Interesting angle on book challenges.

From Eric Berlin:

If we had left the reference to wine, there is an excellent chance that nobody would have complained. But because a couple of loud parents might have complained, and perhaps even generated a minor controversy, we’ve learned to take their opinions under advisement before they’ve even expressed them. I’d call that one heck of an impact. It’s a sad state of affairs that so few parents can affect the course of children’s literature so mightily.

Comments

[nrkii]

Yep, I found Eric's post pretty interesting as well. It adds another dimension to the discussion.

[Leila]

It does, it does. Obvs, people are always going to challenge books, and they certainly have the right to... but the ripple-effect into the publishing world is something, huh?

It's funny, because to hear some people tell it (I'm thinking of a specific co-worker here), publishers welcome controversy because it sells more books. But maybe children's & adult publishers have different reactions. And this was about a book that was going to be used as a Book Club book, too, right? So that must have factored in, too.

I'm not trying to make any sort of point here. Just rambling.

[nrkii]

The point about children's vs. adult publishing differing on this issue is exactly right, I think. Or at least, it's exactly what I thought, so it must be right, right?

[Tom]

I'm not sure what the problem is here, to tell you the truth. Scholastic doesn't want to carry books that make drinking seem normal because they might not sell well. I will bet authors of children's books also find it hard to get Scholastic to carry books that treat smoking as normal. Unless the person complaining has specific proof that Scholastic is boycotting books that mention drinking because of complaints they have had then he is just blowing smoke. It is much more likely that Scholastic knows what sells. After all, if it was just complaints that kept them from publishing, they would never have accepted the Harry Potter books.

[Leila]

I didn't read his comments as a complaint, or as the description of a problem, more as an observation. But that's just me.