Words matter.
I have always believed this. Maybe the belief stems from my religious socialization. ("The power of life and death lies within the tongue.") Maybe it is my deep love of music, lyrics, and poetry. Maybe it is because my biggest dream is to write a book that impacts others in powerful, beautiful, remarkable ways. Maybe it is because I have been impacted by the words of others in powerful, beautiful, remarkable ways.
On more than one occasion, reading literally saved my life.
When a book moves me, both the woman and little girl within me, it is a visceral thing. It is the words. It is the human experience, humanity, or lack thereof. It is seeing myself - beauty and flaws - within characters. It is seeing everyone else - beauty and flaws - within characters.
I am reading Beartown. At my desk, listening to the audiobook as I work, unable to stop tears from falling; rage from rising; and feelings of sadness, heartbreak, compassion, and fear for these fictional characters, children, and families and this fictional town, I thought, "Shit, maybe kids shouldn't read this. I am 30 fucking years old."
But I listened on...
When I was a freshman or sophomore in high school, my English teacher, Mr. Curtis, told me "Pathos, LeKechia. Make them feel something" as we discussed the writing portion of the standardized test. That was the high I looked for in every read. "Make me feel something." As I matured as a woman and reader, I wanted to do more than feel "something." Now the goal is to understand deeper.
Perhaps, this too is my religious socialization. "In all thy getting, get an understanding..."
I am at chapter 37 of this 50 chapter book. There are only 4 hours and 4 minutes left in this 13 plus hour listen. I am on my lunch break writing this. I have to finish Beartown, and I will today.
This book should not be banned from any school. Young people do not need to be protected from its pages. No! We need to read. We need to discuss. We need to understand, and most importantly we need to CHANGE our attitudes, values, and culture.
Afterall, “culture is as much about what we encourage as what we permit.”
