Utah outlaws books by Judy Blume and Sarah J Maas in first statewide ban
www.theguardian.com
State has ordered books by 13 authors, 12 of them women, to be removed from every public school classroom and library

The list of banned books is here

Read em while you can

  • PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works
    0·
    6 months ago

    My Catholic junior high school library is where I discovered Judy Blume. I probably read every single book of hers that they had, and there were a lot!

    So…calm down, Utah. It’s okay.

  • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Free speech in USA is a joke, it’s both poorly protected and poorly regulated at the same time. Worst of both worlds!

    • The Quuuuuill@slrpnk.netEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      So. I have this… Stance. Humanity has at no point evolved past tribalism. We all live in tribes. The tribe with the most power waxes poetic about the importance of free speech, but the truth is, they only allow as much free speech as allows their tribe to maintain their position. All the rest of our tribes can squabble over whatever remaining scraps of power are left after the controlling tribe is full up.

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        That’s certainly true for some people.

        But I don’t see the Democrats out there banning books.

        • Billiam@lemmy.world
          0·
          6 months ago

          Speak for yourself. I’m all for banning ghostwritten books by conservative talking heads so they can launder money and game bestseller lists.

            • Cataphract@lemmy.ml
              0·
              6 months ago

              I mean honestly that’s how it should work. If they’re writing and publishing disinformation that’s not in the “fiction” section then there should be some kind of regulatory backlash (same with news/entertainment etc). It’s like letting someone re-write history textbooks… but I suppose that’s been going on for a long time already.

    • DarkSirrush@lemmy.ca
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      6 months ago

      Its not even very spicy fairy porn, if I am remembering right. Been a few years since I read the series.

      • asteriskeverything@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        My memory is lots of “wells” that go deeper and bonds that are stronger and orgasms that are brighter than she previously thought possible every single time and SOOO much my mate stuff. I find sex scenes boring so I skim through them. Absolutely nothing that was in anyway kinky though beyond maybe being pinned to the wall lol

        • DarkSirrush@lemmy.ca
          0·
          6 months ago

          Yeah, they really overused the “my power is limited by my subconscious” trope a bit much. Once, maybe twice would be fine, but every damn book she gained a new tier of super saiyan because someone pissed her off enough.

          Also, Rand Al’Thor did the locked in a box thing better.

    • the_crotch@sh.itjust.works
      0·
      6 months ago

      Really? I assumed it would be Are You There God it’s Me Margaret. What could they possibly find offensive about Superfudge?

        • calabast@lemm.ee
          0·
          6 months ago

          “An entire book about a girl asking if God is there!? What a waste of time! The answer is ‘Yes, God is there.’. We just saved you like 10 hours! (Though sometimes he may let you suffer or die without ever showing himself. But he’s a silly ole God, and it was probably for your own good anyways.)”

        • the_crotch@sh.itjust.works
          0·
          6 months ago

          It’s about a girl and her friends discussing menstruation, and wishing they could menstruate, and being jealous of other girls who already menstruate, and praying to God that they menstruate soon. I can see where that would frighten pearl clutchers.

  • tetrachromacy@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    I’m not for banning books by any measure. I also don’t have kids, so I don’t really have a dog in this fight.

    However, I’ve read all the Court of Thorns and Roses series and it does contain some pretty explicit sexual scenes and themes. I probably wouldn’t want a child reading them until they were old enough to understand the use of sex in stories like this, and how you can tell the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. The books in my opinion are very fun reads, but I feel that they were written primarily for an adult audience.

    No idea when a kid should start reading ACOTAR, as again I don’t have kids. I’m not the right person to ask, but I’d argue that readers should be at least high school age for that series.

    I haven’t read any of the other books on that list, so I can’t speak to those. It’s very evident that whoever assembled that list isn’t well read, because there’s oodles more books with much worse content than ACOTAR that aren’t banned. Off the top from books I read back in high school: American Psycho, Clockwork Orange, Blood Meridian, the list goes on…

    • brygphilomena@lemmy.world
      0·
      6 months ago

      So, it’s not like these are part of any curriculum. No one is making, suggesting, recommending, or encouraging kids to read these books. So the ban is just simply censorship. (Except the list of banned books is sort of a recommendation in its own way.)

      No matter what they say, this isn’t about kids in any way. It’s not about protecting them from things they aren’t mature enough for. It’s not restricting them to a certain grade level. It’s outright censorship and it’s fucking bullshit.

    • mojofrododojo@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      I also don’t have kids, so I don’t really have a dog in this fight.

      “I don’t mind living in a dystopian shithole” vibes

      • tetrachromacy@lemmy.world
        0·
        6 months ago

        Bit of a leap there, but hey, if you’ve got kids and you want them to read those books then I don’t think anyone should be able to stop you. Your kid, your choice.

