Marjorie Writes a Book on Love

[foreign fundie]

Isn't it interesting how a TLC spent a full season making things up for the kiddults to do, yet the only one who did do something worth filming and has an actual unusual skill, took off?  I bet TLC would have loved to film Marjorie signing the contract.

 

[OnceUponATime]

21 hours ago, sophie10130 said:

So why do these Christians shelter themselves from anything that could test their faith when their faith is supposedly unflappable and SO STRONG. Why do they put themselves into bubbles and only talk to people who are like-minded and protect themselves so much if nothing can break down their righteous faith?

Book censorship (in my family at least) was never done to stop ones faith being broken, well not directly. Any books witchcrafty were apparently bad because they would open your heart to demons/ the devil and you could become possessed by demons through reading them. One shouldn't read romance novels because they are verbal porn and cause you to lust. I'm sure there were a few other stupid rules and reasons too.

Sheltering one's children was considered holy and what you should do, because they probably don't have a strong unwavering faith yet, and one must nurture their faith by protecting them from all the worldly shit. As to why adults would 'protect' themselves from that stuff? I think this memory verse pretty much says it all (Phil 4:8, NIV):

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
 

If your book doesn't fit into that? well no reading it for you!
We could read some fantasy. CS Lewis was christian which created an exception to the rule.  Apparently that was enough to stop the demon possession.  

[PennySycamore]

20 hours ago, pamplemousse said:

No, no, no! Marjorie needs to stay as far away from Sierra as possible! Marjorie does not need to be anywhere near the Duggars or people close to the Duggars. 

BTW, Hobby Lobby sells coloring books of mandalas. Haven't some people thought mandalas potentially invite evil? 

Hobby Lobby also sells images of the Buddha and Kwan-yin (Or Guanyin), the Chinese goddess of mercy/the bodhisattva of compassion, and Ho-tei, the fat"Buddha", another bodhisattva.  They seem not to have a problem with selling those things.  They just have a problem with the contraceptive mandate of the Affordable Care Act.

[FJismyheadship]

This topic is reminding me of this one time in fourth or fifth grade I wanted to read Little Women. I was at school and went to get it, but was told I couldn't check  it out because it was "Above my reading level" (Does anyone remember the Accelerated Reading program?) They had me on a blue or green dot (probably about my grade level, maybe one above) and Little Women was a black or white dot which was 11th grade? Anyway, the librarian said no, and I had never been told no to a book before! I went home and told my mom, and she went out and bought me that book. I read it at home, I read it at school. When I was done with it, I went to the librarian and said "My mom bought me Little Women and I read it. I would like to take the test for it." She went ahead and let me take the test, I passed, and after that the librarian never told me what I was or was not allowed to read lol. For the record, that librarian was a wonderful person, but now that I'm older I wonder why she would tell anyone they couldn't read something. I haven't read Little Women in ages, are there themes in it that would be inappropriate for a fourth or fifth grader?

[EmCatlyn]

43 minutes ago, FJismyheadship said:

This topic is reminding me of this one time in fourth or fifth grade I wanted to read Little Women. I was at school and went to get it, but was told I couldn't check  it out because it was "Above my reading level" (Does anyone remember the Accelerated Reading program?) They had me on a blue or green dot (probably about my grade level, maybe one above) and Little Women was a black or white dot which was 11th grade? Anyway, the librarian said no, and I had never been told no to a book before! I went home and told my mom, and she went out and bought me that book. I read it at home, I read it at school. When I was done with it, I went to the librarian and said "My mom bought me Little Women and I read it. I would like to take the test for it." She went ahead and let me take the test, I passed, and after that the librarian never told me what I was or was not allowed to read lol. For the record, that librarian was a wonderful person, but now that I'm older I wonder why she would tell anyone they couldn't read something. I haven't read Little Women in ages, are there themes in it that would be inappropriate for a fourth or fifth grader?

