Song of the Trees, Fallen Angels, How To Rent A Negro

[sanguinity]

11. Mildred D. Taylor, Song of the Trees

As helsmeta observed, the first of the books about the Logan Family, focusing on an event that is recapped in both Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and Let the Circle Be Unbroken. Also, as Helsmeta said, short: not a novel, but an illustrated short story. Which, yes, means less complexity. There simply isn't the space for all the interwoven layers and plots and subtexts that we saw in ROTHMC and LTCBU.

However, the tight focus on the single event gives us something we don't see in the two following books: *SPOILER* a clear victory. Papa goes head-to-head with a white neighbor who has decided to screw the Logans over, and Papa wins.

I was so high on that victory -- and worried about whether Papa was at risk of retaliation for it -- that I failed to notice (until reading Helsmeta's summary) that it's only a partial win. In subsequent books Taylor keeps bringing us back to that clearing, making us notice its scars and rotting logs. You know that Anderson's and Granger's properties don't have scars like that.

So it's not just a short story, but an allegory. And also a question: will the trees ever sing again? I wish I could tell Papa yes.


12. Walter Dean Myers, Fallen Angels.

Narrative of a tour of duty in Vietnam, beginning with Perry's arrival in country and ending with his departure. It's as nice a depiction of the psychological effects of war as I've seen -- PTSD, dehumanizing the enemy, camaraderie-in-arms, home becoming alien -- and does a beautiful job of making those psychological transitions seem normal and reasonable. Because, in the context, they are normal and reasonable. (Disclaimer: I'm not a soldier, I've never been a soldier, I've never spent any time in a war zone. Evaluate my praise accordingly.)

It's also a damn good read.

This was one of the most frequently challenged books for 1990-2000 (number 24 on that list). To recap, the most-stated reasons for challenge were racism, offensive language, and violence.

Um.

You know, it's hard to take the substance of these book-challenges seriously. Re the specific objections against Fallen Angels: the characters are conscious of racism and point it out when they see it; the soldiers sometimes use obscene language; the book is set in a war zone. If anything, I would have said that Myers gentled all three areas somewhat in order to make the book easier to read. (I was never reluctant to turn the page, and that is not true for many books I've read about Vietnam.) I fail to understand what the book-challengers want: nothing abut happy books about ponies eating fragrant herbs in the gentle, temperate-zones sunshine?

For me, the point of reading from these challenged-books lists is threefold: demonstrate support for the authors, publishers, and librarians; keep an eye on what folks are getting reactionary about now; and to take advantage of a pre-compiled list of interesting books.

So in that vein: to Mr. Myers, thank you for writing some very excellent books; to school librarians everywhere, thank you for fighting the good fight; to people who want to control what other people's kids read, you still suck as much as you always did; to the ALA, thank you for compiling a reading list of popular-but-toothy books, as well as sticking up for the librarians who are fighting the good fight.


13. damali ayo, How To Rent A Negro.

Indictment-by-satire of the liberal white penchants for tokenism, exoticism, and other but-I'm-not-a-racist! acts of racism.

I've been reading this book for months now, a couple pages at a time. It is not comfortable going for a liberal white girl. (But as ayo points out, if I want black folk to make discussions of racism comfortable for me, I should hire myself a rental: going rates are $200-$350/hr, or $250 per quickie.)

Sometimes I laughed; sometimes I writhed. Sometimes I did both. I spent lots of time wracking my memory, trying to honestly evaluate what I have and haven't done, and what I currently do or don't do. I also spent lots of time trying to keep my head on straight, trying to remind myself to listen, that this isn't about MY experience, this is about ayo's. And more than once I wanted to throw a temper tantrum and go back to my nice white tower, where I don't have to put up with this crap.

Some observations: One time through isn't enough. Twice through probably isn't enough, either. There is a bunch of stuff I need to look up: Mickey Mouse, The Beatles, and the Alamo, among others. And carrying this book around in public is nearly as effective for demonstrating to fellow whites one's exciting, dangerous, I'm-not-a-racist credibility as inviting a black person to a party. (And at $14.95, it's a lot cheaper.)

Comments

[nebulist.livejournal.com]

What does the book have to say about Mickey Mouse, The Beatles, and the Alamo? /curious

[sanguinity]

They appear in a list topics which should be avoided if you're trying to make white people feel at ease. Other items in the list include: reparations for slavery, white affirmative action, gentrification, the disproportionate number of black people in prison, Elvis Presley, police, black comedians, racial profiling, the Emancipation Proclamation.