Who Bans Books? Concerned Parents

Over the past three days, I've written about some large, powerful groups that have flexed and sometimes continue to flex their muscles to keep people from reading certain books. In the United States, though, the most common group seeking to ban books is described by the name "Concerned Parents." That's the subject of my final Banned Books Week post.

Who Bans Books? Governments

In Tuesday's post, I mentioned how the development of the printing press and the growth of the printing industry helped spread both literacy and, to the chagrin of the papacy, the ideas of the Protest Reformation. Part of the Church's response to the wider dissemination of ideas antithetical to Church doctrine was to create the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, a list of dangerous authors and works that good, pious people should stay away from and that local authorities should bar and destroy.

The Church wasn't the only institution threatened by the burgeoning printing industry. Thanks to printing presses, writers who were critical of government could easily and cheaply distribute their gripes to waiting minds around the world.

Who Bans Books? Islamic Groups

Yesterday, I wrote about the history of book censorship in the Catholic Church, but it certainly isn't the only religious group to try to keep certain texts out of its adherents' hands. Different Islamic groups and authorities have also condemned books — and even called for the murder of their authors — that were seen as antithetical to or blasphemous toward Muslim doctrine.

Who Bans Books? The Catholic Church

Banned Books Week always brings out some wild stories about books being banned for outrageous reasons. My favorite has always been the one about Fahrenheit 451 being banned because it's about the horrible and detrimental act of book burning. I have no idea whether it's true that a book was censored because it was about censorship, but it's a clear sign of the kind of idiocy and irony we have come to accept. And my joyful reaction to that story is, I admit, a type of intellectual Schadenfreude.

But whenever I hear these stories, and especially during Banned Books Week, I am always left wondering who it is that is doing the banning. What people or groups claim to have the authority to keep other people from looking at words on a page?

On Fiction and Truth

Author and fellow Hoosier Jessamyn West once said, "Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures." I believe this is true both in the reading and the writing of fiction, and I have long held the belief that the best literature, by revealing these truths, helps us to be better human beings.

The Book Lover's Vocabulary (from Oxford)

I somehow missed that August 9 was National Book Lover's Day. Perhaps I was too busy reading.

At any rate, over at the OxfordWords blog, Lili Feinberg published "10 unusual words for book lovers" to mark the occasion. These aren't ten words that mean "book lover," but ten words that book lovers ought to know.

And there are more than ten of them.

The first and last entries hold the most meaning for me:

• tsundoku: A Japanese word meaning the act of leaving a book unread after buying it, typically piling up with other unread books.
• scripturient: Someone who has a passion for writing.

Check out all ten — or however many there are. What other bibliomaniacal vocabulary could have made that list? (Graphomania comes to mind.)

World Book Day

Photo by Bryan Rosengrant via Flickr

I've been to Iowa, New York,
And California, too.
I've seen Kilimanjaro and
Spent time in Xanadu.
I've wandered 'round Magrathea
Sipped wines in gay Par-ee,
And I have seen some brave new worlds
In Waldens one through three.
I've seen some horrors, too: the dark
Of Arkham, Panem's scars.
I've even seen the Earth explode
While standing safe on Mars.
Bursa, Turkey, wasn't nice --
I watched the city burn.
And what I found in Interzone
I never will unlearn.
I've been to Transylvania, where
The spawns of Satan dwell.
Been lost and scared in Wonderland...
I've even been the Hell.
I've roamed through places few have seen,
Like Oz, Tralfamadore,
Minas Tirith, Hogwarts, Xanth,
Asgaard and Yavin IV.
I've been down deep beneath the ground
And deep in outer space,
And if we'd only find the time
We could go anyplace.
It doesn't take a passport or
To win the lottery.
You only need a novel and
The local library.

A Refreshed and Refreshing Ebook

This morning, I uploaded a brand new cover for my ebook, Seasonal Work, and dropped the price to $1.99. And that's for the whole book, not just the cover!

If you haven't bought it yet, now would be a great time. Especially for me! (See yesterday's post.)

