly open minded a group they are. They are widely accepting of new ideas, and welcome into the discussion anyone who is willing to share their thoughts. But perhaps we have become too welcoming, too complacent to remember that we share a responsibility to take our profession forward through intellectual discourse.A wise piece. Author Steven Bell talks about our reluctance to seriously discuss both sides of a given issue online. He cites as an example Michael Gorman's 2005 criticism of bloggers and how no one had the wherewithal/guts to take the man's side. This, in turn, reminded me of the very beginnings of the LM_Net scrotum kerfuffle when the librarians on that particular listserv spoke against the Newbery Award winning book and very few were inclined to take a pro-Higher Power of Lucky viewpoint. Publisher's Weekly saw the dissent and the lack of defense and reported accordingly. Not a perfect analogy, but similar enough I think.
Blog: Crossover (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Susan Patron, The Higher Power of Lucky, scrotum, Add a tag
At least Susan Patron, in the end, will benefit from Scrotumgate '07. Here are the numbers:
- An Amazon top-40 title, jumping from #600
- A new print run of 100, 000 ordered
AP articla via Forbes.com. For full Lucky coverage, check out Fuse #8 and Chicken Spaghetti's roundup posts here and here and here and here and here.
Blog: Fahrenheit 451: Banned Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: ala, Bridge to Terabithia, The Higher Power of Lucky, Banned Book Challenge, parents, a visit to cuba, Frank Zappa, Add a tag
Freedom to Read Poster 1991
Take the "Banned Book Challenge."
Thanks to the Tinfoil Racoon who posted about the Frank Zappa Memorial Fund and how the family has designated funds to the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom and the Freedom to Read Foundation.
Book Moot gives her opinion about the difference between a concerned parent and a book banning know nothing nutter (not my choice of words).
A Salt Lake City Review article about Bridge to Terabithia suggests that the movie might provide a teaching moment to talk to older children about death.
Teachers and child-development experts say while "Bridge to Terabithia" might be too much for young kids to handle, it could bring up a difficult subject families are often relucant to discuss, but should, with older kidsIn the wake of the Miami-Dade School Board controversy over a children's book on Cuba, a US organization called FREADOM, is bringing attention to documents and books that have been burned in Cuba that include a biography of Martin Luther King Jr. and George Orwell's Animal Farm. An editorial in the Orlando Sentinel tells how Freadom is encouraging US children to read books that have been burned in Cuba.
As the discussion over the word "scrotum" being used in a Newbery Award winner -- The Higher Power of Lucky, there is the suggestion that if it is an inappropriate word, we had better censor other books. Just to save you doing the research, Gelf Magazine has provided a few other "scrotalicious" books for tweens and below.
Blog: A Fuse #8 Production (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: The Higher Power of Lucky, Scrotums, People Have Been Finding This Site By Googling "Lucky Scrotum" Which Amuses Me, Add a tag
This is by no means a complete encapsulation of thoughts by people on the Lucky Scrotum Debate (as it should hitherto be known), but rather just those posts that caught my eye.
You know a news item is big when the Daily Kos starts running info on it. Likewise, Ron Hogan posted info on Scrotumgate (I'm trying to settle on a catchy moniker here, but the word doesn't really lend itself to a media-grabbing title) recently on Galleycat that sums up some great salient points. What Adrienne Thinks About That has tallied a lot of the sites out there discussing it far better than I. The site librarian.net ("putting the rarin' back in librarian since 1999") had plenty to say in the last few days. And according to A Year of Reading, the smartest rant on the Lucky Scrotum comes via a site called Pragmatic Chaos. I liked the piece, but it sure made me feel old. The writer was 11 during the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal? Oh, momma. I think I'll go get my walker and drink a phosphate on the porch as I reminisce about the early days of Caleco.
Blog: Fahrenheit 451: Banned Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Katherine Paterson, Freedom Writers, Bridge to Terabithia, The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison, Susan Patron, The Higher Power of Lucky, suicide, Erin Gruwell, Add a tag
Take the Banned Book Challenge!
Freedom to Read Poster 1988
The NY Times reports that a Newbery-award winning book is facing widespread banning from school libraries because of one word.
