Books and Magazines

I wish it were not so, but I have not done much pleasure reading these past few years. However, once I get down to 2014, then I start to find challenged books which I have read. From that year, I personally own Persepolis, the Bluest Eye, and the Kite Runner (though I admit I have yet to read this last one). From 2013, I no longer own any Captain Underpants, but when I was a kid you'd better believe that I read every one of those books. I also think it is mindblowing that, afterall of this time, people are still challenging classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, and The Color Purple. I have not read The Color Purple, but Posessing the Secret of Joy by the same author (Alice Walker) is one of my all time favorite books. I also really loved Persepolis because it takes people (Americans) into a world with which most are unfamiliar - the sociopolitical evolution of Iran and one girl's experience within it and outside of it. It puts a human face on this middle eastern country, which I think it incredibly important in our Arab-suspicious atmosphere. It is important to know the real story, from all perspectives.

Whether libraries and schools should limit access to various materials is a tough question. My initial reaction was, "No, libraries should not limit their materials whatsoever!," but then I thought, "What if the library carried porn? Is that ok? Would it need to be in a separate room?" It's not that I think porn itself should be outlawed, it's just that I expect to see it in specialty shops, not the library. Is it unsuitable for a library or is society being too prudish by relegating explicit sexual materials to little hidey holes of town (besides, you know, all over TV and magazines, but otherwise, little hidey holes). What about highly racist materials? Most people would find it off-putting to see explicitly white supremacist materials featured in our libraries. However, there are many classic authors who have racist undertones in their books. I don't mean books which feature and then aim to combat racism (ie. To Kill A Mockingbird), but books where the authors themselves were clearly a part of their own times and harbored some racist ideas that come out in their writings. For example, I absolutely love F. Scott Fitzgerald, but I was somewhat dismayed to read some of his short stories and find stereotipified, dumbed down versions of black people as non-central characters to his stories about white people. It's not so glaring (other than some terminology) that I could even quote a particular passage, but more the overall set-up. You can read one of this short stories for an example here.

We were instructed in the beginning of this class that we had to "pick a side" and go with it, but my side of life has always been that it is counterproductive to just pick a side and argue til the death. If I have to pick a side, I'd say no, we should not censor anything because then it becomes the discretion of the people who are already in power over what the people below them have access to. I know parents are all different and strive for varying degrees of control, some of them seeking quite a bit, but they always fail. Even very sheltered kids experience the various facets of life at some point or another, though they may be overwhelmed and ill prepared for it. There are some things which are probably inappropriate for children and should not be read as part of an elementary school curriculum, but the problem is that this is almost completely subjective and culturally based. As an obvious example, many societies are far more sex-positive/open from a younger age than we are, while others find it a taboo social topic throughout the lifespan. I remember my own mother was a bit alarmed when she picked up a book I was reading in late elementary school and saw that it featured a young girl who, among other things, was starting to experiment with masturbation. It was not a book about masturbation, but a book about a girl transitioning to middle school and ended up having scoliosis and having to deal with all the social aspects of that. From my mother's viewpoint, this added element was totally inappropriate for someone of my age. From my perspective, it was interesting, informative, fitting for the story, and gave me a word to describe something which I already was doing naturally. I think it is a shame to pull these types of books from the shelves just because they are topics that make people squeamish and ashamed. No one grows without exploring things outside of their comfort zone. Also, knowledge is so important for all of us. In stark contrast to my sex education at school and reading books about masturbation, my grandmother did not know what sex was until her wedding night. Her husband got to teach her. What a frightening power dynamic for a society to perpetuate.

