The Prompt
“Removed from the school library by the local school board, a character from the now-banned book shows up to the next meeting to address the Board of School Directors about their decision.”
Patricia A. Jackson
Patricia A. Jackson is online here: By Birthright
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Much to my embarrassment, I either haven’t read any banned books or don’t recall having read them, so I didn’t think I could do any of them justice. Instead, I came up with a fictional school banning the Necronomicon from the library and had Cthulu himself come before the school board. An undeniably silly tale, though the reasons for the ban being questionable at best, clearly defies the line between fact and fiction. ^_^
Hard
Charlotte’s Web
I made Wilbur a lawyer laying his case out for the judge. I need to read the story again to flesh it out. Great prompt.
This prompt reminded me of Lady Chatterley’s Lover being taken off the banned list (if there was a list) in 1959 at which time I couldn’t wait to get a copy. I was 16 at the time. Although I already loved his books, I was disappointed after I read it because there was pretty much no sex in the book. Then my dad read it and explained to me why it was banned; nothing to do with sex. I’m keeping that part a secret and that’s the way I wrote today’s story.
Using today’s prompt, I wrote a 652-word story. I also started working on the prompt I missed last Saturday. Hope to finish that story in the next few days.
I was expecting this to be a difficult one, but ended up coming up with something I thought worked quite well, even if I had to bend the prompt a little to get there. In researching banned books, I found that one of my childhood favorites, ‘The Brothers Lionheart’ by Astrid Lindgren, used to be banned in Czechoslovakia. So, I wrote a short conversation between my half-remembered impressions of the main characters of that book and a version of Nicolae Ceaușescu that probably had very little in common with the actual historical figure.
I did a deep dive on books banned in Canada and found out about a bit of stir about Women on Top by Nancy Friday (1991), which is about women’s sexual fantasies, gathered from interviews. It sat in libraries and bookstores until 1997 when someone(s) got upset about it and the RCMP decided to remove it in Winnipeg and elsewhere.
I’m sure there’s more nuance to the story of its banning but I ended up writing a fun little exchange between an RCMP officer and a physical manifestation of the spirit of the book. Thanks for the prompt! It was fun to think about books and how important they are, and how much uproar they can generate.
I went through the PEN list of books banned in U.S. school districts in the 2023/24 academic year, and found Slaughterhouse-Five was banned in more than forty. So I wrote something that starts
Listen:
Billy Pilgrim has come unglued at the School Board.
I’m never sure exactly what people mean when they say “creative non-fiction.” Isn’t all good non-fiction creative? Isn’t bad fiction generally uncreative? Anyway, I think this short piece is CNF. It’s a grim topic, but it was fun to research and write.
great choice. helps me widen the scope from just this year. Books are banned, and have been banned, for so many reasons all over the world. Worse situation in Europe, as I recall.
Good thing: In USA you can get everything for your kiddos, if you should wish, in the bookstore or online if the school doesn’t have it for the little ones.
I will think of something to fit today’s prompt.
Woo, writing this brought up *feelings*. In fact, I wrote 412 words in about 10 minutes(I can usually get that in about 30).
“And it’s inappropriate for minors.”
“Which part?” Caleb asked. “The one where a trans man has an accepting family. Where he finds a group of people who accept him just as he is. Or is it the one where he develops a healthy, loving relationship with another man?”
And this one:
“This isn’t just about my book. this is about all the books you won’t let them read, because you don’t want them to get ideas. Because it’s easier for you if you can keep them in that tiny box, and not to see that they can push out of it. You’d rather they hate themself for half their lives because it makes it more convenient for you. “
This is awesome, Fallon
It was hard to choose, so I wrote 3 Drabbles. I enjoyed giving voice to these characters, and further, all of the sparks generating by mulling this prompt. Happy Writing, friends!