I read Little Women (in a Spanish translation) when I was in second grade.  It was a first communion gift from the school librarian, because she knew I would love it. I read it in English in fifth grade, and reread it over and over again after that.  But my daughter, a native speaker of English, an early reader, etc. had trouble "getting into it," before ninth or tenth grade.  I think that the problem with many of the old childhood classics is that the narrative style and vocabulary make them less accessible for each generation.

 

There are some things in the book that might be difficult for a 21st century child to understand, but nothing that would be problematic from a social or pedagogical perspective.  My guess is your librarian thought the language and style would be too difficult.  I am glad you showed her wrong.  

[Ungodly Grandma]

1 hour ago, FJismyheadship said:

 I haven't read Little Women in ages, are there themes in it that would be inappropriate for a fourth or fifth grader?

The only thing I can think of is Beth's death. My daughter at that age read Little Women and was very traumatized by that. 

I had read it with my mom at an even younger age, it was sad but it was a book. But my youngest was, and is, somewhat over sensitive.

[Bad Wolf]

Wasn't the dad a minister? I don't remember much. Jo had scorched gloves from standing to close to the fire, so she and Meg wore one good one and one scorched one. I really don't remember anything that a fundie couldn't read.

[PennySycamore]

@Bad Wolf, the March girls father was, indeed, a minister.  When the book opens, he's gone away to serve a chaplain for the Union Army during the Civil War.  After the war, he has a small congregation.

[louisa05]

3 hours ago, FJismyheadship said:

This topic is reminding me of this one time in fourth or fifth grade I wanted to read Little Women. I was at school and went to get it, but was told I couldn't check  it out because it was "Above my reading level" (Does anyone remember the Accelerated Reading program?) They had me on a blue or green dot (probably about my grade level, maybe one above) and Little Women was a black or white dot which was 11th grade? Anyway, the librarian said no, and I had never been told no to a book before! I went home and told my mom, and she went out and bought me that book. I read it at home, I read it at school. When I was done with it, I went to the librarian and said "My mom bought me Little Women and I read it. I would like to take the test for it." She went ahead and let me take the test, I passed, and after that the librarian never told me what I was or was not allowed to read lol. For the record, that librarian was a wonderful person, but now that I'm older I wonder why she would tell anyone they couldn't read something. I haven't read Little Women in ages, are there themes in it that would be inappropriate for a fourth or fifth grader?

Don't get me started on Accelerated Reader (AR). A program intended to encourage kids to read which actually does the opposite. The schools I sub in absolutely ban kids from reading books that do not match their AR level. No exceptions. Which I find ridiculous. 

Then there is this. True story from two weeks ago. 

The teacher's lesson plans for sixth grade for one lesson said that if students finished the assigned project, they were to read their AR books. Several students got done and were starting to mess around, so I reminded them that the directions were to read AR now. One answered for the group: 

"We're all done with our AR goal for the year, so we don't have to read anymore until next year". 

Because they only have to read books to meet an AR goal and there is no other reason to read, ever.

Yeah, that program is working. 

[EmCatlyn]

1 hour ago, Bad Wolf said:

Wasn't the dad a minister? I don't remember much. Jo had scorched gloves from standing to close to the fire, so she and Meg wore one good one and one scorched one. I really don't remember anything that a fundie couldn't read.

The gloves are spoiled because Jo has gotten them dirty.  It is the back of her dress that is scorched from being too close to the fire.

The death of Beth is sad, but no more so than other deaths mentioned in children's books.

The father is a minister and a teetotaller. "Wine and spirits" are okay only for medicinal purposes.

We had a discussion not long ago in Quiverful of Words about whether the fundies would let their daughters read Little Women. 

[FJismyheadship]

1 minute ago, louisa05 said:

Don't get me started on Accelerated Reader (AR). A program intended to encourage kids to read which actually does the opposite. The schools I sub in absolutely ban kids from reading books that do not match their AR level. No exceptions. Which I find ridiculous. 

Then there is this. True story from two weeks ago. 

The teacher's lesson plans for sixth grade for one lesson said that if students finished the assigned project, they were to read their AR books. Several students got done and were starting to mess around, so I reminded them that the directions were to read AR now. One answered for the group: 

"We're all done with our AR goal for the year, so we don't have to read anymore until next year". 