It's available in multiple ereader formats. If you can't find a file that's compatible with your ereader of choice, then you've made a bad, bad choice for your ereader. But even then, you can download it as an RTF and read it on your computer.

It makes a great Father's Day gift (if you don't like your dad very much)!

The (Super)Power of Language: Tony Noland's "Verbosity's Vengeance"

Tony Noland was one of the first people I really connected with on Twitter. I wish now I could remember exactly how we ended up finding one another, but it certainly had something to do with our mutual love of limericks, our penchant for puns, our fascination with flash fiction, and our general, unabashed logophilia.

Since then, he has been one of my greatest supporters as a writer. He has offered me feedback and encouragement, has helped me connect with a wider audience, and has even retweeted some of my most groan-inducing puns. In short, he's been a good friend.

Inasmuch as one can be good friends with someoneone has never met. At least not in person. (Such is the wonder and joy of social media.)

Today, Tony is releasing his newest novel, Verbosity's Vengeance. I got the opportunity to read an earlier version and provide some feedback some time ago, and — knowing how good it was then and that it has only improved since — I wholeheartedly endorse it. With this novel, adult grammar geeks, word nerds, language lovers, and even the odd Grammar Nazi finally get a superhero just for them.

But here, let'a have Tony tell you about it himself:

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I love the power of language. A well-turned phrase, a word that is just right, a clear and cogent expression of an idea . . . these are the things that make my little heart go pitter-pat.

At the same time, one of my least favorite things is sloppy writing. I actually don't object to bad writing nearly so much as bad writing mechanics. Hackneyed clichés, predictable plots and bad dialogue may truly represent the writer's talent level, or meet the expectations of the writer's audience. However, when someone uses inconsistent verb tenses or pronouns with uncertain antecedents, I'm yanked out of the story. That interferes with the purpose of the writing.

The rules of grammar, spelling, and punctuation exist to support the clarity and consistency of the written word. They are foundational to effective communication; without them, you have incoherent confusion.

This doesn't mean you always have to follow those rules. Far from it! Serious art can happen when you break the rules, but it has to be done with clear understanding and deliberate intent. These rules are powerful things, not to be trifled with lightly.

The dour, dusty scold who snarls on the internet at every misplaced apostrophe and every split infinitive is missing the point. Grammar isn't about adherence to inherited wisdom solely for the sake of orthodox purity. It's about communication, connection, communion. Grammatical speech doesn't restrict you; it makes your ideas shine. There's a joy in linguistic expertise that is unknown to those who can't tell a well-constructed sentence from a poorly-constructed one.

All of which brings me to the central idea behind my new book: Words have power, but their power is magnified when they are given clear expression. Grammar and punctuation amplify the strength of ideas.

What if that power weren't metaphorical or conceptual, but actual?

Verbosity's Vengeance is about the Grammarian, a superhero whose powers are all based on grammar and punctuation. Although the concept is tongue-in-cheek and there's plenty of word nerd humor throughout the book, the Grammarian is a real superhero facing real problems as he hunts down his arch-nemesis, Professor Verbosity. The Grammarian has to find out what Verbosity's big plan is and stop him before it can threaten Lexicon City.

His job isn't made any easier by the interference from a grandstanding, second-rate superhero named the Avant Guardian, or by the distraction of an intriguing (and attractive) scientist with a strong interest in superheroes and their technology. It's Batman meets WordGirl meets Thursday Next.

The Grammarian is no blue-pencil prescriptivist, waving a copy of Strunk & White like immutable holy writ. Nor is he an out-and-out descriptivist, eschewing established patterns in order to embrace the formless NOW. He lives and breathes the power of grammar and punctuation, using them in all their flexibility to stop crime and protect the innocent.

It's a fun, exciting book. I hope you like it!

Verbosity's Vengeance: A Grammarian Adventure Novel is on sale at Amazon for $2.99. 

