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| photo by Kelly Halls |
Whale Talk author Chris Crutcher responds to a challenge of his book in Athens, AL: "When a teacher looks out over his or her classroom, he/she is looking at one in three girls who have been sexually mistreated, one in five boys. That doesn’t take into consideration the number of kids who have been beaten, locked up, or simply never allowed to be good enough. Stories are buffered in fiction and therefore allow discussion of issues that would not otherwise be brought up. They save many students. I’d think twice before I allowed them to be taken away. . . . Your decision won’t impact my income or my self-esteem. You have a lot more to lose here than I have, and that’s why I take time to state my case. The kids you turn your backs on when you take away their stories, are the ones who lose, as well as you as a community of adults who may appear to fear their truths." The book was removed from library shelves and taken off of the district-wide reading list.
What happens when you take away "their stories"? What sort of loss or wrong is Crutcher talking about?
quoted material accessed on 2/3/2011 at the author's website
Students feel like they haven't been heard. A lot of adults don't take children's stories seriously. If students aren't going to have a voice in young adult lit. the credibility it lends them is gone. Students are often unable or unwilling to tell the kinds of stories that appear in "Whale Talk." Even when they are adults don't listen. Parents may not like that these things happen, but they do happen and are important to acknowledge so that they don't happen again.
ReplyDeleteDesiree Marchand
By not letting stories like the ones presented in Whale Talk be heard is a form of censorship. There are children and young adults in the world who are abused, as stated in the stats above. Censoring their stories does not make the horrific events of their lives disappear, but it allows others to be ignorant and the abusers free to hurt again. It is at a loss for students, because students need to see that, one, life is not always sheltered and two, that the children that are being abused can speak about it freely without someone else telling them that what they are saying or doing is wrong.
ReplyDelete--Amanda Paul
Books have the ability to bring any subject to the table. Therefore when students who are dealing with heavy life issues at home come to school, it's important for them to have something that they can relate to and that can comfort them. This can't always be found in friends and teachers, sometimes the kids still feel alone. However they can find solace in books, especially books that deal with tough issues that the students themselves might be facing. Therefore by taking away the books, you're taking away "their stories."
ReplyDeleteBy doing this you wrong the children who could benefit from these stories. Without something they can turn to for comfort, whatever they are going through will only affect them more severely.
- Jeff Payne
I think Crutcher is referring to the empowerment a student can have when he or she discusses an issue he/she endured but did not have the words to describe it, or perhaps he/she didn't realize it was wrong. Many girls who suffer from domestic violence, for example, may believe that it is normal, or that they deserve the treatment. T.J.'s reaction and his parents' advice to him would teach otherwise. Reading books like these brings up questions that, as he says, would not otherwise have been brought up. Discussion may change someone's mind about domestic violence, racism, etc.
ReplyDelete~Rai Carmody
Not letting stories like the ones told in Whale Talk be read is a form of censorship. A lot of adults don't take children's stories seriously. Students are often unable or unwilling to tell the kinds of stories that appear in "Whale Talk." Students who are dealing with issues at home bring them to school, it's important for them to have something that they can relate to. Books can talk about any subject. Books tell peoples bad experiences that they have gone through. By taking away the books, you're taking away "their stories." These stories could be comforting to someone who has been through the same thing.
ReplyDelete-Sarah Gamelli
"Whale Talk" discusses tough issues, like domestic abuse. This kind of novel not only informs readers who know little on the subject, but reassures readers who have experienced firsthand that what they go through deserves to be recognized, and should be changed. When people take the book away, it sends a message that the subject can't be maturely talked about; it scares victims off speaking out against it, and scares any solution away.
ReplyDelete-Caitlin Carroll
I think part of what he's getting at is that you're limiting people from understanding themselves to their fullest extent. Crutcher deals with fairly intense topics in "Whale Talk" as well as other novels, he doesn't skirt around them, but instead confronts it head on. He gives kids a chance at a dialouge, and in many cases that is probably needed in that young adults life. I think that when the adult response to anything controversial is to just shut down that seriously limits the options for someone who might need to at the very least explore a "mature" subject in a fictional way.
