Lois-Ann Yamanaka has such a real story, a real past, it's not like she appeared out of no where and half heartedly wrote about a vampire that sparkles in the sun, she puts her own voice into her writing which brings herself into her stories. Her writing is raw which of course causes controversy because the truth is we live in a highly controversial world. In the commentary article Locals Must Listen to Locals the authors point out that "In its portrayal of the darker underside of local communities, the novel gives voice to the poveny, immorality, and sexual abuse that go unspoken in our communities, and this is very important". Her book peers into the scary side that is in fact all around us all the time, most of us have just been privileges to be behind our parent's veil which in Blu's Hanging the children did not have due to a dead mother and an absent father.
I strongly disagree with the schools that asked Yamanaka to change her writing or censor her speech because that is what brings to life her characters. The books may not be appropriate for kids of younger ages, in which case elementary schools should not invite her to come read her work. But as kids get older, the profanity and name calling that Yamanaka uses to authenticate her characters is what makes them seem more real. Most kids will not go more than a decade without knowing the full spectrum of dirty/bad words from friends, classmates, or parents, so why should Yamanaka be asked to present her writing as if it were not there?
Totally true about the reference to Twilight, first off. I agree with you in the way that the book has a real gritty quality and the fact that it speaks with such verity and assertion through its realistic characters may seem to scare people into dislike. I think that you have a valid point about reading the book to a bunch of kindergarteners, and that higher grades should be able to stomach the grit.
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