This is part of our Cardinal Way project on promoting civil discussions.
The General Assembly’s research arm recently produced a report on how many books had been removed from school libraries in Virginia over the past five years.
The number: 223 different titles, with 75% of those removals concentrated in just five localities, with Hanover County pulling the most (125). After that came Rockingham County (57), Goochland County (34), Madison County (23) and Spotsylvania County (19).
Most localities didn’t remove any.
You can read our account of that report or the report itself.
The report prompted us to ask readers some questions. In last week’s installment, we looked at how parents handled their children’s book reading — at what age did they let their children make their own choices?
In this installment, we look at their own reading choices.
Is there a book you read in your youth that opened your eyes or minds to something very different from what you heard and learned at home, school or church? Did your parents know?
I was an avid reader and read 2-3 books a week. At 11 I starting reading the series Clan of the Cave Bear which has explicit sexual references and rape scenes. My mother was aware that I was reading it. The book discussed sexual interactions and intimacy which is something that was not discussed at home and frowned upon at church.
Christine Gibbons, Lynchburg
Fahrenheit 451
Randall Wolf, Stuarts Draft
In college, there were any number of them: Faulkner, Hemingway, Salinger, etc.. In elementary school and high school I simply read whatever I could get my hands on. I attended a combined 1-12 school with one small library. By the time I graduated, I had read nearly every book in it. While books about history and biographies offered me a different world than my parents knew, they would not have been opposed to what I read. They rarely paid much attention to them.
There were many, but I particularly remember reading “I Never Promised You A Rose Garden.” I was a young adult and my brother had committed suicide. It helped me question and process what he might have been experiencing in a way that talking to a counselor or reading the Bible might not have helped by itself.
Laura Reichenbaugh, Bent Mountain
I read “Marjorie Morningstar”, which answered some early questions about relationships.
Marie Pridgen, Chatham
Many books opened my eyes to things that were impossible to comprehend in my youth and now they are reality! “1984”!!
Sandra Knodel, Lynchburg
Constantly, but not necessarily children’s books. I read everything written by Stephen King and VC Andrews and Phillip Roth. I’m sure my mother knew. She’s come home from the grocery store with a few new paperback books among the groceries and as I was putting away groceries I’d sneak the best-looking away to read first, then come back for the rest later.
Holly Kozelsky, Martinsville
I read John Bellairs and LP Davies as a middle school student, checked these out from the public library in East Tennessee where I grew up. I developed an interest in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction (that I still have) along with fine literature and non fiction. And eventually I taught American history at the college level, so I figure I must be pretty grounded. I never discussed any of this early reading with my parents, but I don’t think they would have minded. They respected and trusted public library services (as do I).
Lillian Trettin, Roanoke
Yes, James Michner’s “Hawaii” in 7th grade. I loved reading narratively about sexuality, relationships cultural differences and religion differences — none discussed much at home. I don’t know if my parent knew – I was not secretive re bedtime reading choices and they never said.
Carol Nelson, Reva (Culpeper County)
A title doesn’t come to mind, but there were many books that made me think – “Animal Farm,” “Atlas Shrugged,” “Gone with the Wind” to name a few. Books like “Gone with the Wind” would encourage me to research history.
Bonnie Lindsey, Warrenton
“Night”, ” Lady Chatterley’s Lover”. No, they didn’t supervise my reading
Janet Eddy, Hanover County