ReplyDeleteMaria Varanka
Reading is a way of assurance. A lot of times when people feel discouraged they may turn to a book or even a website and read information about a specific struggle they are trying to overcome. Why are books the only thing being banned? The information is out there. Authors are writing these stories for a reason because they know that someone is going to pick up their book and read it to help them, people learn a lot from reading. Crutcher makes a direct approach with his writing with his topics he discusses. I feel as if with his writing he knows there should possibly be a limit but knows topics have to be discussed sooner or later in one way or another. Adults should not have to shelter younger adults from reading.
ReplyDelete-Kimm Webb
I feel like if you take "their stories away", the children are going to feel like they arnt being heard. Many people don't listen to children's stories, and just ignore the fact that they have a say in something. Children who have problems in their life feel more comfortable talking about it at school rather than at home. Students are less scared talking about situations with teachers than talking about it with their parents. Also the students can relate to the situations in the books. But if the books are taken away then they can't relate to anything. I also think that Crutcher deals with a lot of situations in "Whale Talk", that are very serious, and students can refer to these things.
ReplyDeleteMichelle Spinney
I think that by sharing stories such as the ones mentioned in Whale Talk you help students realize that they are not the only ones going through a horrible situation and that something can be done about it. In our society problems like domestic violence, racism, and sexual harassment are easily pushed aside, especially among teens, and it by refusing the expose them to these things in literature it gives the message that they are not important issues. Since victims of domestic violence, racism, and sexual harassment can often feel like that are not important to begin with, adding to this thinking is only hurting them.
ReplyDelete-Brittany Morgan
Banning books such as "Whale Talk" prevents young readers from finding things in novels that they can relate to. When a student is going through problems at home they may be able to find solace in a book with a character experiencing the same things they are. Instead of feeling lost and alone the student will be able to connect with the character and understand that they are not alone. These books have the ability of talking about subjects that society usually avoids such as rape, murder, domestic violence, drug use, and molestation. Once these books are banned they lose the ability to help those who would have read them. Instead of comforting a young reader who feels alone in the world, they are kept off the shelves to "protect" the students from material that is deemed inappropriate for them.
ReplyDelete-Emma Priester
When you take away their stories, a book may lack real life experience, which in most cases causes the reader to connect with the characters on a personal level. People think by having books banned that they are protecting students by keeping them from reading about issues such as sex, drugs, and alcohol, which is just a reality in life; its going to happen whether they like it or not.
ReplyDelete-Tailyr Cross
Children that have some problems or issues in their lives should be heart by older people and they should not be discouraged on important stuff like those. Although, the kids don' t really say those things to their family because they don' t want them to know and they don' t want to think of their possible reactions if they become aware of something like this. All fo those are stuff that exist in every person' s life and there are people out there that could be really helped by authors and by books that are supposed to innapropriate.
ReplyDeleteAdrianos Vourliotakis Perdikaris
When you take away "their stories" you are taking away a link that young people have to an understanding of their situation. For many students, this type of novel provides the knowledge that they are not so different from anyone else. If Whale Talk or other similar books that deal with the often uncomfortable real life issues are banned, students may never know that they are not worth less than anyone else.
ReplyDeleteWhen Crutcher talks about the loss or wrong, he is referring to the fact that without books like Whale Talk many teens would never feel that they have a connection to anything. Whale Talk includes students and adults from all different types of lives, families, and experiences. Whale Talk exposes the darker side of many people, while also showcasing the good that we are capable of. If students never see the good and the evil, they may never realize that these are both very much prevalent in fiction as they are in reality. While parents may not want their children to be exposed to the racism, language, and violence present in Whale Talk, it must be understood that these issues are very much real and they cannot be pushed away forever.
