The American Library Association has just announced that And Tango Makes Three has topped it's list of most challenged books. For those of you who don't know the story, And Tango Makes Three is a children's book based on a true story about two male penguins at New York's Central Park Zoo who raised a baby penguin together. Well those sneaky authors, dontcha know they're promoting a homosexual lifestyle!
I'm sorry, I have a hard time believing that when kids read this book they immediately think to themselves, "I want me some hot, gay lurve!" I guess there is a deeper message of non-traditional families being "OK" - but are kids really going to get "all that" out of a picture book? I'm thinking they'll think that it's a "cute story about cute penguins." But hell, what do I know? I'm just the librarian here.
In a case of not giving kids enough credit - a 16-year-old boy cracked an Internet filter that the Australian government spent $84 million dollars on. In thirty minutes no less. My God. And here I thought the U.S government held the market share on idiocy. To add insult to injury, when the government offered up a second filter, he cracked that in 40 minutes. I won't get on my soapbox about Internet filtering, but this story has an important message - that I am right. Seriously, let's not rely on technology to protect our children. Frankly there ain't no short cuts to good parenting - but again, what the hell do I know? I'm just the librarian here.
In delectably naughty news, I came back from a committee meeting (which was like having my brains sucked out of my nose through a straw) to find a package from Dorchester on my desk. I met one of their editors at RWA and when she told me, "If there is anything you'd like from us..." I told her how much I totally dig the Hard Case Crime line. Yeah, you guessed it! I got me a free book!
Kill Now, Pay Later by Robert Terrall (reprint of 1960 original). Available in bookstores now.Description:
When Ben Gates took the job guarding the presents at a ritzy upper-class wedding, he thought it would be a simple assignment: stand around, look tough, and make sure none of the bridesmaids walk off with the jewelry.Three femme fatales? Be still my heart! And I totally dig their covers. Her feet look a little too big, but dang, sometimes I wish romance would go back to these artist painted covers. Ripped bodices, heaving bosoms and copious amounts of man-titty just look a whole lot classier when they're painted. Wouldn't you agree?
But that was before someone slipped sleeping pills into Ben’s coffee and a bizarre robbery attempt left two people dead. Now Ben’s reputation is on the line—and if he doesn’t figure out which of three beautiful women is hiding a murderous secret, his life may be as well…
12 comments:
Totally agree. And how cool is the Hard Case Crime line? You scored!
You know this whole tra-la-la about AND TANGO MAKES THREE is one of my ot buttons. I'm very pro-parent checking out what their kids read, watch and listen to and don't think we should be relying on any other group to police or censor or *gasp* ban books, music or movies/videos for us. I want to make decisions what is and isn't appropriate for my children.
Boy, I really got worked up there.
Love noir fiction and film noir. I've been getting into the Hard Case Line after they began to reissue Cornell Woolrich novels, and love it.
And I hear you about painted covers. Signet Regencies from the 80's are my fave.
I read And Tango Makes Three last year when our school librarian pulled me in and had me read it to see if I thought the book was offensive. I loved the book, and yes, I cried, when they were unsuccessful hatching their first "egg"! I am a firm believer that parents should be making decisions about what is and is not appropriate for their children to read. I took a stand on the "Alice" books last year when a concerned parent thought they were too mature for 6th graders and wanted them removed from our library. While some of the subject matter is for older students, the reading level is actually about 5th grade. I convinced her that parents should be making decisions for their own children--not everyone else's.
While I understood that she did not want her daughter reading those books, I would not want her deciding for MY daughter. We finally compromised by placing a "mature" label on these books.
What's next? Hatchet? or A Bad Beginning?
And those Pino-painted Susan Johnson mantitties, ahhhh.
If you have to have mantitty, that's the way to go. Up no further than the chin, down no further than the first open button on the trousers, and nothing but glorious torso in between.
I have great trouble with mantitty when they come with eyes looking at me. I don't want to know that there is a person. Let's just reduce it to pure objectification, please.
:-P
Reading slump again, eh? For a librarian, is that like a surgeon fainting at the sight of blood?
:-)
In the words of Helen Lovejoy from The Simpsons: "Will someone PLEASE think of the children!?"
Hehehe, I just say this when parents start going crazy. It makes me feel better...as a teacher I wonder when did it become ok for parents to stop being parents? Hmmm....
I want to comment on your thought that the bikini-clad woman's feet were too big. I don't think so. She is one tall chick! She reminds me of Charlie's Angels characters.
I'm proud to say, Kalamazoo Public Library has Tango Makes Three in four of the five branch locations.
I'd be shocked to find it in a school library, some people are so uptight. If my kids get screwed up it won't be because of the books they've read.
(To Lil' Sis: Good One!)
Ha, I'd never heard of Kalamazoo a year ago. But two of my favorite people from my grad program graduated from Kalamazoo College. I still don't know where it is on a map--except it's in Michigan--but at least I've heard of it now.
Sherry:
K-College is a very well-respected (and expensive!) private college. Anyway, Kalamazoo is in the southwest corner of the state - halfway between Detroit and Chicago. Fairly close to the Indiana border as well.
Love hard boiled crime detective stories. Like Ed McBain?
Tango Makes Three sounds like a cute penguin story. Whooo for the filter. Too funny.
And that girl on the cover is like seriously anorexic, poor thing. I suppose she's just a drawing, but still - it would be nice to have some Dove women on covers, wouldn't it?
I loved And Tango Makes Three. It's adorable. I'm lucky in that the community I work in is pretty live and let live, despite being overwhelmingly RC and Republican. We had a book challenged recently and no one could remember it ever happening before. It was one of those Alice books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, and the woman was satisfied by it being moved to YA.
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