"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite": Musings on one of my favorite books (other than Fahrenheit 451!)

I first read Stephen Chobosky's The Perks Of Being a Wallflower at a very central time in my life--high school. I can't even remember how I found it--perhaps it was the bright neon yellow/green cover, which said so much and yet so little.

I do remember devouring the book. It was set up as an epistolary (something I found out later as a Lit major in college), which basically meant a novel based on written letters. In this case, this letters were to a "friend." The book centers around a young boy named Charlie who enters high school in the early 90s. There is a certain anonymity as you read the book, because you are never told anything concrete about the characters--where they live, for example. Charlie's letters are filled with so much--humor, anger, uncertainty with life. He also writes about narrating the vortex of suck known as high school, and the world within trying to find yourself.


I feel like I am doing a disservice to simply summarize the book. Like I said, the plot sounds so simple, but the feelings that resonated within me as I read it are still with me to this day. Perhaps it is because I could relate to Charlie in many ways, going to midnight showings of Rocky Horror and trying to make that perfect mixed tape for someone. As I read the book, I wanted to read the books Charlie read and listen to the music he listen too.


But really, for me, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Chbosky hit on that inner isolation and fear that we all have as high schoolers, as inbetweeners, we were certainly not children, but we were not adults either, and as Angela Chase so famously said once on My So Called Life: "High School is a battlefield for your heart"


One of my favourite passages from the book directly relates to the quote I posted: "And in that moment I swear we were infinite." In this passage from the book Charlie and his friends Sam and Patrick are riding around listening to music and find that one song that just makes it all come together. We've all had that feeling, haven't we? For me and The Perks, my moment of "infiniteness" came my freshman year of college when I finally heard the Smith's song "Asleep," which has a special significance in the novel. I had been searching for the song for years, and to finally hear it brought tears to my eyes...it still does.


Every once and while, I re-read The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And I can safely say that as book comfort food, I still read and understand something new every time, or gain a different perspective being much older than I was the first time I read it.

"It Was a Pleasure to Burn": On Reading Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 first made an impact on me many years ago. I first read it as what I thought was "simple" summer reading before my senior year of high school. Little did I know that this text would alter the way I perceive the world the rest of my life. I remember the feeling I had as I read it for the first time. Fahrenheit 451 filled me with so many ideas, I remember not even knowing what to do with all the thoughts I had. I later had the opportunity to study Fahrenheit 451 at my undergraduate institution with a prominent Science Fiction scholar--and it made my reading almost ethereal. But even after all these years of reading and studying Fahrenheit 451 nothing brings chills to my bones like the prose Bradbury wrote in the very first pages of his novel:

It was a pleasure to burn.

It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history. With his symbolic helmet numbered 451 on his stolid head, and his eyes all orange flame with the thought of what came next, he flicked the igniter and the house jumped up in a gorging fire that burned the evening sky red and yellow and black. He strode in a swarm of fireflies. He wanted above all, like the old joke, to shove a marshmallow on a stick in the furnace, while flapping pigeon-winged books died on the porch and lawn of the house. While the books went up in sparking whirls and blew away on a wind turned dark with burning.

Montag grinned the fierce grin of all men singed and driven back by the flame.
He knew that when he returned to the firehouse, he might wink at himself, a minstrel man, burnt-corked, in the mirror. Later, going to sleep, he would feel the fiery smile still gripped by his face muscles, in the dark. It never went away, that smile, it never ever went away, as long as he remembered (Bradbury 3).


I appreciate how Bradbury plays with images that we perceive to be so simplistic in their nature--images like fires, firemen and the equipment they use and works with and manipulates those images using such powerful description thus creating a whole new level of interpretation for his readers. In a novel about banning books, Bradbury shows us within the first page just how powerful words can be...and for that I am eternally grateful.

Update: Writing Assignment #4 Due Monday

Hi Class,

In case you missed it or forgot to write it down, here is a reminder that Writing Assignment #4, previously due Wed, will now be due Monday. For the duration of the rest of the class, WA will be due Monday, while Blogs will be due Wed...

Banned Books Project

Hi Everyone,

Here is the list of most frequently challenged books from 2001-2008. Just to give you a sense of what your getting into, according to the American Library Association:

Over the past eight years, American libraries were faced with 3,736 challenges.
1,225 challenges due to “sexually explicit” material;
1,008 challenges due to “offensive language”;
720 challenges due to material deemed “unsuited to age group”;
458 challenges due to “violence”
269 challenges due to “homosexuality”; and
Further, 103 materials were challenged because they were “anti-family,” and an additional 233 were challenged because of their “religious viewpoints.”
1,176 of these challenges (approximately 31%) were in classrooms; 37% were in school libraries; 24% (or 909) took place in public libraries. There were less than 75 challenges to college classes; and only 36 to academic libraries. There are isolated cases of challenges to materials made available in or by prisons, special libraries, community groups, and student groups. The majority of challenges were initiated by parents (almost exactly 51%), while patrons and administrators followed behind (10% and 8% respectively). ("Frequently Challenged Books of the 21st Century")

Remember, I am looking for three things: 1) Background information about author (this could also include some social/historical perspective on the time the author lived. 2) A synopsis, or summary of the book and 3) (perhaps the most important part) Why was the book challenged or banned? What about the book was so controversial? If possible, be as specific as you can. Try to look for specific instances of the book being banned, whether in Lancaster/York county, Pennsylvania, or other states in the US.

While not required, think about some visuals to help bring home the point you are making about your book. Youtube and other websites are excellent to help with vidoes and pictures. Remember also that this is a collaborative project, make sure you are communicating with your group about what you want to achieve. These presentations will be similar to a learning colloquim, so make sure it will be things that will interest your peers.