My shelves are full of books. I have one entire bookshelf dedicated to books about herbal medicine or environmental literature. This lets people know that I have an interest (obsession?) with herbal medicine and the natural world, and that I like to enjoy it from both a practical (reference) and literary standpoint. My second bookshelf is "everything else," and it really doesn't have a main theme. I have classics (The Once and Future King, the "A Wrinkle in Time" series, The Great Gatsby, The Scarlet Letter, A Brave New World...), feminist/anarchist literature, contemporary fiction, contemporary nonfiction, "instructional" type books (on meditation, etc), science-related, psychology-related, poetry (Howl, Diving Into the Wreck...), textbooks,...I think that a person who came into my room would likely find something which they wanted to read and also would see that I'm someone of varied interests with a heavy leaning towards the natural world. I love reading and I love gaining new perspectives.

Moving on to magazines, here are 3 I have read over the years:

1) National Geographic - I wrote my last blog on this, but honestly, it's the most relevant. It interests me because it's about the outdoors, animals, different cultures, traveling, science...all things I like. I like the attention to detail, the enriching content, and the great photos in this publication. Examples are up-close photos of tiny or quick-moving things, such as insects. The advertising within the magazine is mostly on-cue with the content, such as for cameras, Rosetta Stone, etc, but sometimes they are unrelated (medications, cars), and occasionally completely tasteless (like a diamond ring advertisement that says, "Does This Ring Make My Wallet Look Fat?") My interest in this publication says that I am interested in worldwide, real information, science-based content (as opposed to celebrity lives and quizzes about myself).

2) Yoga Journal
I subscribed to this one for a while because I like to do yoga and wanted to have continuing inspiration to push myself and try different things without having to go to classes or watch videos on a regular basis. I liked reading the different perspectives and information in the articles (though often they were a bit silly too) I liked the focus on the mind-body connection, the various "routines" you can follow, and particularly that each issue would have one particular pose to work up to. It would be something quite advanced and I'm not sure that I actually attained any of them, but it was ok because it gave you all different beginning poses to eventually get there, so you could feel yourself over time becoming stronger and stringer, getting closer to makign your way into that crazy looking pose, more focused on the journey than the pose itself (because when is it ever perfect, anyway?).These magazines are full of advertisements. Unfortunately, I think that encompasses our particular American brand of yoga - you've got to have the clothes, the right mat, all the accessories, etc. So, of course there are advertisements for all those things. Additionally, there are advertisements for various foods ("health foods," plant-based foods, organic/natural foods, smoothie-type stuff...), various trainings and therapies, natural beauty products...their advertisements stick pretty close to the subject and their audience. The fact that I subscribed to this says that I like yoga and would like to expand my practice. It doesn't say that I'm vegan or buy expensive yoga clothes.

3) ...Rolling Stone? I really don't know. I had a hard time thinking of a 3rd. Ok, let me be honest: Cosmo.
It was difficult to think of a 3rd, but I know that in the past, especially as a younger person, I would occasionally pick up a Cosmo. I'm sure reading Cosmo can mean different things for different people, but most of the time, I think it means an underlying insecurity about one's sexual know-how. Cosmo only strengthens this insecurity by perpetuating the myth that you have to be this complete freak, always bringing new exciting things into the bedroom, or your partner will lose interest. It is very heterosexual and based on women knowing how to have "good sex." Sometimes, this means having orgasms and whatnot, but more often, it means pleasing men. Younger women, such as teenagers, are too sexually inexperienced to understand all these nuances and so they fall prey and buy the magazine. I'm not sure if this is the magazine's intent or not; it may be that they find themselves very liberating and sex-positive to women. I can't say that there is no truth in this, but only that they could achieve this goal of empowerment in a much more effective way. I think that in recent years they have begun to get inklings of this and put somewhat more empowering articles in their publication. I don't have one of their magazines right now, so I had t look at their website. The advertisements are mainly make-up and fashion. This is in-line with their target audience, though I am neither much of a make-up wearer nor very fashionable. I think what this magazine says about me as a consumer is that I used to be much more insecure about living up to sexual stereotypes as a younger woman, and now that I am almost in my 30s, I'm still a young woman, but much more sure of myself and without need for all the extra input. So I haven't bought a Cosmo or any similar magazine in a few years.