By: Jessamyn West,
on 3/5/2008
Number 4, Library-sex will make a comeback. This is, as I’m sure you know, the good news and the bad news for many of us. [via]
Posted on 3/4/2008
Let’s pay the toll for my dear friend and author, Tanya Lee Stone.
We can’t do anything until we talk about the title of your novel: A Bad Boy Can Be Good For a Girl. There has got to be a story behind that title!
There is, actually! The truth is, the thought of writing a novel had never entered my mind until that title came to me. I was listening to Michael Cart talk about the now-defunct journal Rush Hour. One theme was good girls. Another was bad boys. I took out my notebook and wrote: A bad boy can be good for a girl! Apologies to Mr. Cart, but I didn't hear the rest of the lecture. I was consumed by what the words I had just written meant to me, and Josie--the first girl in the book--was already tapping on my brain.
Juno has made consensual sex among young adults mainstream, but in fiction, it’s been in the news for years. In Bad Boy, sex is more than part of the story. Sex is really a character. It’s the core of the novel. Why is sex novel worthy?
You're dead-on. Sex is a character in this book. I didn't want to mention it in passing or include a scene or two--I wanted the whole book to be about the choices girls make when it comes to sex. The boy represents sex; it's all he's about, really. He's not a monster or a rapist, though, he's simply an oversexed jerk with one thing on his mind. He stays the same so we can see how three totally different kinds of girls play off of him, so to speak.
Your novel is also told from the points of view of three different young women. I loved seeing the Bad Boy with each of these girls. It really illuminated the different emotional responses to sex. Talk to me about these girls. Do they represent different kinds of girls in our society?
I love how the flow of one question leads to the next! I wouldn't say they represent particular types of girls, because I didn't create them that way, and there are infinite types of us out there, but I did want to look at how girls people might not view as particularly vulnerable to this type of guy still can be. That's the particular genius of the bad boy at that age--he's targeting girls who are not yet women, who do not yet know themselves well enough not to be taken in by his wiley ways. But yeah, let's talk about these girls! Although Josie is the youngest, she's the most level-headed. Nicolette doesn't know she's a bit confused about her sexual power, and Aviva is my hippie chick. I think if I were to put myself in the shoes of any of their mothers, I would be most obviously concerned about Nicolette. And of course Nicolette is the one who is the most sure she can't be hurt. I worry most about the Nicolette's out there and wish I could protect them all.
What have your readers said?
Well, a lot of different things, depending upon who they most identify with, and what they've already been through. I was not prepared for the reader feedback, but it's overwhelming. Girls write to me in all kinds of different situations. They say the book helped them avoid a crisis, or they wish they had read it before they were blindsided, or they gave it to a best friend who needs to wake up. That kind of thing. I think when readers feel as though someone has been straight up with them and said, hey, listen up, this is what can happen if you're not paying attention, it's appreciated. Of course, there are others who wish I hadn't written it at all.
Have you received any challenges? How have you dealt with them?
The most recent challenge was in
It's so important to open the lines of communication. Talking is everything. I love one of my amazon customer comments from a Mom who said she has boys and she's planning on leaving it out on the coffee table to get the discussion started!
Let’s also talk about finding the right book at the right time. What do you say to people who fear this topic will find its way into the hands of girls not ready to read about sex? How can parents use this book to discuss sex with their sons and daughters?
I think many of us in this field believe that kids are the best self censors. They don't generally read books they're not ready for. They open them and put them back on the shelves if it's not up their alley. Also, I was extremely careful about my language. There are scenes in which a girl who has not experienced what I'm talking about might miss some of the action, so to speak. That's intentional. The girl who needs to get it, will. And in terms of parents, or any adults trying to broach this subject--the great thing about fiction is that you can hand a book to a reader (or leave it lying around) and let them safely put themselves in someone else's shoes sans risk. They can play things out in their mind without actually having to do anything. Or, if they have already experienced the issue in question, they can reflect on it in a new way, through someone else's eyes.