-Ali Memhard
I think Whale Talk tells an important story that many teens can relate to. Because of the issues brought up in this book, it gives the reader a connection to the characters and gives them something that they can understand. If you take their stories away, it is like you're silencing them and their problems. There is definitely a sense of loss when someone bans these books because the teen then loses the only thing he/she feels understands them.
ReplyDeleteMonica Noury
Adults have a difficult time admitting to themselves what actually happens to teens/kids.This book clearly gives a great depiction of the problems that teens face.The loss that people get when books are banned is that people don't get the real story, they try and pretend that certain things never occurred, such as teen problems that are faced in this book. Instead of trying to understand them, some people freak out and get offended cause they are in denial -Diane Stitt
ReplyDeleteI feel that when you take books away from kids it isn't completely a good thing. Most of the time the situations happen in reality and kids should be able to understand that. Parents shouldnt take some of these books away from them because of this reason. Tanya Jones
ReplyDeleteLife isn't pure and simple. It's far from black and white; it's a cataclysm of circumstances that are in place for some out-of-hands purpose and they either make us or break us. Some of us are put in more extraordinary situations than others; some of us are successfully sheltered by parents who mean well but who starve their children of much-needed worldliness, and on the opposite end of that spectrum, some children are robbed at the very least of their youth, if they scrape by with their lives. Then, of course, there is every degree in between.
ReplyDeleteThis book is a fantastic example of work that is anchored in that fact of life; some of us have had it better than others, but we all have a chip or two in our shoulders, and we are all somewhere on that registry of bullshit.
Without an anchor like "Whale Talk" and other comparable works, kids are left alone with their skeletons, without an anonymous way of discussing domestic abuse or parental neglect or bullying. Each character serves as a different degree on the Richter scale of circumstances, so a lot of areas of trauma are explored, if only a little. But they are explored enough to demonstrate to readers that, hey, these things do happen, and no, that does NOT necessarily make them okay.
By challenging or banning a piece of this aptitude and accuracy, all of the potential readers are being starved the worldliness and understanding. 'Protecting' should never get in the way of enlightening, and young readers should be encouraged to walk a mile in another's' shoes, if only through the narration of a fictional character.
Theresa Caulkins
Taking away the stories of those who were abused, neglected or exposed to any variety of mistreatment only promotes more power to the abusers and the controversy of the subject. When Chris Crutcher's fictional book can create an outlet to those who are the downtrodden. It creates an outlet by talking freely about these subjects; it takes away its taboo power. The wronged in this situation are not only the victims in real life like those in Crutcher's novels, but also to those who won't have the chance to openly speak about these controversies.
ReplyDelete-Meredith Imbimbo
I think taking away children's stories is a horrible thing to do. Reguardless of what we think of them, it is an escape to some and most children. Like TJ and the characters in the book, they were all outcasts. A child who feels left out and picks up this book may just find the same strength and courage as TJ did to stand up to their enemies from reading such a novel. It is important that we keep these books on the shelves for kids to read because it helps them in more ways than we could imagine. The book Whale Talk is an outlet for children who have been mistreated, abused, or hurt in some other way. These issues are out there in the world and most people know about them, so there is no need to censor a child from the reality of life.
ReplyDeleteKimberly LaPrade
When you're an outcast you're constantly alienated and ostracized, you go through the days thinking you're the only one and no one understands, but with this book it has the ability to reach out to these kids. This book speaks for every kid that's ever been excluded and mistreated because of their differences. By taking this book away you're taking away their voice.
ReplyDeleteWe may not always want to know the painful truths that occur in some lives but sadly stories like these are real and they do happen. With this book it brings attention to this and gives a chance for outcasts to stand up and fight. Take that away and they lose.
When you take away "their stories" students lose their escape to the blunt truth. Stories that deal with outcasts, and children who are mistreated are an outlet to those who are going through the same thing. With out something for them to relate to, they may have no reason to be strong, and tell their story. These novels are their voice, their way of telling their story from a different point of view.
ReplyDeleteSo over all by removing this novel and those that follow, you are taking away their escape, their voice. Without these books their stories wouldn't be known.
Ariel Trudell