Make sure to leave a comment in the comment section with who is in your group and what book you chose. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2001
Out of 448 challenges reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom

Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling Reasons: anti-family, occult/Satanism, religious viewpoint, and violence
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck Reasons: offensive language, racism, unsuited to age group, and violence
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and violence
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou Reasons: offensive language and sexually explicit
Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene Reasons: offensive language, racism, sexually explicit
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger Reasons: offensive language and unsuited to age group
Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Reasons: sexually explicit and unsuited to age group
Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous Reasons: drugs, offensive language, and sexually explicit
Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers Reason: offensive language
Blood and Chocolate, by Annette Curtis KlauseReasons: sexually explicit and unsuited to age group

Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2002
Out of 515 challenges reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom

Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling Reasons: occult/Satanism and violence
Alice Series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Reasons: homosexuality, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence
Taming the Star Runner, by S.E. Hinton Reason: offensive language
Captain Underpants, by Dav Pilkey Reasons: offensive language and unsuited to age group
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain Reason: offensive language
Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson Reasons: occult/Satanism, offensive language, and violence
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor Reason: offensive language
Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead GeorgeReasons: unsuited to age group and violence

Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2003
Out of 458 challenges reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom

Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds NaylorReasons: sexual content, using offensive language, and being unsuited to age group
Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling Reasons: occult/satanism
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck Reason: offensive language
Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture, by Michael BellesilesReason: inaccuracy
Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers Reason: racism, sexual content, offensive language, drugs, and violence
Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous Reason: drugs
It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris Reason: homosexuality, nudity, sexual content, and sex education
We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier Reason: offensive language and sexual content
King & King, by Linda de Haan Reason: homosexuality
Bridge to Terebithia, by Katherine PatersonReason: occult/satanism and offensive language

Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2004
Out of 547 challenges reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom

The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier Reasons: offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and violence.
Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Meyers Reasons: offensive language, racism, and violence
Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture, by Michael A. Bellesiles Reasons: inaccurate and political viewpoint
Captain Underpants (series), by Dav PilkeyReasons: offensive language and sexually explicit
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen ChboskyReasons: homosexuality, offensive language, and sexually explicit
What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya SonesReasons: offensive language, unsuited to age group, and sexually explicit
In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak Reasons: nudity, offensive language, and sexually explicit
King & King, by Linda deHaan Reason: homosexuality
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou Reasons: homosexuality, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
Of Mice and Men, by John SteinbeckReasons: offensive language, racism, and violence

Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2005
Out of 405 challenges reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom

It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health, by Robie H. HarrisReasons: homosexuality, nudity, sex education, religious viewpoint, abortion, and being unsuited to age group
Forever, by Judy Blume Reasons: sexual content and offensive language
The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger Reasons: sexual content, offensive language and being unsuited to age group
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier Reasons: sexual content and offensive language
Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher Reasons: racism and offensive language
Detour for Emmy, by Marilyn Reynolds Reason: sexual content
What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones Reasons: sexual content and being unsuited to age group
Captain Underpants (Series), by Dav Pilkey Reasons: anti-family content, being unsuited to age group and violence
Crazy Lady!, by Jane Leslie Conly Reason: offensive language
It’s So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families, by Robie H. HarrisReasons: sex education and sexual content

Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2006
Out of 546 challenges reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom

And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell Reasons: anti-family, homosexuality, and unsuited to age group
Gossip Girls (series), by Cecily Von Ziegesar Reasons: homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, and unsuited to age group
Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Reasons: offensive language and sexually explicit
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, by Carolyn MacklerReasons: anti-family, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicity, and unsuited to age group
Scary Stories (series), by Alvin SchwartzReasons: insensitivity, occult/Satanism, unsuited to age group, and violence
Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher Reasons: homosexuality and offensive language
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky Reasons: homosexuality, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
Beloved, by Toni Morrison Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
The Chocolate War, by Robert CormierReasons: offensive language, sexually explicity, and violence

Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2007
Out of 420 challenges reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom

And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter ParnellReasons: anti-ethnic, anti-family, homosexuality, religious viewpoint, sexism, and unsuited to Age Group
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier Reasons: offensive Language, sexually explicity, violence
Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit
The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman Reason: religious viewpoint
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain Reason: racism
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker Reasons: homosexuality, offensive language, sexually explicit
TTYL, by Lauren Myracle Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou Reason: sexually explicit
It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris Reasons: sex education and sexually explicit
The Perks of Being A Wallflower, by Stephen ChboskyReasons: homosexuality, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group

Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2008
Out of 513 challenges as reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom

And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter ParnellReasons: anti-ethnic, anti-family, homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and unsuited to age group
His Dark Materials trilogy, by Philip PullmanReasons: political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, and violence
TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series), by Lauren MyracleReasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
Scary Stories (series), by Alvin SchwartzReasons: occult/satanism, religious viewpoint, and violence
Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo AnayaReasons: occult/satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, and violence
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen ChboskyReasons: drugs, homosexuality, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, suicide, and unsuited to age group
Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von ZiegesarReasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
Uncle Bobby's Wedding, by Sarah S. BrannenReasons: homosexuality and unsuited to age group
The Kite Runner, by Khaled HosseiniReasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
Flashcards of My Life, by Charise Mericle HarperReasons: sexually explicit and unsuited to age group

Welcome!

Dear 101 class,

My blog will be our "homebase" in the blogosphere. Be sure to check back on a regular basis!