I noticed that Tami Brown asked me some questions on your blog yesterday, so I thought I'd answer them right off the bat. If anyone else has other questions, fire away!
Tami said: As you wrote BAD BOY (as opposed to revising with your editor) did you consider your audience and their sensibilities or did you just write what you felt and deal with issues of "appropriateness" later?
That second thing you said. I did not think about audience at all when I was writing. For the record, I DO think it mattered that I had never done this before. I was a novel virgin. ;-p Seriously, though, it might have been harder for me if I wasn't in that ignorance-is-bliss state.
Tami said: Do you believe these days there are any sexual boundaries that can't or shouldn't be crossed in books aimed at teen readers? Is it different for light "pop fiction" as opposed to more serious literary work? When does sex serve the plot and when does it become gratuitous?
Hey girl, I think that's more than one question! I'm not a big fan of literary boundaries, but I suppose there might be some. I guess it depends on how alternative one's imagination might be! I think my own basic rule of thumb is that if it is something that reflects the reality of teenage life, it's appropriate. And in terms of being gratuitous, my hunch is that every writer knows when they're being gratuitous. I personally don't put anything in for shock value. It all serves the plot. I cut a few things that, for me, crossed my own comfort line in terms of audience. In those cases, it wasn't because they were gratuitous, it was more because I forced myself to be a 14 year old and wondered: if I already know this, does it serve the plot/character AND do I not know this and would I like to keep it that way!
How much did writing about sex force you to become a free speech and/or sex ed advocate as opposed to just a YA writer?
Interesting question. Again, this was not something I set out to do. I didn't wake up one day and decide to write about sex. It snuck up on me and evolved very organically. Once I had done it, though, I felt very strongly about having the right to do so, and about defending other people's rights as well. Especially after the continual feedback from readers who crave honest input from sources they can relate to.
Like many writers, Tanya Lee Stone has been making up stories since she was a kid. Her writing improved as she studied English at
After 13 years as an editor, Tanya moved to
Got more questions for Tanya??????
Send them in. We will post more answers on THURSDAY!
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By: Jennie,
on 12/7/2007
Unblogged books, in order of reading-- we have 2 left from October of 2006... (short and pithy, because I don't remember these books very well.)
By: Rebecca,
on 11/28/2007
Controversial enough to be jailed, bawdy, talented, end endlessly quoted, Mae West is the pop archetype of sexual wantonness and ribald humor. In her book, Mae West: An Icon in Black and White, Jill Watts looks at the ways West borrowed from African-American culture and helps us understand this endlessly complicated woman. In the telling excerpt below we learn about how West’s first Broadway play SEX came to fruition.
One day, Mae West and some friends sat stuck in New York City traffic. In a rush, she ordered her driver to take a shortcut past the 
waterfront, and as her car rolled past the docks she spied a young woman with a sailor on each arm. West described her as attractive but with “blonde hair, over bleached and all frizzy . . . a lot of make-up on and a tight black satin coat that was all wrinkled and soiled. . . .She had runs in her stockings and she had this little turban on and a big beautiful bird of paradise.” Mae remarked to her companions, “You wonder this dame wouldn’t put half a bird of paradise on her head and the rest of the money into a coat and stockings.” But as her friends speculated that the bird of paradise was probably a seafaring John’s recompense and that this woman of the streets at best made only fifty cents to two dollars a trick, Mae grew enraged. Certainly she was worldly enough to know about prostitution, yet she recalled, “I was really upset about that.” She insisted it disturbed her to witness such exploitation of a woman—and also to realize that a woman could be so ignorant of her potential for exploiting her exploitation. (more…)
NOTE TO SELF: Is this story kosher?
Perhaps it's just the cynic in me but I find this a little hard to swallow.
Jones Soda Co., a Seattle-based purveyor of offbeat fizzy water, is selling holiday-themed limited-edition packs of flavored sodas. What makes this story intriguing is that they are proposing a ham-and-latke-flavored soda.
