Curating for Dummies. Or, Read ‘em and weep.

June 13, 2023

Another in a series of observations of life as I know it.

Any book worth banning is a book worth reading.

―Isaac Asimov

Years from now, when you speak of this, and you will, be kind.

-Robert Anderson, Tea and Sympathy

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So, apparently, books on diversity which cover everything from race to gender to adolescent sexuality to country of origin, are unfair to white people. Wait, what? Consequently, books that address all of the above topics are being removed from one shelf of the library to another. From YA (Young adult) to MA (mature audience) shelves. YA books, like those penned by the fabulous Judy Blume, are housed in colorful sections of the public library, with cool posters and fuzzy toys. To locate books for Mature readers, which might imply anyone over 21, readers must go dressed incognito, wearing a false mustache and a grungy raincoat. Like Woody Allen in search of a copy of the latest Screw magazine, one must hide one’s intent. I am going to assume that J.D. Salinger’s classic The Catcher in the Rye is shelved nearby Rita Mae Brown’s picaresque novel Rubyfruit Jungle. Both discuss burgeoning sexuality. Uh oh. Which leads me to believe that the MA section of any library will soon be the most popular place in town. Bar none. We all want a bite of the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Eve was onto something.

In a recent interview, a spokesperson for Mothers for Liberty suggested somewhat cryptically that books are not being banned. They are, instead, being “curated”. Oh for pity’s sake, give me the strength to face another day! Curated, my posterior. So let’s just suspend disbelief momentarily, shall we? Little Johnny has questions. Why? Well, for starters, his dad’s Penthouse magazines, surreptitiously stored under the case of motor oil in the garage, are kind of boring. And confusing. But, it makes dad proud to know that Johnny is sneaking peeks at the centerfolds. It’s a right of passage. But one that offers nothing in the way of self-knowledge. At least for some. Johnny needs access to other literature. And of course at 14, he doesn’t have age appropriate access to anything that might be useful except Lord of the Flies. Ugh.

Let’s face the grim facts. Even Judy Blume has been “curated” recently. The book Heather Has Two Mommies is on top of a very high shelf, and thus unreachable. Ditto The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman as well as Tea and Sympathy by Robert Anderson, both mid-century tales of the road to adulthood. Has anyone on the Library Board bothered to look at any of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless tomes? Why not? Everyone was sauced or stoned in the Jazz Age. But that, I gather, is acceptable. Both Faulkner’s Compson and Snopes sagas reek of abuse and tangibly dark themes including suicide. And they are brilliant. And yes, they should be on every high school reading list. Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is laced with flagrant racial bias. And should be required homework. I could go on for days. But I won’t. Suffice it to say, please leave curation to professionals not to the Mothers of Liberty.

As the saying goes, “reading is fundamental”. Not every tale should be a feel good experience. Learning should be difficult, challenging and uncomfortable. We cannot exist just digesting the likes of the Velveteen Rabbit and Goodnight Moon. Curating school reading lists is an act of willful redaction. Censorship with a capital C. Reading raises awareness. It helps us to discover and define who we are. Those who have been sheltered from life will have difficulty traversing it. Period. Full stop. Blundering toward encroaching adulthood without even the most basic information is dangerous. It’s like attempting to cross an eight lane superhighway wearing a blindfold and flip flops. Read as if your life depends on it.