        My only point is that I’d want to make sure my kid, if I had one, was able to understand the themes in the book before reading.

        I was also making a point about other books with more violent or pornographic content not being on this reactionary banned book list, but everyone seems to have overlooked that. Oh well.

        • mojofrododojo@lemmy.worldEnglish
          0·
          6 months ago

          My children are grown, graduated and productive members of society. Still doesn’t stop me for advocating for literacy and access for the next generations. If you want to live in a dystopian hellhole, only care about you and yours and see how far it gets you.

          I’m glad you’d care about your kid, you should care about society’s kids, because it’s society that will keep the hospitals open etc.

          I was also making a point about other books with more violent or pornographic content not being on this reactionary banned book list, but everyone seems to have overlooked that. Oh well.

          see this is the part that falls flat for me. You’ve been to a library before right?

          maybe?

          See, they have these things, called LIBRARIANS. And Librarians know what’s in their collections.

          Do you really think the librarians are pushing printed smut on the kiddos?

          Or could it just, maybe just possibly, be yet another culture war canard of BULLSHIT the right is pushing because they don’t LIKE FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION, LGBTQ folk etc - and are trying to suppress anything not chirstofascist?

          USE YOUR FUCKING MELON.

          “oh well”

          yeah fuck that, it’s easy to moan and go “what about the children” - WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN GETTING A FUCKING EDUCATION AND PEOPLE STOP FUCKING WITH LIBRARIANS?

          oh well. fucking hell

          • rothaine@lemm.ee
            0·
            6 months ago

            Do you really think the librarians are pushing printed smut on the kiddos?

            The latest instructions given to librarians from George Soros are to focus on turning kids trans by applying a special powder to the pages. Smut-pushing was voted down at the conference, but just barely, so it might come back next year. Stay tuned!

            (/s, if that’s not apparent)

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
      0·
      6 months ago

      Kids really start with relationships in middle school and by high school they are sexually active. There’s nothing in ACOTAR that would surprise an American high school kid.

      • tetrachromacy@lemmy.world
        0·
        6 months ago

        I did say that high school is where I could see this book being read. It may even be beneficial to read them in order to learn about abusive relationships.

    • 14th_cylon@lemm.ee
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      6 months ago

      I also don’t have kids, so I don’t really have a dog in this fight.

      not really how it works.

      you may never be going to school again, but it is still in your best interest to have good schools funded. they generate engineers that will invent new things you use and doctors who will one day take care of your heart attack.

      and it is in your best interest not to be surrounded by idiots, to which reading books is part of the process.

      I probably wouldn’t want a child reading them until they were old enough

      Aren’t that the republicans who spout nonsense like “i ain’t co-parenting with the government”?

      So maybe leave what books to read and when up to specific schools/parents/kids.

      • tetrachromacy@lemmy.world
        0·
        6 months ago

        I mean. That’s what I was saying? I’m not in favor of book bans, I’m in favor of parents being aware of the content their kids are consuming. If you as a parent want your kids to read ACOTAR, then that’s your call. I’m not in favor of book bans or the government telling you what you can or can’t read. Not sure where all this hostility is coming from.

        • 14th_cylon@lemm.ee
          0·
          6 months ago

          I mean. That’s what I was saying?

          first, you presented the fact you don’t have kids, as if it somehow made you impartial in the discussion - i explained that is really not the case.

          then you said “i am not for banning books, however…” and then you spent 3 paragraphs explaining why you consider these books really problematic for kids.

          and as the aphorism says, anything before “but” does not really count 🤷‍♂️

    • sentientity@lemm.eeEnglish
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      6 months ago

      Kids tend to put back books that are age inappropriate for them, or ask the adults in their lives for context and guidance if they accidentally read a sex scene/violent or confusing thing. Source: me. There is no justification for a ban. Just talk to your kids and pay attention to their interests and give them content warnings and information they need to understand things they read. The government or another authority telling people what books they can and cannot read is VASTLY different from a parent saying to their own child, hey kid, you might wait a few years to read that one. Try this [pg book] instead.

  • AbidanYre@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    That list is 13 books by 7 authors.

    Not good, but the summary is wrong.

    Edit: the article needs some proof reading

  • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
    0·
    6 months ago

    It’d be funny if people who owned properties beside the schools just set up one of those take one leave one community street libraries filled with all the banned boom

  • k_rol@lemmy.ca
    0·
    6 months ago

    While I hate this, I’m left wondering why we even mention the authors gender.

    Is it to indicate that lawmakers go against women’s freedoms?

  • solsangraal@lemmy.zipEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    “so, any progress on the school shooting problem?”

    “nah, we needed to fix the superfudge problem. now we’re going to work on the pokemon problem. it doesn’t glorify god!”