Because they only have to read books to meet an AR goal and there is no other reason to read, ever.

Yeah, that program is working. 

That program is still around? Wow! 

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. If you aren't allowed to read above or below your "level" then how are you going to grow as a reader? Or what if you are put in a level that is lower than your actual level? So if a kid had a parent like my mom who said "Fuck that shit" and had the kid read the book anyway, they wouldn't let the kid take the test or anything? Dear God I wonder if this is gonna be an issue when my daughter starts elementary school.... she loves books. I got her signed up for the Imagination Library when she was a year old and her not a reader dad takes the time to read her a story. She can read her name and Waffle. And spell them too lol.

I also remember my fourth grade teacher reading Hank The Cowdog. I hated that series. But it was aimed at our age group and for whatever reason she liked it. But my sixth grade teacher read us Harry Potter when it came out and I loved it. 

[Bad Wolf]

My daughter could read way above her grade level, but never seemed to read for pleasure. A librarian friend suggested giving her books at or below her level. It worked. She started reading for fun.

[louisa05]

41 minutes ago, Bad Wolf said:

My daughter could read way above her grade level, but never seemed to read for pleasure. A librarian friend suggested giving her books at or below her level. It worked. She started reading for fun.

Kids need a balance between fun reading and reading that challenges them as readers. For kids who read pretty far above grade level, books at their reading level might not be relatable for them. And that's okay. But AR doesn't give them any choice to read down to their interest/maturity level. Nor does it allow a kid to choose something more challenging. 

I also think that if we want kids to read for pleasure, we can't turn doing so into a task with tests to take and goals to check off. That is the exact opposite of reading for pleasure. 

[rainbowbabycakes]

I read Little Women in elementary school. But I was always way above grade level, and a HUGE reader... Thankfully, my son is too. He loves the Harry Potter and Narnia movies, but I can't get him to read the books yet. He's 8, and right now, he's into the Magic Treehouse  and Dragon in the Sock Drawer series, and he just finished book 1 of The Elementia Chronicles  http://www.amazon.com/Quest-Justice-Unofficial-Minecraft-Fan-Chronicles/dp/0062416324 . He is seriously impressed that it was written by a 16 yr old.

I love that he's a reader, and if he's into minecraft and pokemon right now, that's fine... he'll read "better" books later, lol

[MarblesMom]

10 hours ago, PennySycamore said:

Hobby Lobby also sells images of the Buddha and Kwan-yin (Or Guanyin), the Chinese goddess of mercy/the bodhisattva of compassion, and Ho-tei, the fat"Buddha", another bodhisattva.  They seem not to have a problem with selling those things.  

Last time I went to HL, EVERY. SINGLE.THING. I picked up was made in China.  Every one.

I think they would have a hard time selling only (mostly) China-made items and then refusing any "strange" deities.  If you are going to market with "others", better be inclusive.

[sophie10130]

As an adult I exclusively read young adult fiction. I don't know what it is, but it really draws me in. Plus I love the fact that it's not going to be too dark to really get to me.

I remember they rolled out AR when I was in the 3rd grade, but don't remember there being a ban on reading different levels. I do remember that as a 3rd grader, if I wanted to read Clifford The Big Red Dog (more appropriate for younger than 3rd graders) I would get fewer points than if I read, say, Harry Potter, a book above 3rd grade level in the fact that it is so long. That sort of point discrepancy was motivation to read at a higher level, OR to read lots at your level. The testing would then weed out students who didn't really comprehend the higher level books.

I could be remembering it wrong, but I do remember trying to read and test for a bunch of Clifford books to reach my friend who read Harry Potter. (or whatever the books were)

I remember absolutely LOVING AR because it was goal oriented and the principal had little prizes. I remember pokemon cards (which were banned the previous year) were 15 points and you picked up an envelope so it was a surprise what you got. There were also fancy pencils and erasers, stickers, yoyos, stuff like that.

