So, here it is, the end of another Banned Book Week! Before I go on, I will put out the warning that there may be some spoilers for anyone not already familiar with the events of this book.
To celebrate this year, I chose to read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. What a great book! I have to be honest, before looking up lists of recently banned and challenged books, I had never heard of this novel before. This is a story about about a Spokane Reservation Indian named Arnold Spirit, Jr., but who goes by Junior to all those on the reservation. He is an awkward kid, so he is frequently picked on by his peers, as well as many others who live on the reservation. Lucky for him, his best friend is a bully, so basically his own, personal, bodyguard. After a series of events, Junior transfers to the local "white" school, which, while advantageous to Junior, is seen as an act of betrayal against the Reservation, and so he is treated as a traitor. The story follows Junior through all of his ups and downs, tested friendships, family tragedies, new relationships, and the balancing act that is his life.
From the start, I was sucked into the story of Arnold Spirit. Junior, as the narrator, is a more amiable Holden Caulfield, with his dry sense of humor. He starts off by describing just how awkward and unfortunate he is, which makes you feel for the poor guy. He's too smart for his own good, and often, too much of a smart-ass (can I say that here? I hope so!), which often leads to a black eye or a bruised body part. I loved the book, though, because Arnold Spirit seemed real, and completely relatable to a teenage boy. He is beginning to recognize the faults in his parents, but can overlook those faults with understanding and love. He has an awkward, yet close, relationship with his older sister. He loves his grandmother. He plays video games, shoots hoops, gets crushes on girls, and talks openly (to the reader, at least) about masturbation - 2 of these 4 things can arguably relate to 99.9% of all teenage boys! He and his best friend are as close as brothers, but express their love for each other in typical teenage-boy-ways: by harassing and picking on each other. He deals with acceptance, something that is a major concern for the average teenager. He copes with death. He understands racism. He sees alcoholism. This kid is living in a real world, with real world problems. As much as it's hard to admit, the stories in this book are not that far fetched for someone living on a reservation (see some stats here).
According to the ALA list of Frequently Challenged Books of the 21st Century, this book was challenged for "drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group."
The first offense is, in this day and age, ludicrous. Children and teenagers are exposed to much more explicit forms of these vices in video games, movies, and t.v. If anything, this book shows the dangers of alcohol addiction; Junior's grandmother is killed by a drunk driver, and his father's best friend, Eugene, is shot and killed by another friend over the last sip of alcohol in a bottle. To add to the destruction, Eugene's killer has no recollection of the event, but is so consumed by guilt, that he hangs himself. If that's not a warning to beware the dangers of alcohol addiction, I don't know what is.
As for the charge of "offensive language," again, I argue ludicrous. The targeted age group for this novel is an age group that learned how to swear on the playground years before, so I highly doubt there would be any shock by readers. That being said, working in a restaurant has made me immune to nearly all language some find "offensive," so nothing about the language of this book really sticks out to me, with the exception of two things. First, Junior's frank discussion about masturbation, which I assume is what the "sexually explicit" charge is referring to, as well. While I can understand some parents wanting to shield anything sexual from their children, it is an entirely natural thing that all boys around this age (or before) discover. Our narrator just admits to it, and celebrates his abilities. I'm not, nor was I ever, a teenage boy, so this, of course, is all speculation, but it's honest, and comical, and probably reassuring to teenage boys who may associate the act with shame. Our narrator suffers a couple instances of awkwardly timed arousals, which, again, is a normal teenage boy experience.
The second instance of "offensive language" ties in directly with the "racism" charge. This books is written about a Native American, by a Native American, as told through the eyes of a Native American. If he, Sherman Alexie, wants to use the term "Indian," he has every right to do so. Furthermore, his use of racial slurs like "Chief" and "Tonto," are to show how racist the people in his new school are. The most offensive line in the book, shown below, is immediately labeled racist.
"Hey Chief," Roger said. "You want to hear a joke?"