Speaking of Newberys, Bridge to Terabithia opened this weekend. Read an interview about censorship with author Katherine Paterson.
The Daily Press & Argus reports that the Howell Board of Education voted 5-2 to allow teachers to assign The Freedom Writers Diary, Black Boy, and The Bluest Eye to advanced English classes. School Board member Wendy Day who voted for the ban states she has filed a form to ask for an official review of the Morrison book.
Update: The Conservative Media Blog reports that banners are still "howelling" in Howell, MI. The Daily Press and Argus reports that some parents are taking the battle to the courts, claiming that books on the curriculum break pornography laws. Stay tuned. It isn't over yet.
Librarian Kathryn Greenhill, the Australian blogger of Librarians Matter mulls over the pros and cons of having a book in a university library that tells one how to kill oneself.
Blog: A Fuse #8 Production (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: The Higher Power of Lucky, Scrotums, Why Oprah?, Add a tag
Nothing like a zinging literary debate to ward off the chill February months.
You may not have noticed it, but since I posted my disappointment with those children's librarians that refuse to stock The Higher Power of Lucky on their shelves I've had at least two people speaking in defense of the move via my comment section. One, by the name of S., wrote this very interesting point:
I just read the opening couple pages of The Higher Power of Lucky to several groups: a kidlit class at a liberal arts college in middle Ameria, a group of K-4 teachers in middle America, a Creative Writing for Children class in middle America. All were hesitant about giving The Higher Power of Lucky to students.We're currently discussing whether or not a person can judge a title via the first three pages or not. The second one had a different take:
After reading it several times, it's not just the S-Word, or the anonymous 12-step programs--it's something about the tone that is set up immediately. Those things are generally offensive in Middle America, but it's the combination of them, plus the density of the text at first, that creates the strong impression. If a kid doesn't know what a 12-step anonymous program is (AA is never mentioned) then it's hard to understand what is happening. The phrase "Hard Pan Found Object Wind-Chime Museum and Visitor's Center" is a mouthful, and the rest is sometimes--well, it has a different sort of rhythm and flow. And that results in an cumulative tone that doesn't let a reader in.
I don't think it's just that word. But in Middle America, this book will not play well, from my small sampling. Like it or not, much of America is still conservative, while publishing is largely not conservative. They/we are willing to accept the different, the unusual--but this opening strikes the ear and the reader with too much of a dischordant tone.
Please remember that school libraries and public libraries have different functions, as well as financing. When a school budget is tight (and I've heard of schools that allot $500 a year to their libraries collections, where non-fiction is the priority,) the librarian has to make hard choices. Buying a book he doesn't think his patrons will read and isn't a tied into the school's curriculum becomes necessary. When three of the last five winners (Lucky may or may not join that list,) have very little young reader appeal among the librarian's patrons, not automatically buying the winner may be a valid decision.This makes a lot of sense when you consider books like Kira-Kira and Criss Cross with their 14-year-old girl bent. So then the focus switches to whether or not Lucky is appropriate for younger ages. Ho ho!
And then, of course, there was that pretty little New York Times article (which may have disappeared by now) covering the Lucky debate. Now THIS particular piece is remarkable primarily because of its ill turns of phrase. I just adored this quote in particular:
If it were any other novel, it probably would have gone unnoticed, unordered and unread. But in the world of children’s books, winning a Newbery is the rough equivalent of being selected as an Oprah’s Book Club title. Libraries and bookstores routinely order two or more copies of each year’s winners, with the books read aloud to children and taught in classrooms.Oh dear. The Newbery is now the children's equivalent of Oprah's Book Club? I guess in the sense of selling a book instantaneously, but a part of me wishes that there were a nicer adult equivalent.
Loved the end of the article as well.
Ms. Nilsson, reached at Sunnyside Elementary School in Durango, Colo., said she had heard from dozens of librarians who agreed with her stance. “I don’t want to start an issue about censorship,” she said. “But you won’t find men’s genitalia in quality literature.”And now we have the first! How lovely. Shall we nitpick the quote and point out that it is not a man's genitalia but a dog's? I don't think it's too much to ask that all the people who discount the book read it through. Then, at the very least, we'd have a better informed debate.