[PartriarchydefyinValkarie]

5 hours ago, sophie10130 said:

As an adult I exclusively read young adult fiction. I don't know what it is, but it really draws me in. Plus I love the fact that it's not going to be too dark to really get to me.

I remember they rolled out AR when I was in the 3rd grade, but don't remember there being a ban on reading different levels. I do remember that as a 3rd grader, if I wanted to read Clifford The Big Red Dog (more appropriate for younger than 3rd graders) I would get fewer points than if I read, say, Harry Potter, a book above 3rd grade level in the fact that it is so long. That sort of point discrepancy was motivation to read at a higher level, OR to read lots at your level. The testing would then weed out students who didn't really comprehend the higher level books.

I could be remembering it wrong, but I do remember trying to read and test for a bunch of Clifford books to reach my friend who read Harry Potter. (or whatever the books were)

I remember absolutely LOVING AR because it was goal oriented and the principal had little prizes. I remember pokemon cards (which were banned the previous year) were 15 points and you picked up an envelope so it was a surprise what you got. There were also fancy pencils and erasers, stickers, yoyos, stuff like that.

POKEMON CARDS!!

Omgs, you too eh? I literally tried to skim books enough to take the test and get points. Sadly I didn't care too much about reading outside of Harry Potter, but I did manage to get enough points to clear out all the PC in our trunk of prizes

[Ungodly Grandma]

12 hours ago, Bad Wolf said:

Wasn't the dad a minister? I don't remember much. Jo had scorched gloves from standing to close to the fire, so she and Meg wore one good one and one scorched one. I really don't remember anything that a fundie couldn't read.

He was a minister, but the famioly was quite progressive, as I recall. Anti war, etc. I haven't read about the Alcotts in years, and of course the March family was based on the Alcott family.

[sta_sha]

Stuff You Missed in History Class did a great two part series on the Alcotts. I loved Little Women as a young reader (and still do today!) and knew that the book was based on the author's family, but didn't know much about them. These are definitely worth a listen:

http://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/louisa-may-alcott/

http://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/two-other-alcotts-bronson-and-may/

Did anyone read Little Men and Jo's Boys? 

[ksgranola1]

Well,I come here every day & am just seeing this thread about Marjorie writing a book about love. Which is as silly as the Duggar girls writing a book about men. What could she possibly have to say about love at 18. Unless she was the class skank, which I don't think is possible.

[HereticHick]

8 minutes ago, ksgranola1 said:

Well,I come here every day & am just seeing this thread about Marjorie writing a book about love. Which is as silly as the Duggar girls writing a book about men. What could she possibly have to say about love at 18. Unless she was the class skank, which I don't think is possible.

"Skank?" Really?

[ksgranola1]

No, NOT really. I mean she is just the opposite of that, so how could she write a book about "love."

Maybe it's a Jeebus book.

[Thorns]

8 hours ago, sophie10130 said:

As an adult I exclusively read young adult fiction. I don't know what it is, but it really draws me in. Plus I love the fact that it's not going to be too dark to really get to me.

I LOVE young adult! Not sure if everything I read can be defined as YA, but pretty close (the rest is light novels, cartoons and fantasy), and I don't care. Maybe I should broaden my horizons....but nah. Can't be bothered

[Ungodly Grandma]

2 hours ago, sta_sha said:

Stuff You Missed in History Class did a great two part series on the Alcotts. I loved Little Women as a young reader (and still do today!) and knew that the book was based on the author's family, but didn't know much about them. These are definitely worth a listen:

http://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/louisa-may-alcott/

http://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/two-other-alcotts-bronson-and-may/

Did anyone read Little Men and Jo's Boys? 

I did. Also Eight Cousins and Rose In Bloom. Thanks for the links.

[Four is Enough]

I read Little Women, Little Men, Jo's Boys, all of them..... in elementary school. I read Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre in 6th or so.. and was on to the adult section of the library when I was in 7th and 8th grades. I couldn't take the adult books out of the library on my card so I stole my mother's library card out of her wallet.... VERY interesting section on  "how your body works"  too, for a  young girl attending Catholic school.  VERRY interesting. I LOVE libraries.