Talk about trying to be everything to everyone!
Jones Sodas Christmas Pack flavors include Sugar Plum, Egg Nog, Christmas Tree and Christmas Ham. They are also claiming that their newest product will be kosher - including the ham!
Actually, the packages are divided up according to the holiday with the Christmas pack featuring such flavors as Sugar Plum, Christmas Tree, Egg Nog and Christmas Ham. The Hanukkah pack will have Jelly Doughnut, Apple Sauce, Chocolate Coins and Latke sodas.
"As always, both packs are kosher and contain zero caffeine," Jones said in a statement.
The packs will go on sale Sunday, with a portion of the proceeds to be given to charity, the company said.
Jones' products feature original label art and frequently odd flavors. Last year's seasonal pack was Thanksgiving-themed, with Green Pea, Sweet Potato, Dinner Roll, Turkey and Gravy, and Antacid sodas.
For its contract to supply soda to Qwest Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks, Jones came up with Perspiration, Dirt, Sports Cream and Natural Field Turf. The company -- fortunately or unfortunately -- prides itself on the accuracy of the taste.
Excuse me while I gag...
Jones also makes more traditional flavors, including root beer, cherry and strawberry. I dunno - call me silly but I'll pass on the ham soda.
By: Jessamyn West,
on 10/28/2007
On my fridge I have a photocopy of a letter that Sandy Berman sent to the Library of Congress this August suggesting that they establish dildoes as a LCSH. I got many fascinating photocopies along with it for supporting evidence. I enjoy being on Sandy’s mailing list. Today, vickiep from del.ico.us sent me a link to “strap-on sex” as a new Library of Congress subject heading. Hooray! Unfortunately, links that go into the Library of Congress Authorities searches aren’t permanent but I was able to replicate the search and find the listing for dildoes in the weekly list for September 26th. Of interest to me particularly is that the authority record for strap-on sex contains Wikipedia, Google and “LC database” as notes in the 670 field. update: Tim at LibraryThing has a post showing the record.
By: Kate Hall,
on 10/13/2007
This is a poignant, tragic book that does have a speck of hope thrown in. Deanna Lambert was caught sleeping with her brother’s friend when she was 13 by her father. Since that day life has never been the same. Her dad doesn’t talk to her everyone at school thinks she is a whore and her best friends are dating. All she wants is to get out of her life and try to start fresh, but that is easier said than done. This is a story of survival and overcoming the obstacles put in your path. Though not cheery, it was a well told story. But I definitely wanted a good dose of happy after reading it.
By: Rebecca,
on 10/1/2007
Earlier today, Mary Ann Cohen, co-editor of the Comprehensive Textbook of AIDS Psychiatry helped us better understand the AIDS epidemic in young American men. Cohen’s book (with Jack M. Gorman), navigates the ample evidence supporting the fact that psychiatric treatment can decrease transmission, diminish suffering, improve adherence, and decrease morbidity and mortality in AIDS patients. In the excerpt below, Jimmie Holland, MD the Wayne E. Chapman Chair in Psychiatric Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a Professor of Psychiatry at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University provides a forward which puts the Comprehensive Textbook of AIDS Psychiatry into historical perspective.
The publication of the Comprehensive Textbook of AIDS Psychiatry, edited by two psychiatrists who have ‘‘been there’’ since the beginning of the epidemic, is a benchmark for the field —it has come of age. (more…)
By: Jessamyn West,
on 9/13/2007
I sometimes feel that people look at me and my laptop and my typa-typa routine and think I don’t have another life outside of computers. This can be the good news — when they need a computer expert, I’m there — but also the bad news because my life is deeper than just computers and libraries. In fact, I’m certain that’s true for all of us.