"Sure," I said.
"Did you know that Indians are living proof that niggers fuck buffalo?"
I felt like Roger had kicked me in the face. That was the most racist thing I'd ever heard in my life.
(pg. 64)
It's as if Alexie is making sure that no reader will mistakenly think this sort of talk is ok. This was the worst language I found in the book, and the author - via the narrator - objects to this sort of language, and the speaker is immediately punished for it.
This book was written for a teenage audience in the very believable voice of a teenage boy. The story of Arnold Spirit could be related to by any teen living in poverty; any teen who has suffered from abuse; any teen who has mourned the death of a loved one; any teen who has seen the effects of alcoholism; any teen living in a small town; immigrants; outcasts; basketball players; and so on. And you can substitute "teen" for "person" in all of those examples. Would I give this book to a seven year old? No, probably not. But to ban the book from teenagers saying it's "unsuited to [their] age group" is insulting to teenagers. It's naive to think that teenagers aren't dealing with these sorts of issues in the school halls, so to try to withhold a book as honest as this one is about the struggle of the adolescent is insulting to adolescents everywhere. I strongly recommend every middle school and high school boy read this book, as well as anyone, teen or adult, who could relate to any of the situations I listed above.
I'll finish with my favorite quote of the book, which I sent to my sister, who works with low income families in Michigan. In class, we've been discussing the digital divide, and what that means for low income families. I stopped reading after I read this quote, and thought about everything this statement could mean for those living in poverty or low income. "Poverty doesn't give you strength or teach you lessons about perseverance. No, poverty only teaches you how to be poor," (pg. 97).
Monday, September 29, 2014
Thursday, September 11, 2014
I stumbled upon this article and wanted to share it. It's an interesting perspective of someone in the field about what ought to be expected of the MLIS program, and ultimately, us.
Also, check out the comment section! One of the comments appears to be from one of Wayne State's own!
Also, check out the comment section! One of the comments appears to be from one of Wayne State's own!
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Let's talk about me for a minute
Hello, and welcome to my life as a Masters student of Library and Information Science!
I am originally from St. Clair Shores, where I lived until heading off to college at 18. I have a twin sister, and determined not to go to the same school together, I decided to leave the state all-together and begin my undergraduate career at Valparaiso, University in the cornfields of Indiana. Anyone who has studied at a small, private, religion-affiliated institution can probably relate when I say that my initial college experiences were quite unlike those of my public school counterparts. Needless to say, my first semester was a rough transition. However, I was bound and determined not to move back home like so many of my classmates after their first semester away from home, so I made some friends, got a job, joined the Gamma Phi Beta sorority, and began to love my life at Valpo. I bounced around majors (meteorology, chemistry, sociology, history, education), before settling on an English major. I'm happy I stuck it out in that Indiana town, and while I didn't love being an English major, these two life choices brought me to a tester course offering: Introduction to Linguistics. The course was taught by one of my English professors who specialized in Medieval Literature, but who "had taken a Linguistics course, once." Basically, our small group of 15-ish students taught ourselves, with some guidance from our professor, and I loved every minute of it. After never hearing the term 'linguistics' before, I realized this was exactly what I wanted to study.
So, after 3.5 years of the small college life, I transferred back home to Wayne State, who, as luck would have it, offered a degree in Linguistics. My love of language only got stronger while in the program. I honestly can't believe more people don't study Linguistics, and I strongly believe a basic understanding of Linguistics should be part of a high-school curriculum. Everyone uses language! Everyone has opinions about language. A large number of people wonder about language: why do we speak while other animals don't? Why are there so many different languages? People will fixate on a sound or a word - fork; fork; fffooooorrrrkkk - and think about why a fork is called a 'fork.' All of that is Linguistics! But, I digress. This isn't a Linguistics blog, after all.
