Authors Revered, Authors Reviled, and Lessons Learned

Writing a book, whether fiction or nonfiction, is a combination of commitment, ambition, knowledge, skill, and creativity. Publishing that book is an act of courage, of nerve and probably idealistic naiveté, at least for the first few books. Then we start to figure it out.

This week, one of my favorite authors of all time passed away, the reclusive Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird inspired a love of reading and writing that hasn’t dwindled over time.

Also this week, one of the most despicable human beings to come out of Canada, (yes, we do have them) also published a book. Notorious serial killer Robert Pickton apparently wrote a book from his prison cell, managed to get the manuscript smuggled out of Kent Institution (a maximum security prison), find a Colorado publisher, and another individual put his name on the cover. I won’t mention the title, but I will say that this pathetic excuse for a human being lived not far from where I live and the feelings about his making money from his crimes have upset a lot of people. So much so that Amazon pulled it down after one day. As the CBC article notes, Pickton wasn’t the first Canadian criminal to write a book.

There are other examples of reviled writers. I read an article this week about Salman Rushie whose book The Satanic Verses still incenses followers of Islam so much that, 27 years after the book’s release, there is a renewed call for his assassination. A Guardian article reports that people have already died or faced serious attacks because of that book.

And remember James Frey of A Million Little Pieces, fame who was subjected to public humiliation by Oprah Winfrey’s TV after confessed that his memoir was mostly made up?

At some point in their writing lives, many authors need to deal with ethical and censorship issues. Certainly, all published writers have to face the ramifications, good or bad, of making their books public. I don’t want to get into lengthy debates about these things in this blog, but I do find myself thinking about them, about when it’s okay to publish something controversial and when it is wrong. How far do we go to defend freedom of speech? When do we draw a line in the sand and say enough already…you can’t publish this or that because of what you’re saying or who you are.

I never believed in book banning or censorship, but this week I’ve realized that I’m drawing my own lines in the sand, and that I’ve been self-censoring for some time. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the people mentioned above is that publication means that somewhere out there, someone will read your work and that they’ll love it or hate it, or misinterpret it, or misunderstand it, and might even raise a how-dare-you uproar. Like I said, publishing takes courage and nerve. Personally, I also think that it should require some common sense. What do you think?

Debra

Pondering Young Adult Fiction

This week, young adult fiction has been on my mind, which is odd in a way. I don’t write YA fiction and don’t plan to. But I have read a fair bit of it. In fact, some of the most memorable books ever I’ve read fit this category. The Harry Potter series is just one example.

This morning, I was listening to a CBC radio discussion between a book reviewer and the host about Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman. As you probably know, there’s been a great deal of fanfare when the book was released earlier this week. You may also know that the reviews are mixed and not everyone was thrilled with the different perspective on Atticus. I won’t spoil it by telling you why. Plenty of reviewers have already done that. Anyhow, one of the things that struck me during the discussion was the host and reviewer’s agreement that To Kill a Mockingbird was actually a YA novel. After all, the story is told from Scout’s POV.

Looking back, I remember that I was a teen when I first read the book, yet I’ve never thought of the book as YA fiction, especially given that the topics were so serious, so damning, and so adult. I think there’s something about great YA fiction that really sticks with us, perhaps because we read it when we’re young and the emotional impact lingers. Perhaps it’s because a compelling story transcends all age groups and most cultures, I don’t know.

Here’s another YA tidbit. I read a fascinating article in Slate this week about the original ghostwriter of the Nancy Drew series. Her name was Mildred “Millie” Wirt Benson and the article states that she was one of the most interesting women to ever write YA fiction. She was a journalist, aviator, and feminist who published her first Nancy Drew at age 24 in 1930. (By the way, Nancy Drew is now 85. I’d like to think she’s still sleuthing). In addition to the 23 Nancy Drew books Benson produced for the Stratemeyer Syndicate, she also wrote her own children’s books under different names. There’s more interesting stuff about her life, so give the article a read.

Last, but not least, CBC has produced a list called 100 Young Adult Books That Make You Proud to be Canadian. I’ve read Anne of Green Gables and a couple of others. I know many of the authors’ names and titles, but have yet to sit down and read these Canadian YA books. Now, I have another whole list of great reading material to tackle!

Debra