in response to my CGT post, author gigi amateau has sent more thoughts she'd like to share about censorship and the media. she rightly questioned my statement about borders pulling the book... my research was limited to only a few stores in nyc/nj and some online reading about "racy" teen novels and some negative comments on amazon. perhaps they chose not to carry the book but have it available online which is what my research indicated. my apologies if i was not completely accurate... see the book's awards here. i've posted gigi's comments in full to keep the dialogue going strong... it just kills me that all reporting on this beautiful story targets and blames the victim... who is a child abused by her father."I really don’t know if Borders or any other bookstore has pulled Claiming Georgia Tate because of media’s misrepresentation of the story or for any other reason. I do believe the negativity that spun around my book caused booksellers and readers to be more cautious about it. Understanding any bookseller’s decision to carry or return any title is difficult and probably ultimately comes down to whether they think that title will sell or not. On the flip side, Books A Million (BAM), a chain that is very strong in the south, has been so loyal to this book because they immediately understood the positive and spiritual aspects of the story. Even when the book was getting hit kind of hard BAM hung in there with it and I am so thankful for that because I know it’s tough for big chains to take risks on titles like this one from new authors. That said the independent booksellers have really helped my book by hand selling it and giving it a home. In fact, in 2006 it was nominated for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Children’s Fiction Award.
During the height of all of this nonsense, I had a speaking engagement scheduled with a group of adult women. A day or two before I was scheduled to speak a representative from the group called me and requested that I not bring a bookseller with me as planned, not mention the rape that occurred in the book, and not read any section from the book that might contain strong language. I declined the new terms and cancelled the event but, the bookstore had ordered quite a few extra copies based on the expected turnout. I bought the books myself because the bookstore and I were in partnership together and it was important to me that the store not suffer financially because my book and I were censored.
For me it’s not about Borders or Barnes and Noble or BAM or anybody else, but geez what are we all so afraid of that we make it this hard to find one little ole book? And what are the other books out there that can’t even get into print or possibly get written because the environment today is so very tightly controlled? The Subversive Garden is such a critical voice in this conversation. Thank you for doing what you do."
During the height of all of this nonsense, I had a speaking engagement scheduled with a group of adult women. A day or two before I was scheduled to speak a representative from the group called me and requested that I not bring a bookseller with me as planned, not mention the rape that occurred in the book, and not read any section from the book that might contain strong language. I declined the new terms and cancelled the event but, the bookstore had ordered quite a few extra copies based on the expected turnout. I bought the books myself because the bookstore and I were in partnership together and it was important to me that the store not suffer financially because my book and I were censored.
For me it’s not about Borders or Barnes and Noble or BAM or anybody else, but geez what are we all so afraid of that we make it this hard to find one little ole book? And what are the other books out there that can’t even get into print or possibly get written because the environment today is so very tightly controlled? The Subversive Garden is such a critical voice in this conversation. Thank you for doing what you do."
3 comments:
I am beginning the book as we speak. I work with populations that suffer this kind of abuse. There is virtually nothing to spark the conversation for these teens to somehow dig within themselves and voice what has been suppressed in them because society will not tolerate, not only that this type of violence occurs (90% of sexual abuse occurs in families), but that the telling of the violence is traumatic for all who hear it. But, this is a necessary piece in the healing process.
I applaud the author for writing such a book that deals with issues that are so much more prevalent than any of us want to admit. And the censorship of these voices occurs at facet of society. This is just another example.
censorship is just part of what is America. We can't accept it, we must fight against it. And it occurs whether the book is banned or whether the book is just "not sold here."
With big box stores now controlling the reading industry we can only expect more and more of this. Sadly.
I finished claiming Georgia Tate yesterday. It is such a sweet little book...reminds me a lot of the Education of Little Tree. The abuses in that book are more societal, as in interning Native American children into christian schools to help them "assimilate" into this idea of America. The great american melting pot as long as you play by the rules.
But, Georgia is courageous and beautiful. Her early life saved her no doubt, which unfortunately many children do not get that first 12 years of love.
How anyone can construe this book as sexual is beyond me. It is story of hope and friendship (Tamika and Marie Bernard and JJ) and overcoming obstacles that some, many have to overcome in order to survive.
I would not worry though. Society is slow to understand true writing when it first occurs. My partner and I are reading Carson McCullers right now and cannot understand why she is not regarded with the best southern writers including Faulkner.
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