Anyway, during my studies, I wrote two papers I am incredibly proud of. The first is a look at how wineries and wine makers make use of the labels on wine bottles to transfer information to the consumer. I looked at graphics and icons, words like "Reserve" and "Estate Bottled," and the names of the wine. The second paper was a look at the media's negative response to key witness in the Trayvon Martin case, Rachel Jeantel, and how her credibility as a witness was called into question due to her use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Both papers involved a great deal of research, using a number of different mediums. It was at this time that I started to hear about "Big Data" and the "Information Age." I was beginning to realize another passion: Information. Google scholar and other search databases became my best friends during this time. I have always been one to ponder the big (and not so big) questions in life, and the invention of the smart phone has been one of my most useful tools when I want to find the answer to something. In both academia and in recreational life, I enjoy the process of The Search.
I completed my degree, but realized that, while my passion for Linguistics had not faltered, I was at a loss of what to do with it. I knew I didn't want to head to a remote village to study, track, and preserve and endangered language, nor did I want to pursue advanced degrees in order to teach. It was at that time when I remembered that Wayne State offered a Masters of Library and Information Science. I like to read! Libraries are full of language! I'll go be a librarian! I looked a little bit more into the field, realized I had a lot to learn about what the profession actually was, applied, et voila! Here I am!
So, here's what I know: I don't want to abandon Linguistics all-together. I would love to incorporate my background in language with my present studies. Information Science and Archives both seem like plausible ways to accomplish this. That being said, when I first considered the degree, I was interested in becoming an Academic Librarian, thereby incorporating my interest in instruction with the surroundings of an academic institution. I am hoping this course will allow me to get an idea of the different tracks within the MLIS program, ultimately helping me to decide on the right path to take. If I go with Information Management or Archives, I would love a position with some sort of language-tracking institution, like the OED (Oxford English Dictionary), tracking the course of modern language, and preserving the state it's in at this time for future researchers to study. If I go the Librarian route, I would like to work in a state-of-the-art academic library, particularly one in a college setting, which would allow me to help students thrive in their academic careers, while also allowing me access to study the language of the innovators (teens and young adults, particularly women) first hand.
I have a few assumptions coming into this field:
1. Librarians like to read. I think a number of us were drawn to libraries as children for one reason or another, and never quite lost that sense of wonder we had on our visits there. I can't imagine spending your life surrounded by books without having the urge to pick them up to find what secrets they hold. That being said, I don't think librarianship involves as much reading as many people assume it does.
2. Libraries are places to gather. I did my research before entering this field. I know many people think "Libraries are dead" or dying. I also know that they people are gravely mistaken. It might be safe to say Libraries as we know them are dead, but the spectrum of services a library can offer will never allow the institution, as a whole, to die. Millions of Americans are without jobs, and the number one way to job hunt in this day-and-age is via the Internet. Jobs may be posted and filled within the matter of a couple days. If those people don't have computers at home with Internet access, where do they go? Their local public library, of course. Stay-at-home parents and Homeschoolers alike bring their children to the library to socialize. On college campuses, the library is (usually) the quite place to study without the constant distractions the dorm-room may offer. While at Valparaiso University, I had the luxury of attending while they built and opened their new library, the Christopher Center. At the time, it was completely modern and state-of-the-art, with the inclusion of an Automatic Storage and Retrieval System. There were always people there. There were plenty of work rooms that were filled with groups studying. The computer labs and printers where constantly buzzing. A cafe was put in on the ground floor that was the main meeting space for students and faculty, alike. There is a space for their special collections. They had it all, and the campus responded to it. Regardless of where libraries are headed, I can't imagine the death of the campus library.
3. Big Data is either going to make it or break it, possibly both. Big Data has always been around, but never before with this level of technology. Big Data is what adapts those Facebook and YouTube ads to your personal preferences. Big Data is the tool of Big Brother. A lot of people have a lot of worries about the power of Big Data in the wrong hands, and justifiably so! But Big Data is not so bad! Big Data can help track a flu or cold outbreak. Big Data can help local governments ease traffic conditions for commuters. Big Data can help Linguists track the birth of a word or phrase in real-time (thanks Twitter!). For good and/or bad, Big Data is changing our society as we know it.
