Am I a censor???
For the past few days I've been reading a four-book series about the daughter of the first woman President of the United States. To tell the truth, I haven't been able to put these books down. Meg is an extremely appealing character, smart, funny, and honest. The first book takes the Powers family through Meg's mother's presidential campaign. The second one focuses on the family's move to the White House and all the adjustments that come with living in a fish bowl with 24/7 Secret Service protection. When the President is shot in an assassination attempt, the family's world is turned upside down. In book three, my favorite so far, Meg is kidnapped by terrorists, beaten, and left to die, chained in an abandoned mine shaft. The fourth book which I'm still reading, chronicles Meg's recovery, her painful physical rehab, her struggle with post-traumatic stress syndrome and feelings about her mother's refusal to negotiate with terrorists, and her need to go to college and move on with her life. Even when the plots are not totally spell-binding, still the characters kept me coming back for more. I have to know what happens to Meg.
So, what's the problem? It's the language. Meg and her younger brother and her best friend Beth, use non-stop profanity, most of it taking the Lord's name in vain. I went back and reread the reviews upon which I based the acquisition of these books. Only one of them mentions Meg's language as being "appropriately raw," while all give very positive revi ews. I guess I have to be fair and say that most of the profanity is in Meg's head. Meg is mostly very respectful and discreet when actually speaking to other people. But that doesn't change the perspective that there's a lot of what I would consider inappropriate language in these books. So, I now have the difficult decision whether or not to keep these books in the library collection. As much as I have enjoyed the story, the language offends me, and I think it could offend others. On the other hand, in our rather crude society, I know that there is nothing in these books that LHS students haven't heard on a regular basis in TV shows and movies. I often remind myself that a significant percentage of our student population is of adult age, or about to be, and I don't think it's my job to protect them or censor their reading material. On the other hand, I have to live with my conscience and be faithful to the task of providing excellent resources to complement and support the curriculum. In this case, I think I'll have to pull these books from the shelf. In other cases, I heave a sigh, wishing young adult authors didn't feel the need to be quite so "realistic," and put the books on the shelf. Finding the balance is the hardest part of my job.