Category: Distractions

This June will mark nineteen years since my mother and I first read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. We read the book on a trip to Disneyland for my fifth birthday. Nineteen years. It’s hard to believe. I was so young that I don’t remember much about life before the books and I don’t want to imagine my life without them. Harry Potter has become an indispensable part of me and J.K. Rowling is my hero.

On Sunday I watched a special about Rowling on Reelz Channel. Memories flooded me, memories of the books, the movies, the midnight releases. I rediscovered that which I already knew about my role model and gained a little more insight into her life. Most importantly–and the point of this article–the special reminded me of how much J.K. Rowling has influenced me.

A lot of people say that Harry Potter got them or their children interested in reading. Honestly, that’s not the case with me. Even at five years old I loved to read. My oldest brother and I both started reading at a very young age, and my mother read to me every night. I can’t say that Harry Potter ignited my interest in fantasy, either. My mother and I read C.S. Lewis books together before we got our hands on Sorcerer’s Stone and my mother is an avid fantasy fan, so my love of the genre was inevitable. No, what J.K. Rowling has done for me runs deeper.

She didn’t inspire me to become a writer. That honor belongs to my seventh grade Literature teacher, my mother, and my deceased grandfather. Rowling did, however, help me believe that I could be a writer.

I’ve discovered multiple parallels between Ms. Rowling and myself. As children we were both bookish and smart and we felt like outsiders even with friends. Our dream colleges rejected us. (I wanted to attend Stanford originally but it was for the better that I went to U.C. Davis.) The death of Rowling’s mother changed her writing drastically. Similarly, my grandfather’s death pushed me to pursue this career path more fervently. We both have anxiety and we’ve suffered from depression at some point in our lives.

To see someone so much like me succeed gives me hope. I’ve always lacked self-confidence and I continuously oscillate between thinking I can do anything and thinking I can do nothing. The story of Rowling’s life–her struggles, her failures, her successes–reminds me that I can’t approach my life and career that way. I may triumph, I may fail, but the possible rewards outweigh the costs. Every time I read Very Good Lives or her Twitter feed, she reminds me that it’s worse to do nothing at all. I’ll get there someday and it will all be worth the risk. I have to keep trying or else it’ll never happen.

Of course, Rowling has influenced my career in a much more direct way recently. Remember that contest for which my story was longlisted? Well, I wouldn’t have entered if it weren’t for her.

My mother saw Rowling’s tweet about the contest a few months ago and forwarded it to me. At first I didn’t think I should enter. The Crime Writer’s Association runs the contest and the criteria is based on a quote by a famous detective fiction writer. I’ve never written this genre before. Frankly, I’ve barely read it before. The closest I’ve gotten is one book and a short story, each starring Sherlock Holmes. So why did I enter? I figured that if Rowling, someone known for her fantasy books, could succeed as crime writer Robert Galbraith, I could give it a whirl as well. What would be the harm in trying?

That’s the best thing that any role model can give you: the courage to try even when you’re doubting yourself.

Some of you may think it’s an exaggeration to say that Rowling made me. After all, I’ve had several other influences: other writers, other books, family, friends, teachers, movies, actors, singers, etc. I admit that she and Harry Potter are not all that made me. However, they’ve done a lot for me. From a bonding agent with potential friends to a boost of courage, I owe this writer and her works a lot.

Which writer has influenced you? Who makes you jump in when you know the odds of making it are slim? Tell us all about them in the comments.

 

I should probably wait until Banned Books Week to write this post but recent discussions about the media and “fake news” have planted the topic of censorship firmly in my mind. I will still be addressing Banned Books Week in September. However, I didn’t want to wait over five months to talk about the American Library Association’s Frequently Challenged Books.

For those who aren’t familiar with this list and/or wish to see which books made it this year, here’s a link to the ALA website.

I have been following this list since high school. I stumbled across the site while preparing a presentation on the first amendment and censorship and got a kick out of the books that had been challenged. Ever since, I’ve revisited the list for updates and when I’ve needed a good laugh. Every time I read it, I feel a mixture of outrage and amusement. Sometimes I even skim it for new books to read.

Everything from children’s books to literary classics have been challenged. My personal favorite is Fahrenheit 451, which is number 69 on the Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009.

What’s even funnier than the books are the reasons why they’re challenged. “Offensive language”, “sex education”, “inaccuracy”, the list goes on and on. Did you know that Captain Underpants made the list for being “unsuited for age group”? That Bridge to Terabithia was accused of occult/Satanism? That The Holy Bible was challenged for “religious viewpoint”?

If nothing else, the trends among the challenges reveal what is most on the minds of Americans the year(s) the data is gathered. That information in and of itself is invaluable. A wide variety of professionals can utilize these trends, from politicians to sociologists to, yes, writers.

I don’t mean to offend anyone by finding the challenges and the reasons behind them humorous. I have my own very strong viewpoints and I accept that everyone is entitled to their beliefs. I don’t want to hinder that. However, this respect deserves similar treatment in return.

There is no excuse for censoring literature. Literature always has and always will offend people. We can criticize it all we want. That’s the flip side of free speech. Nevertheless, that does not mean that we should restrict other reader’s access to these writings. We should be in control of what we read. If we stumble across something which offends us or strikes a nerve, well, lesson learned. Don’t read that book/story/whatever again. It doesn’t mean that you should force others to follow your lead. Everyone deserves the chance to decide what they do and do not want to see. Besides, you never know what you are missing if you do not explore controversial works for yourself.

I can hear the counterargument already: what if I don’t want my children to read it?

Yeah, what if you don’t want your children to read it? I suppose that you’ll have to pay attention to your children, talk to them about what they’re reading, and teach them what is and is not OK to read. Let them ask you questions. Try and explain why you don’t want them to read something. As they grow older, expand your conversations to allow them to tell you what their beliefs are becoming. You could both discover new writings and new ideas. You could grow as people together.

The wonderful thing about literature is that there’s no end to the ideologies represented and no limit to what you can find. Don’t restrict the possibilities because you’re afraid of an idea. If you don’t want to read it, that’s fine. Don’t read it. If you don’t want your children to read it, open a dialogue with them so they know what you don’t want them reading and why.

Remember, limiting your reading list limits your brainpower.

Were you surprised by any of the books on the list? Angered? Humored? Were you surprised that a book wasn’t challenged a certain year? Let us know in the comments.

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