4. The modern librarian is both the job of the future as well as a job of the past. Librarians literally surround themselves with the past. Absolutely all of the books (hard copy or digital), all of the journals, all of the articles, were written in the past. Everything. Everything I've written here is already in the past! Librarians need to know where information, technology, humans, and whatever particular subject matter they're working with, came from. That being said, technology is continuing to evolve at a rapid pace. By the time we graduate, we will already have a dated education! It is our job in the Information profession to keep up to date with advances in technology and discoveries, and be able to utilize these technologies in our field. It would behoove us to be on the cutting-edge of wherever technology is headed.
If you've made it this far, then Thank You! This was a long post, but I did combine a couple of the subject assignments together, so I can't imagine any future posts being this wordy. I look forward to growing within the field of LIS, and can't wait to see what the future has in store for me!
I am originally from St. Clair Shores, where I lived until heading off to college at 18. I have a twin sister, and determined not to go to the same school together, I decided to leave the state all-together and begin my undergraduate career at Valparaiso, University in the cornfields of Indiana. Anyone who has studied at a small, private, religion-affiliated institution can probably relate when I say that my initial college experiences were quite unlike those of my public school counterparts. Needless to say, my first semester was a rough transition. However, I was bound and determined not to move back home like so many of my classmates after their first semester away from home, so I made some friends, got a job, joined the Gamma Phi Beta sorority, and began to love my life at Valpo. I bounced around majors (meteorology, chemistry, sociology, history, education), before settling on an English major. I'm happy I stuck it out in that Indiana town, and while I didn't love being an English major, these two life choices brought me to a tester course offering: Introduction to Linguistics. The course was taught by one of my English professors who specialized in Medieval Literature, but who "had taken a Linguistics course, once." Basically, our small group of 15-ish students taught ourselves, with some guidance from our professor, and I loved every minute of it. After never hearing the term 'linguistics' before, I realized this was exactly what I wanted to study.
So, after 3.5 years of the small college life, I transferred back home to Wayne State, who, as luck would have it, offered a degree in Linguistics. My love of language only got stronger while in the program. I honestly can't believe more people don't study Linguistics, and I strongly believe a basic understanding of Linguistics should be part of a high-school curriculum. Everyone uses language! Everyone has opinions about language. A large number of people wonder about language: why do we speak while other animals don't? Why are there so many different languages? People will fixate on a sound or a word - fork; fork; fffooooorrrrkkk - and think about why a fork is called a 'fork.' All of that is Linguistics! But, I digress. This isn't a Linguistics blog, after all.
Anyway, during my studies, I wrote two papers I am incredibly proud of. The first is a look at how wineries and wine makers make use of the labels on wine bottles to transfer information to the consumer. I looked at graphics and icons, words like "Reserve" and "Estate Bottled," and the names of the wine. The second paper was a look at the media's negative response to key witness in the Trayvon Martin case, Rachel Jeantel, and how her credibility as a witness was called into question due to her use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Both papers involved a great deal of research, using a number of different mediums. It was at this time that I started to hear about "Big Data" and the "Information Age." I was beginning to realize another passion: Information. Google scholar and other search databases became my best friends during this time. I have always been one to ponder the big (and not so big) questions in life, and the invention of the smart phone has been one of my most useful tools when I want to find the answer to something. In both academia and in recreational life, I enjoy the process of The Search.
I completed my degree, but realized that, while my passion for Linguistics had not faltered, I was at a loss of what to do with it. I knew I didn't want to head to a remote village to study, track, and preserve and endangered language, nor did I want to pursue advanced degrees in order to teach. It was at that time when I remembered that Wayne State offered a Masters of Library and Information Science. I like to read! Libraries are full of language! I'll go be a librarian! I looked a little bit more into the field, realized I had a lot to learn about what the profession actually was, applied, et voila! Here I am!
