Spontaneous Musings

What (if any) books would you ban from a high school library? Are there certain subjects that you feel are inappropriate for teenagers regardless of literary merit?



I wouldn't ban any books from a high school library. At the age of 16 - I read Rosemary Rodgers and Harold Robbins, I also thumbed through Erica Jong's Fear of Flying (the most boring thing I'd attempted). I read anything and everything I could - as did my parents when they were young, which may be why they didn't constrict my reading. My father used to read Ian Fleming novels. Reading shows you different worlds and different perspectives. When you read, you think. You choose how to respond to the text. It is an interactive enterprise. To ban a book, any book, is sending the wrong message. Also, the most violent, and graphic novel of all time is probably the Bible. Ages ago - only monks were permitted to read it, because it was considered too difficult for the common folk.

( a bit of a criticism regarding Brad Meltzer of the Buffy comics, which I'm cut tagging to protect those on my flist who love the comics and are sick and tired of rants or critques about them, I feel your pain. So this cut is for you. )

What are your favorite and least favorite words? Any reasons why?

I love the word Fuck. I know it is crazy. But it is such a good word. It is honest and blunt and crude. It can be used in more than one context and clearly gets across how one feels. Also you can tell a lot about a person by how they react to it.

Hate the word passive. It feels well weak to me. So does Sad. Don't like that word much at all. Not descriptive enough. I don't know what people mean when they say it.

The word - Dude. Ugh. Makes me cringe. I don't know why exactly. Might be that an old college friend used it ad naseum?

Adore the word wonky - which I think was made up. Has a nice sound I think. I like words that have a certain sound to them. Pristine. Soiled. Descriptive words - that can sum things up without having to use too many of them.

Hate the words cunt, faggot rhymes with maggot (both harsh sounding words), nigger rhymes with snigger - which have a demeaning dirty feel to them, like you want to jump in the shower and scrub yourself clean forever. Ho or Whore....Slut is better, I think. I like slut. You can be slutty but not be demeaned for it. I'm such a slut. Don't know, just like it better.

Prefer the sound of Aunt (ant) to Aunt (Ont)- one is down to earth, the other makes you sound hoity-toity or like you've got a fish up your throat.

Always like the word why. Sky, my, to die...lie...or lye...which oddly enough can both result in a sort of corrosion, one physical and one well emotional.

I like the French word for love better than the English - Amore....which makes me think of the English word more.

Also like the French words for Miss, Mr, and MRs -Ma'am for better - Mademoiselle, Monsieur, Madame.

Don't like the word poodle. Not found of the word prissy. Or girly. Or frilly.

Blunt. That's a good word. Can use that in lots of ways. The blunt edge of the sword. Or you don't have to be so blunt.

Bloody - now that is a wickedly cool curse word. And a great word all around. Adore it.
Bloody hell. Or damn that was a bloody movie. Or she was so bloody, I threw up just looking at her corpse.

Bugger, bug, bugged - also is nifty. Bug - You bug me. Or you are such a bug. Or an ant is a bug. Bugger it all. Bugger. He is a bugger. The word keeps changing depending on the context in which it is used. Really cool.

Feline...I like that word much better than cat. Although always did like the word cat, so much so, I used to name characters in my stories Cat or Kat. Dog...not so much. It is such a sad sounding word. So...down on the last syllable...dooog. Or doggone it. Or dogged shame. Or she is such a dog. Negative. But cat...has more grace, and bite. Catty - critical.
She's such a cat. Panther. A true feline.

Cock. Not a word I like much. But it has more heft than penis does. Dick is fun. Because it is both a person's name and well another word for penis. Since I have an Uncle Dick (actually he's changed it back to Richard now) who can be quite a *dick* at times, albeit an adorable one - dick is a cool word. Albeit is too...which I use far too often.

Boobs. Sounds crass. Juvenile. Bosom. Too hoity-toity, like a finishing school matron. Breasts...can handle. Breast. Course Boobs can be fun. Boobies.

Booty. Cool word. Can mean butt. Or well buried treasure.

Package. Another word with multiple meanings.

I like words that can mean more than one thing. Or are in one sense not descriptive at all and in another highly descriptive. She got a package in the mail the other day. He touched his crouch and adjusted his package.

Giggle. Nice word. Cackle. Better one. Snort. Even better. Short. Quick. And so descriptive. He snorted. A laugh through one's nose.

It's getting late and I have managed to not post a whiney woe is me post like I was about to, yay me. Or another cranky post. Speaking of which like the word cranky - whiney, not so much. Do like the Australian version of it "whinger" or Whinge...nicer sound.