Just recently I was delighted to read Karen Schneider’s piece that was in Nerve. I heard about it on Twitter, but she also talks about it on her own blog. It’s called Range of Desire and it’s about guns and sex. It’s great. If you like Karen’s bloggish writings you’ll love it when she’s less (or differently) constrained by form and gets to tell a long story. Karen used to be in the Air Force; it’s part of who she is. Similarly the librarian I worked with today is married to a farmer and I saw her carrying around a bag of maple syrup containers. For my own part, I have a sculpture/welding background back before library school, and a huge coin collection in the attic.
One of the things I like so much about meeting other librarians online or elsewhere is a chance to get to see a bunch of other parts of them, not just their “work faces.” I think it helps the whole reference and information exchange if our patrons see us as people first and librarians second, or maybe they just see us as librarians and people at about the same time.
tagless!
By: Rebecca,
on 6/28/2007
Rebecca OUP-US
There seems to me to be two ways of interpreting Tess, as “a pure woman” as the subtitle of the novel so clearly states and Tess as impure. I think that I’ve made up my mind and I will state my case below but I hope you will share your opinions with me in the comments section. (more…)
By: David Elzey,
on 6/20/2007
Pretty risque title for children's non-fiction title, but that's what it said on the outside of the box of galleys from Scholastic. Sadly, the galley's correct title appeared on the cover: The Many Rides of Paul Revere. The cover says it's illustrated with archival art and new illustrations but when you look at the title page and it says "Illustrated with Archival Photographs." Hmm. That
By: Rebecca,
on 6/11/2007
Martin Jones, author of Feast: Why Humans Share Food is the George Pitt-Rivers Professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Cambridge, and specializes in the study of the fragmentary archaeological remains of early food. Feast reconstructs the development of the meal from chimpanzees at a kill to university professors at a formal feast. Jones has a knack for explaining how food has affected both our society and ecology. In the excerpt below he shows how the instinct to share is more biological than we realize.
Food and sex (more…)
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By: Lizzy Burns,
on 4/12/2007
Speak now or forever hold your peace. (OK, not forever...) But right now there is a pretty cool convo going on at the YA Author's Cafe about Sex in YA books: YA Authors Cafe: Open Discussion: Let's Talk About Sex
To recap my own comments to that post:
-- we need a wide array of books about sex, including books without sex. I want books that support teen choices; and take those choices seriously. I want a wide range so when a kid asks, I have a number of books to offer, whatever it is they are asking for. And it's not my job to challenge their choice. It's my job to match the reader to the book.
-- while the YA Cafe is talking about what the reader is asking for, there are readers who read not to duplicate experience but just out of curiosity. There is nothing wrong with a teen who wants to read (or is not bothered by) sexual content; and there is nothing wrong with a teen who doesn't want that. Both should be respected.
-- in terms of Reader's Advisory, I 'd love more non-Christian publisher books that have the viewpoint of wait till marriage for sex.
-- in terms of Reader's Advisory, what I want to know is which of these is OK or not OK in terms of sexual content:
---- John and Mary hold hands. It's clear and explicit that there is no sex.
---- John and Mary disappear for a few hours. It's never said that they do have sex; it's never said that they don't. It's up to the reader to decide.
---- John and Mary have sex. And that's the entire description. So it happens; but it's not explicit.
---- John and Mary....page after page after page. Explicit.
So which of these is OK or not OK for the reader? Is it only the first two? Or is the third one OK? Is the last one OK if the two are married? These are the things I'd want to know in matching a reader to a book (and then I dream of a catalog that helps me match the reader and book.)
ha! “sultry, stuffy sex-maniac librarians”
This is too great. …now I’m curious if there are any scholarly works or statistics about library sex.
When I clicked on the link, our library’s filter notice came up. I didn’t even realize my office computer was filtered. I guess all of my work (and non-work) related browsing for the past six months has been wholesome. Until now. I wonder which word tripped the filter. “love”, “sex” or “recession”.
Interesting. It trips the filter on my staff computer too. Time to go set that to “allow.” *mutters*