Not often do I give a book or movie
review, but the novel Nineteen
Minutes, by Jodi Picoult became news when Becky Ortin
complained to the teacher this book had been assigned to her
15-year-old daughter. The teacher quickly assigned an alternative. All
was well until a few days later when William Baer blasted
the school board for giving pornography to students – including his
14 year daughter.
Becky Ortin said she had read several
of Picoult's books and thought them not age appropriate for her
daughter. I can understand her feelings. It's only when that book is
asked to be banned from school you must first read that particular
book. In the beginning I was standing behind the father of a 14 year
old girl, William Baer, but once I researched the facts I found him
to be completely wrong. The father was escorted out by an officer
after he refused to follow the 2 minute speaking rule at a school board meeting. Most news
outlets are not labeling this event as a book banning. They seem to
be making it about Common Core standards forcing students to read
pornography.
Since the book is the basis for the
above mentioned incident, let's discuss that for a moment. I received
this book for Christmas and was dubious because I wasn't very
familiar with the author. It turned out to be one of the most
compelling books I've ever read. The book is about a nerd-ish boy who
is bullied, while his beautiful childhood friend became popular. She
often had to make the choice of being a friend with the bullied boy,
or hanging with the popular crowd. She often made the wrong choice.
As time goes on he can take no more, walks into the school, and
begins shooting those who had made his life unbearable. The total
time of the spree was Nineteen Minutes, a period that change
many people's lives forever. I'll stop there because it would be a
literary crime for me to give away the ending.
Yes, the book contains rape. Rape is a
topic every teen should fully understand. I think Jodi did a good job
of portraying the incident and showing how confused the victim was at
the time. The author wasn't describing the incident with sexual intent, but a view of an event that played an important
part in the shooting. With so many school shootings, Jodi somehow
gave an insight into the mind of one of those shooters, and his only
friend.
This is to parents out there who might
someday protest a book their child might read – first read the book
yourself. Don't pick out a page with sex or violence to judge the
entire book. Some have labeled Nineteen Minutes as
pornographic. I can assure you that book is anything but porn. It is
an insight into the mind of teenagers and how the world around them
can influence their actions – even actions that lead them to do
incredibly horrible things. This book shows how even the love of one
person cannot repair all the damaged done by society, but it can make
a difference.
We all know too well the phrase “don't
judge a book by its cover.” Sometimes we must take those sayings
literally. Every day I watch media personalities judged by people who
never watch or listen. I see books banned from libraries by people
who never read them. When we let perception guide our minds we will
never get past that barrier to the truth.
I can't imagine how many times in
recent years that I've been judged because of my association with the
Tea Party Movement – or because of my rural southern drawl. If that
person takes the time to talk with me they usually end up not
agreeing with everything I say, but at least seeing me as an
individual with my own fact based views. All groups have those who
follow the collective thinking. I dare say all groups have individual
thinkers like myself.
We have all had our Nineteen Minutes
where we feel life has forced us into a corner. What happens in those
Nineteen Minutes isn't as important as what led us to that
moment. It is for this reason I recommend this book. I'll bet after
reading the book many will personally give your teen a copy.
Don't be the person who judges a book
by its cover. If the father who protested had first read the book
this incident might have never happened. In any case, the school
acted appropriately. Some are making this an argument about Common
Core standards, but until more facts come forth to prove me wrong –
it's not, but a story about book banning. This is a case of book
banning, something most people are against. Too many are taking sides
in something they obviously haven't researched.
No comments:
Post a Comment