“At least not for children,” she added.
One more question for you as well. If anything, this debate is interesting because it brings up the listserv LM_Net which I've not heard much of before. I belong to the Pub-Yac listserv and child_lit, but what are the advantages of LM_Net? Any subscribers out there?
Blog: A Fuse #8 Production (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Newbery 2007, The Higher Power of Lucky, Censorship Via Librarians, Add a tag
Have you heard the buzz over the fact that some of the librarians on the LM_Net listserv aren't going to booktalk or even buy The Higher Power of Lucky for the sole crime of using the word "scrotum"? I knew that a ninny or two might put their Helen Lovejoy faces on and scream, "Won't somebody please think of the children?", but I never dreamed it would be so many members of my own profession. The thought sickens me. PW had an article on these librarians and it really is enough to turn your stomach. If they haven't purchased it, what are the odds that all of them have read it?
Fortunately, Ms. Patron is a librarian herself and has posted a remarkable reply to those librarians who have chosen to stand as censors for other people's children.
If I were a parent of a middle-grade child, I would want to make decisions about my child's reading myself—I'd be appalled that my school librarian had decided to take on the role of censor and deny my child access to a major award-winning book. And if I were a 10-year-old and learned that adults were worried that the current Newbery book was not appropriate for me, I'd figure out a way to get my mitts on it anyway, its allure intensified by the exciting forbidden-ness—by the unexpressed but obvious fear on the part of these adults.Insofar as I can tell, none of these librarians had any problems with the kid in Kira-Kira getting his leg caught in a bloody bear trap. But involve a word of a body part and whoo-boy! Stand back, momma! Anything but the correct medical term for a portion of the male anatomy! Why, a kid who read that might (GASP!) ask their parents what it meant!!!! Oh, horrors! For the sake of my patrons' safety I should just keep myself from ever purchasing any books that could offend any parent at any time.
And thus we're back at Dick and Jane. White bread suburbia, here we come.
Blog: A Fuse #8 Production (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: The Higher Power of Lucky, Scrotums, Horn Book = HoBo, Add a tag
Horn Book editor Roger Sutton recently posted the following query on his blog regarding typos in new books: "should a review mention their presence in a book even when they are few or solitary?" I've often wondered this myself. It's rare, but once in a while I'll review a hardcover edition of a new book with multiple errors cropping up willy-nilly all over the place. Do I mention this in my review then? Is it even the author's fault?
An Australian author by the name of Lili Wilkinson had a rather nice point which I shall now quote here:
A two paragraph review of my first book spent one paragraph detailing a typo, what it was, what page it was on.So that was one debate. But read through the comments and suddenly there's a virtual flame war regarding Susan Patron's use of the word "scrotum" in The Higher Power of Lucky. Just out of curiosity, why does Roger's blog get all the attacks between commentators? I love you guys, but we should totally try to match him in peculiar rivalries over tiny topics. We could fake it, of course. MotherReader could say that the word "scrotum" is funny and J.L. Bell could counter that the word "ball-sack" is funnier (which it is) and it could descend into a mud-splattering free-for-all involving the invoking of various Norse gods and minor celebrities. How 'bout it? Y'all in?
the other paragraph questioned that the word 'rape' was mentioned in the book, but not included in the glossary.
i would have preferred a negative review to a persnickety one.
Sidenote: You know how Washington Mutual is trying to earn some street cred by calling itself WaMu? Can I start calling Horn Book HoBo? Please? Pretty please?
Blog: A Fuse #8 Production (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Susan Patron, Delicious Mysterious Government Cheese, The Higher Power of Lucky, Lincoln's Knot, Add a tag
Tis true! Thanks to Big A little a we know that in a recent Washington Post interview, Ms. Patron said the following, ". . . I'm working on a companion book; it's called 'Lincoln's Knot.' I'm about three-quarters of the way through."
Let us all hope too for the reappearance of the government cheese.
The button's advice -- push for free cheese -- reminds me of experiments with mice involving cheese (and possibly electric shock).
Makes me wonder: Is there a maze involved as well?