Lori Alexander: "My Sons Are So Good Because They Read"

[latraviata]

Nothing was off limits to me as a child. I was allowed to read whatever I wanted and THAT was what gave me a love of reading. I read anything and everything.

Same here.

[freejoytoo]

I got two adult books out of the library earlier and ordered a YA book off Amazon - I am actually more excited about reading that :lol: I see my library has Tiger Eyes in the system, I might have to get that out as well, I still love Judy Blume.

Does anyone remember a few years ago when they tried to age band books? Disgusting. I remember seeing a set of novels in the school book magazine when I was twelve and underneath it was written 'ONLY for ages fourteen and up'. I was so angry that I got them out of the library that same day. I was equally as angry when my friend's mother said she was annoyed at the school for letting us study To Kill a Mockingbird when we aged thirteen and fourteen.

[Kristelle]

I loved to read as a kid, and my parents really didn't care what I was reading--My mom taught me how to read well with some book about grapefruit in 1st grade, and then nothing was off-limits. I loved the Animorphs series, the Warriors series, and especially Avalon: Web of Magic series. I read Uncle Tom's Cabin at eleven and understood most of it. I don't read as much as I would like anymore, mostly because I have a really difficult time finding things that keep my interest, but I am finishing up the Millenium Trilogy. It's devestating to think that there are some kids who never get to read scifi or fantasy--Those are always the best!

[jesssnerch]

I got two adult books out of the library earlier and ordered a YA book off Amazon - I am actually more excited about reading that :lol: I see my library has Tiger Eyes in the system, I might have to get that out as well, I still love Judy Blume.

Does anyone remember a few years ago when they tried to age band books? Disgusting. I remember seeing a set of novels in the school book magazine when I was twelve and underneath it was written 'ONLY for ages fourteen and up'. I was so angry that I got them out of the library that same day. I was equally as angry when my friend's mother said she was annoyed at the school for letting us study To Kill a Mockingbird when we aged thirteen and fourteen.

Judy Blume's Tiger Eyes makes me cry my eyes out to this day.

[BlondeAgent007]

My sister and I loved to read. My brother, not so much. He just never had an interest in it. However, he did like to read comic books and comic strips. My mom got him tons of Calvin and Hobbes anthologies and tons of comic books. Her logic was, "as long as he's reading something, he's still reading. I don't care what it is."

He still wouldn't get excited to go to the library with me, but he has read a book for enjoyment more than once. He also developed enough reading comprehension to get his teaching degree for history. If my mom had forced him to read books he didn't like, he probably wouldn't have done much reading at all. I don't think the material you're reading has much to do with being a good reader. Most of the great lessons from books come from the underlying themes, not the physical actions the characters do, or how much of the book is "fact" or fiction. You can make a six year old read A Tale of Two Cities cover to cover, but if the lessons can't be grasped from it, all the child is doing is scanning over words without interpreting them.

It kind of seems to trend this way with fundie education standards. They love to boast about all the facts their children have memorized. They are impressed when their kids can name all the presidents in chronological order. I'd be more impressed if they could only name half the presidents but for each one they did name, could talk about some impact they had on the country. Just knowing someone was a president without knowing what they did is like having a dictionary with no definitions.

[freejoytoo]

Judy Blume's Tiger Eyes makes me cry my eyes out to this day.

Me too. It'll be a weepy reread.

I read Forever again last summer. I read that for the first time when I was about thirteen and it was my introduction to actual sex in literature and an idea of what to expect! Though I have never had a Ralph experience...yet :lol:

[slickcat79]

Someone once blacked out all the swear words in Trainspotting at my local library (bear in mind this is a book in which people use the word "cunt" where others might say something like "guy"). The librarians were unimpressed.

LOL :lol: Was there anything left in it?

[aiuelle]

http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bo ... wberymedal

Slightly off-topic, but my favorite quote on Newbery Medal/Honor award winners is from No More Dead Dogs:

"The dog always dies. Go to the library and pick out a book with an award sticker and a dog on the cover. Trust me, that dog is going down."

(It's not that I dislike most Newbery Award winners, there are a few that I love, but the themes do get a little repetitive.)

More on-topic: After reading some of this, I can't help but hope that there's a fundie kid or two out there who has figured out the trick of sticking 'unapproved' books insides 'approved' dust covers. My parents were very much 'read what you want,' but I had a teacher at one elementary school that didn't think that I should be reading Stephen King, and that trick got me through most of my father's collection before we moved again. It would be trickier with library books, but it could be one use for the Moody series (assuming they come with dust covers).

ETA: I'm not saying switch library dust covers, that would be annoying as hell for everyone else. But checking out a book and then sticking a temporary cover on it that has parental approval might work.

[Vex]

She's just ignorant.

It no doubt helps 'encourage' their 'love' of 'good literature' that there is no other form of entertainment available.

I am a prolific reader. I love books for all kinds, from religious texts to text books to ancient source materials to classics to crappy fiction. I will read pretty much anything. I also love video games. I have a 4.0 GPA at university. I'm a responsible adult. I'm just a responsible adult who likes to unwind by decapitating zombies en mass.

You can enjoy gaming and be intelligent, well-read and mature. Imagine the revolt they'd have on their hands if their kids actually knew and believed this.

[lilwriter85]

Check out Lori's recent posting, in which she talks about problems with public schools and she talks about her experiences as a teacher. There are some funny typos.

[lilwriter85]

ETA: Screenshot with blog date and title.

[lilwriter85]

She's just ignorant.