So, here's what I know: I don't want to abandon Linguistics all-together. I would love to incorporate my background in language with my present studies. Information Science and Archives both seem like plausible ways to accomplish this. That being said, when I first considered the degree, I was interested in becoming an Academic Librarian, thereby incorporating my interest in instruction with the surroundings of an academic institution. I am hoping this course will allow me to get an idea of the different tracks within the MLIS program, ultimately helping me to decide on the right path to take. If I go with Information Management or Archives, I would love a position with some sort of language-tracking institution, like the OED (Oxford English Dictionary), tracking the course of modern language, and preserving the state it's in at this time for future researchers to study. If I go the Librarian route, I would like to work in a state-of-the-art academic library, particularly one in a college setting, which would allow me to help students thrive in their academic careers, while also allowing me access to study the language of the innovators (teens and young adults, particularly women) first hand.
I have a few assumptions coming into this field:
1. Librarians like to read. I think a number of us were drawn to libraries as children for one reason or another, and never quite lost that sense of wonder we had on our visits there. I can't imagine spending your life surrounded by books without having the urge to pick them up to find what secrets they hold. That being said, I don't think librarianship involves as much reading as many people assume it does.
2. Libraries are places to gather. I did my research before entering this field. I know many people think "Libraries are dead" or dying. I also know that they people are gravely mistaken. It might be safe to say Libraries as we know them are dead, but the spectrum of services a library can offer will never allow the institution, as a whole, to die. Millions of Americans are without jobs, and the number one way to job hunt in this day-and-age is via the Internet. Jobs may be posted and filled within the matter of a couple days. If those people don't have computers at home with Internet access, where do they go? Their local public library, of course. Stay-at-home parents and Homeschoolers alike bring their children to the library to socialize. On college campuses, the library is (usually) the quite place to study without the constant distractions the dorm-room may offer. While at Valparaiso University, I had the luxury of attending while they built and opened their new library, the Christopher Center. At the time, it was completely modern and state-of-the-art, with the inclusion of an Automatic Storage and Retrieval System. There were always people there. There were plenty of work rooms that were filled with groups studying. The computer labs and printers where constantly buzzing. A cafe was put in on the ground floor that was the main meeting space for students and faculty, alike. There is a space for their special collections. They had it all, and the campus responded to it. Regardless of where libraries are headed, I can't imagine the death of the campus library.
3. Big Data is either going to make it or break it, possibly both. Big Data has always been around, but never before with this level of technology. Big Data is what adapts those Facebook and YouTube ads to your personal preferences. Big Data is the tool of Big Brother. A lot of people have a lot of worries about the power of Big Data in the wrong hands, and justifiably so! But Big Data is not so bad! Big Data can help track a flu or cold outbreak. Big Data can help local governments ease traffic conditions for commuters. Big Data can help Linguists track the birth of a word or phrase in real-time (thanks Twitter!). For good and/or bad, Big Data is changing our society as we know it.
4. The modern librarian is both the job of the future as well as a job of the past. Librarians literally surround themselves with the past. Absolutely all of the books (hard copy or digital), all of the journals, all of the articles, were written in the past. Everything. Everything I've written here is already in the past! Librarians need to know where information, technology, humans, and whatever particular subject matter they're working with, came from. That being said, technology is continuing to evolve at a rapid pace. By the time we graduate, we will already have a dated education! It is our job in the Information profession to keep up to date with advances in technology and discoveries, and be able to utilize these technologies in our field. It would behoove us to be on the cutting-edge of wherever technology is headed.
If you've made it this far, then Thank You! This was a long post, but I did combine a couple of the subject assignments together, so I can't imagine any future posts being this wordy. I look forward to growing within the field of LIS, and can't wait to see what the future has in store for me!
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