There are actually a couple of other points I'd like to make. Ariel Schrag has been quoted as having said: "The bottom line, to me, is that it's good that this mother is aware of what her child is reading, but she should trust that other parents can make the same judgments about their children's readiness for such a book."

In an ideal world, this is exactly right. In this realm, however - very rarely does a parent make the time to review what his/her daughter/son is reading. Sometimes that's due to complete apathy. Other times, it's due to time constraint issues. I mean, look at how frequently parents complain about violent television, rather than taking the time to monitor their kids' viewing habits!

I think it's about a person's upbringing, sometimes... I think, after having read some of Ariel's autobiographical comics, that it would be a safe bet to say we've had two very different upbringings. She had parents who knew of her interests - her love of concerts, her friends, her making of comics and such. In fact, her father is shown chauffeuring her to some events! He took an active role in her life as a child.

Me, I was raised by a grandmother and an aunt, both of whom were functional illiterates. That meant I was free to read whatever I wanted, right? Wrong! Because they couldn't really know what I was reading, everything became suspect. This is true: Archie Comics were brought under fire time and again in my household because of the lascivious content therein. (Looking at the pictures, seeing Betty & Veronica in swimsuits with Archie's head surrounded by floating hearts... and all those drawings of kisses, and same-soda-sharing...? Completely innocent to the youthful reader, but highly suspicious to a world-weary adult who cannot understand the context of such images.)

And I was not to read Stephen King because he was rumoured to be able to "turn a youngster's blood," whatever that turn of phrase meant. Thinking I was getting away with something, I snuck a novel into the house - not realizing how ubiquitous Stephen King's name was, in such a fashion that the physical text of his name was instantly recognizable (little-bitty "stephen" on top of a gigantic "KING!") without even reading the name itself.

And my folks never talked about anything. Everything was "dirt." Love, sex, friendship... Frank O'Keeffe wrote a book called Guppy Love, or The Day the Fish Tank Exploded when I was a kid, and the front cover image was deemed acceptable (a kid peering through the glass of an aquarium). But when a cousin read the title to my grandmother one day, she associated the phrase with "PUPPY love," and felt that I was reading something of a smutty book under a clever pretext. I was accused of reading filth, and there was nothing I could say or do to defend my reading material.

Yet, I could read the most obscene material provided that the cover were subtle enough, and that there were no pictures inside.

So we can't really expect parents to be responsible... because they frequently aren't when it comes to a child's reading material, or television viewing. And that's tragic, because it means everyone has to be treated like the least mature amongst us. It's true, though...

Secondly, Ariel says that "There's a big difference in saying, 'This book isn't right for my child' and 'This book isn't right for any child.'" And she's absolutely right. Though I haven't any children myself, I'd be fine with my child reading this book because I know how he or she would have been raised, and that I would be one of those parents who would take an active interest in his/her life (so as to not replicate the mistakes made on me when I was growing up). But it wouldn't be okay for, say, my niece, whose upbringing includes all manner of language and "drama" from the parental units - and who would assuredly complain about the material as presented as being "too strong" for her. It's funny how that works. Double-standards are the norm within families. Not all families, but a lot. Parents can curse and argue in front of their children, but that's somehow different when it is presented by an outsider.

I'm just sorry that we have to live according to the desires of the least mature. As good as it can be, that's the element of society that smells the worst, sometimes.

I get rather bummed every time I see a book banned, especially when it's by an author (in this case, authors) I admire. However, let's look on the bright side; the publicity's bound to find the book tons of new readers.

Carly wrote: "I get rather bummed every time I see a book banned, especially when it's by an author (in this case, authors) I admire. However, let's look on the bright side; the publicity's bound to find the boo..."

I had the exact same thought. :) I'm sure the book has attracted new readers -- in fact, I've mentioned it at my "Banned Book Club" this month, since it technically qualifies as such now.