It no doubt helps 'encourage' their 'love' of 'good literature' that there is no other form of entertainment available.

I am a prolific reader. I love books for all kinds, from religious texts to text books to ancient source materials to classics to crappy fiction. I will read pretty much anything. I also love video games. I have a 4.0 GPA at university. I'm a responsible adult. I'm just a responsible adult who likes to unwind by decapitating zombies en mass.

You can enjoy gaming and be intelligent, well-read and mature. Imagine the revolt they'd have on their hands if their kids actually knew and believed this.

This. I have know several very intelligent people who are gamers. I remember reading an article about doctors who formed gaming clubs at hospitals as way of relaxing during down time. It isn't only fundies who believe that all gamers are immature or stupid. I once watched an episode of MTV's True Life docu-series, in which a 40-something woman complained about her 25-year-old boyfriend playing video games. The boyfriend seemed to be very mature and he was working two jobs, and he using gaming to unwind.

[Vex]

That's very true. There is a general perception that gamers are lazy and immature. I have a lot of friends who are gamers (I consider myself one), one of whom works 60+ hours a week and then spends all weekend gaming to blow off steam. I don't see how anyone could call him lazy. In fact, all but one of my gamer friends works full time, some also study on top of that. None of them are fat or live with their parents, either.

Stereotypes in general are just stupid.

[mockingbird]

I know some mainstream Christians who praise the HP books for teaching lessons about fighting evil and loyalty. There are some fundie lite types that are cool with HP. There has also been controversy within the Vatican for years because it was rumored that Pope John Paul II approved of the books, but others in the Vatican didn't. I don't think hardcore fundies will ever change their views or give fantasy type books a chance.

Ugh, I remember when the Vatican rumors became big. My mom and sister were into Harry Potter with me but my mom kept talking about it and it sounded like it made her confused about HP when before it wasn't even a concern. Before this my sister had had a friend over and the mom (fundy-lite) saw our Harry Potter posters and told my mom off for letting us read them and my mom thought this was ridiculous. But you know since the Vatican could officially "ban" books and might do that to Harry Potter well maybe we should never read them again :doh: I was scared Harry Potter wouldn't be "allowed" in our house anymore and that we would make such an arbitrary change, just based on how my mom kept bringing it up. Harry Potter was a huge part of my childhood, so it was more than just a book being taken away from me, it was the premieres and dressing up with my friends and all that. Thankfully she ended up talking about it with one of the priests, and he confirmed that they were JUST BOOKS so it was okay. My parents are usually pretty rational, but I have noticed they really believe in the Vatican's authority and are always behind anything they come out with directly. They are/were? (is it still an issue now that the SCOTUS upheld the mandate?) for the Vatican's efforts against requiring Catholic hospitals to provide free birth control but I can guarantee you if it were any other church they would be snarking on it like no tomorrow. They are not against birth control itself so their support for the anti-mandate thing is weird, and have issues with other parts of the Catechism, but it's like just because the Vatican is making a visible effort or publishes a specific document on something than it is law/truth.

[freejoytoo]

I love Harry Potter!

I remember someone online said she was offended by JK Rowling saying she thought people were too religious if they had to ask God before they could read something, because she'd felt the need to 'check with God' too. That freaked me out a bit. I know an insanely religious girl but she's on the 'they're just books' way of thinking. I don't think God's going to mind what kind of books you're reading and if you're worried it'll challenge your faith then surely your faith isn't that strong anyway.

[OkToBeTakei]

*Note to self*

Must ask God if I should buy '50 Shades of Grey'

[Tanaqui]

ETA: Screenshot with blog date and title.

Who the hell is making $100,000 a year teaching?! I would have stayed in it for that kind of money.

[mockingbird]

I love Harry Potter!

I remember someone online said she was offended by JK Rowling saying she thought people were too religious if they had to ask God before they could read something, because she'd felt the need to 'check with God' too. That freaked me out a bit. I know an insanely religious girl but she's on the 'they're just books' way of thinking. I don't think God's going to mind what kind of books you're reading and if you're worried it'll challenge your faith then surely your faith isn't that strong anyway.

So true!

There was another interview where JKR basically said the Christians are missing out because they are so caught up on the magic element. Not that she wrote it specifically with the Easter story in mind, but that she feels there was probably a subconscious influence having been brought up Christian and that you can gain lessons from reading books even if they are not out-and-out "CHRISTIAN". I hope I explained that right. She did purposely base Voldemort et al and the MoM after Nazi Germany/WWII.

I don't know who is making $100,000 a year for teaching but I'd take it. In the district I grew up in a board member launched a PR campaign against the teachers. It was like he had a personal vendetta against them and the campaign was so successful that it's turned the political climate in the district really nasty, it's all about how teachers are "glorified babysitters". They need the union just to keep a decent contract. ETA: This campaign was also encouraged by said fundy-lite who told my mom off for Harry Potter posters. She is at every board meeting with a new complaint. It's almost like she is a conspiracy theorist, but it's all about our schools.

[freejoytoo]

I mentioned the Nazi elements to some people at university and they had never picked up on it which really shocked me - the pure blood register etc was very overt to me, and I thought JKR did a fantastic job.

Funny how Christians make an exception for the Narnia books. I know that's an out-and-out analogy of Christianity but, as you said, HP has Christian elements to it - not specific towards Christianity but there's the theme of redemption and loyalty etc. I think another big thing they have is that the children are allowed to break rules and do 'bad things' and get away with it, ie act like normal schoolchildren and not robots like in the Maxwell books.

These people are so scared of anything which will challenge their world view it's sad.