Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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THIS WEEK WITH MARGARET You Have Got to Be Kidding by MARGARET DICKSON Brunswick County has some of the loveliest coastal spots in North Carolina. People from all over the country flock there to enjoy its clean and sandy beaches, making it one of the fastest growing places in our country. But, yikes! Something not so pretty is going on with the Brunswick County Board of Education. Book banning, a curse which has plagued our nation since our Puritan founders set foot on New World soil, has reared its ugly head in our neck of the woods once again. And just what book is under discussion for banning? None other than The Color Purple, a Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Alice Walker for which Oprah Winfrey received an Oscar nomination in its big screen adaptation. The situation is this: Brunswick County school board member Catherine Cooke told local media that several parents had complained to her about the novel's content and that they would like it removed from the 11th grade's Advanced Placement English classes. The board then invited concerned citizens to comment at a recent meeting, even though, to his everlasting credit, Board Chair Charlie Miller said no action would be taken. A heated conversation ensued, with several students and parents voicing concern about "obscenity" and "innocent minds," and a University of North Carolina at Wilmington English education professor taking to the podium to say that The Color Purple addresses "real world" issues which are not always sweetness and light but which teenagers are exposed to in popular culture, and sadly, sometimes in their own lives. Brunswick County is not the only North Carolina community recently riled up over a book. In September, 5 of 7 members of the Randolph County Board of Education actually voted to remove Invisible Man, a classic American novel by Ralph Ellison published in 1952 addressing African American alienation in the first part of the 20th century. It won the National Book Award the next year and the Library of Congress has designated it as one of the "Books That Shaped America." A firestorm of criticism and ridicule quickly followed, culminating with a book publisher offering to donate free copies of Invisible Man to area high school students. To no one's great surprise the school board quickly did an about face, voting 6 to 1 to put the book back on school library shelves. Embarrassment is apparently a powerful motivator. These two incidents and a long string of others over the centuries made me curious about which books drive people crazy. The American Library Association keeps just such a list, the "Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books," so I checked out what made the cut between 2000 and 2009. Several, such as J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye and Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, were hardly surprises, but most titles I did not recognize. I was surprised and amused, though, that the number one Banned/ Challenged book — actually a series of books — was the Harry Potter series, books devoured and adored by my children and millions of others worldwide. Given the books on the list, known and unknown, I find myself agreeing with Brunswick County School Superintendent Dr. Edward Pruden who noted, "Almost every book offends somebody." I, myself, am offended by what I consider gratuitous use of profane and obscene language, but I would never support libraries removing such books from their shelves. I may not read them myself, but if you chose to, that is fine by me. All of this calls to mind a quotation by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stewart Potter who observed in an obscenity ruling five decades ago, "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced by that shorthand description (hard core pornography); and perhaps I would never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it." In other words, obscenity and other objectionable characteristics are like beauty. They live in the eye of the beholder. Book banning also reminds me of an experience I had as a young mother. I was distressed that my sons wanted to play with what were called "action figures," small plastic representations of men with such pumped up muscular bodies that they made even Barbie look realistic. Had they been human beings, they would surely have burst open and spewed steroids everywhere. I discussed my concerns with a thoughtful friend, also the mother of two boys, who did not like the beefcake dolls either. In the end, though, this is what she said: "Margaret, you cannot protect your MARGARET DICKSON, Conchildren from their own culture," and she tributing Writer, COMMENTS? is right. Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. What's going on in our community? There are caterers... We can help you learn what is happening in and around Fayetteville! In print and online! www.2girlscateringnc.com www.facebook.com/2girlscatering (910) 920-0340 2Girls Catering showcases our cuisine and excellent service at receptions, anniversaries, graduations, corporate grand openings, etc! We also provide party platters for casual celebrations. We can fulfill your need for any size gathering. We are now accepting reservations for our new venue space, the Red Rose Studios opening September 2013! ...and then there's 2Girls! 8 NOVEMBER 13-19, 2013 Look for it online now at www.upandcomingweekly.com. Connecting a Community 208 Rowan St. 910.484.6200 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM