Help me understand why I am so censored
This is my first blog and I’m celebrating big time. But first the bad news: My novel,
The Drowning of Stephan Jones
(based on a true story involving the murder of a gay man), was hounded by a whole army of unlit minds taking their orders from the higher ups. These “higher ups” taught the protestors that they must never reveal where their commands originated. All very secret.
So much anger was targeted against this novel that the American Library Association listed The Drowning of Stephan Jones as one of America’s 100 most banned books. But banning it was not an easy task for the people who wanted to kill my book. For starters, it took a lot of legwork to take a book that so many people wanted to read off the library shelves and out of the classrooms.
To accomplish this, an amazing amount of people made an endless amount of trips to schools and to libraries protesting that Bette Greene is a bad writer. Bette Greene is bad for children. Bette Greene’s books ought to be burned or, at least, thrown out of all schools and libraries.
Even so, I’m grateful for some of the things that they haven’t yet accused me of: Being cruel and abusive to parakeets, breaking and entering the former Chicago home of President Obama or killing the goose who laid the golden egg.
So to all those who have spent their quality time protesting my books, I’d like to say that they all have worked long, hard and diligently to accomplish the censorship of The Drowning of Stephan Jones. Usually I’m quick to congratulate folks whose mission has been accomplished, only this time I’m going to forego any and all compliments. I just know you'll understand. So thanks.
People who have read The Drowning of Stephan Jones as well as people who haven’t invariably ask why I am being banned. My answer is always the same: any answer that I offer would be pretty self-serving—too self-serving to be called objective. I cannot be totally and completely objective, so please read this much-discussed book and tell me what you think.
Truly, I do want to know (as do so many others who’ve asked the question): why is it that Bette Greene has two books that so many people have worked so successfully to ban? Summer of My German Soldier, called a “Modern American Classic”, has continued on the ALA most banned books for 40 years.
Okay, now for the good news: you can’t keep a good man—or a good book—down. The Drowning of Stephan Jones and Summer of My German Soldier are being E-published by Open Road Integrated Media.
Summer of My German Soldier is being published in print by Penguin Putnam.
The Drowning of Stephan Jones (the enhanced edition) is being published in print directly by me through Amazon Createspace.
Please let me know your thoughts on why I’m one of the most censored authors in America. I can’t wait to hear from you.
So much anger was targeted against this novel that the American Library Association listed The Drowning of Stephan Jones as one of America’s 100 most banned books. But banning it was not an easy task for the people who wanted to kill my book. For starters, it took a lot of legwork to take a book that so many people wanted to read off the library shelves and out of the classrooms.
To accomplish this, an amazing amount of people made an endless amount of trips to schools and to libraries protesting that Bette Greene is a bad writer. Bette Greene is bad for children. Bette Greene’s books ought to be burned or, at least, thrown out of all schools and libraries.
Even so, I’m grateful for some of the things that they haven’t yet accused me of: Being cruel and abusive to parakeets, breaking and entering the former Chicago home of President Obama or killing the goose who laid the golden egg.
So to all those who have spent their quality time protesting my books, I’d like to say that they all have worked long, hard and diligently to accomplish the censorship of The Drowning of Stephan Jones. Usually I’m quick to congratulate folks whose mission has been accomplished, only this time I’m going to forego any and all compliments. I just know you'll understand. So thanks.
People who have read The Drowning of Stephan Jones as well as people who haven’t invariably ask why I am being banned. My answer is always the same: any answer that I offer would be pretty self-serving—too self-serving to be called objective. I cannot be totally and completely objective, so please read this much-discussed book and tell me what you think.
Truly, I do want to know (as do so many others who’ve asked the question): why is it that Bette Greene has two books that so many people have worked so successfully to ban? Summer of My German Soldier, called a “Modern American Classic”, has continued on the ALA most banned books for 40 years.
Okay, now for the good news: you can’t keep a good man—or a good book—down. The Drowning of Stephan Jones and Summer of My German Soldier are being E-published by Open Road Integrated Media.
Summer of My German Soldier is being published in print by Penguin Putnam.
The Drowning of Stephan Jones (the enhanced edition) is being published in print directly by me through Amazon Createspace.
Please let me know your thoughts on why I’m one of the most censored authors in America. I can’t wait to hear from you.
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Wendy wrote: "Dear Ms. Greene,I am a 46 year old who admitedly has only read Summer of My German Soldier and the sequel. I was a child/teen when I first read them, they affected me deeply. Please read my review..."
Wendy wrote: "Dear Ms. Greene,
I am a 46 year old who admitedly has only read Summer of My German Soldier and the sequel. I was a child/teen when I first read them, they affected me deeply. Please read my review..."
Wendy wrote: "Dear Ms. Greene,
I am a 46 year old who admitedly has only read Summer of My German Soldier and the sequel. I was a child/teen when I first read them, they affected me deeply. Please read my review..."
Dear Wendy and Ms Greene
Thankyou so much for your words.I also read 'Summer of My German Soldier and 'The Pigman'.I loved them when I was younger,once in a while,I'll go back and read the YA novels that I enjoyed in middle school.As An adult I gain a different perspective on them as it is to be expacted, as an adult rereading these books it surprises me what people thought they needed censor.It surprises me because its seems that the censors want to censor life itself.The Pigman and Summer of my German Soldier,delved into things like love and death,prejudice and redemption, you would think in a world where libraries are experiencing cuts and the young adult sections are filled with franchises .We would applaud these novels rather than censor them for the very reasons ,we enjoy life.Thank you Ms Greene for your wonderful novel, and to you,Wendy,thank you for standing against censorship.Elizabeth Barter.
Hi Bette,I read Summer of My German Soldier in my grade 8 catholic school class in Toronto, Canada, and my whole class really liked the book. It generated a lot of discussion about racism, mother-daughter relationships, etc. I read the sequel on my own shortly after.
I imagine the people who ban your books are a lot like the people of Jenkinsville, unwilling to be exposed to anything out of their narrow-minded views, but extremely passionate about their views and convinced of their self-righteousness. I've been really lucky to grow up in a place where I felt like we were encouraged to read banned books, especially during banned books week to protest book burning, and also because if a book can speak so powerfully that it was banned, we understand that it is a great work of literature.
I know that doesn't ultimately help the kids who live in confining communities, who don't have access to books that speak of a different world view because they are banned. I wish for their sake that books that dare to be different aren't banned.
But I hope you know that you're not a bad writer, your books are not bad for children, and those who think so share the mentality of Patty's parents and neighbours, who are afraid of what they don't understand and condemn it.
Dear Ms Greene, In your company, we will find Harper Lee, Paul Zindel , and Judy Blume.All of them are acclaimed writers like yourself, their novels are also on banned book lists, censors are either very frightened people or they have too much time on their hands. Please keep writing Ms Greene, we are in need of your intelligence and compassion. Elizabeth Barter.
Censorship is just another form of bullying. My new series beginning with "Bette Greene'sVerbal Karate for Girls" will soon be available. No more nonsense about cheek turning are sticks and stones which doesn't work..
American Classic Novelist
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I am a 46 year old who admitedly has only read Summer of My German Soldier and the sequel. I was a child/teen when I first read them, they affected me deeply. Please read my review.
As far as censoring? I laugh at censoring and pity the children who are victims of it. You among many others like Rowlings, Judy Blume join the ranks of censored authors, ift only makes me want to buy it for my niece.
My first experience with censoring was Zindel's The Pigman. My middle school librarian chided me when I inquired about the book. (It was in
the catalogue but not on shelf) She snidely told me it had been removed fdrom the stacks because it was inappropriate for young people. I promptly checked it out of tfhe public library .and proceeded to read it in front of her desk.