Tony Noland is a writer and editor in the suburbs of Philadelphia. His blog is call Landless, which is its own bit of wordplay,  and you can find him on Twitter as @TonyNoland and on Facebook at Tony Noland's Author Page. Verbosity's Vengeance isn't his first publication; check out his GoodReads author page to see what else he's been up to.

Book Review: Albert Nobbs by George Moore

My rating: two gender dilemmas out of five

At 98 pages, George Moore’s Albert Nobbs is a sliver of a novella. That’s why I picked it up in the first place. I was trolling the shelves of my local public library and looking for something I could finish in about a weekend, and this book’s thin black and orange spine jumped out at me. Mostly because it seemed to have two authors’ names but no book title.

The Book Is Here!

Big announcement day! Presenting not one but two books with my name on the cover!

The first is Duncan and the Lonely Giant. I wrote it as a Christmas present for my younger son last November, but I only just now got around to getting it printed up, right in time for summer break.

Possibly coming soon to an e-reader near you.

This book isn't widely available, though — I printed only three copies. One for my son, one for my mom, and one for me. After I get a few opinions, I might take this one to Smashwords.

The other book is the previously promised e-book collection Seasonal Work. And you can actually read this onenow! Go get your copy at Smashwords, and don't forget tell me what you think of it.

Even if you don't like it.

Jack Frost Gets In One Last Read before Spring

A Bit about Roget and Thesauruses on Thesaurus Day

Today is Thesaurus Day, marking the birth in 1779 of Peter Mark Roget, whose name has become synonymous with synonymous.

Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases Classified and Arranged so as to Facilitate the Expression of Ideas and Assist in Literary Composition¹ grew out of his incessant list-making, which he developed as a coping mechanism.² And he had a lot to cope with. Both his father and his wife died young, and an uncle committed suicide in Peter's presence.

It seems logical, then, that Peter struggled with depression. And like many depressed souls before and since, he turned to words to battle the sadness.

The word thesaurus comes from the Greek thesauros, meaning both "a treasure" and "a giant, talkative lizard with an overinflated ego."³ Those who hold to the notion that the way words were should be the way words are can use the plural thesauri; for the rest of us, thesauruses is just fine (and fun to say).

You can call a person who writes thesauruses a thesaurist, but really they're just another form of lexicographer (lexicos = "of words" + graphikos = "of writing").

A good thesaurus can be a great writing tool, but it can also be overused. Some turn to a thesaurus in an attempt to add variety to otherwise dull and repetitive writing. That word-processing programs come with built-in thesauruses makes it even easier to pursue this shortcut.

This can lead to some awful (or hilarious, depending on your point of view) results.

And that is how I choose to mark Thesaurus Day, Peter Mark Roget's birthday: By repeating the content of this blog post a second time, but with (supposedly) synonymous substitutions of words from MS Word's built-in thesaurus.

Happy Thesaurus Day!

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Presently, it is Thesaurus Day, marking the naissance in 1779 of Peter Mark Roget, whose appellation has become identical with synonymous.

Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases Classified and Arranged so as to Facilitate the Expression of Ideas and Assist in Literary Composition propagated out of his unremitting list-making, which he industrialized as a surviving contrivance. And he had an allocation to muddle through. Both his pater and his helpmeet croaked fledglingly, and an uncle committed recklessness in Peter's manifestation.

It appears commonsensical, then, that Peter thrashed with melancholia. And similar to many dejected atmospheres before and since, he turned to verses to scuffle the despondency.

The word thesaurus emanates from the Greek thesauros, denotating both "a prize" and "a colossal, garrulous lizard with an outsized self-image." Those who hold to the conception that the manner words were should be the tactic words are can utilize the plural thesauri; for the remainder of us, thesauruses is just adequate (and pleasurable to vocalize).

You can call an individual who engraves thesauruses a thesaurist, but categorically they're just an alternative form of lexicographer (lexicos = "of words" + graphikos = "of inscription").

A virtuous thesaurus can be a prodigious writing utensil, but it can also be hackneyed. Some journey to a thesaurus in an endeavor to enhance multiplicity in otherwise leaden and pedestrian lettering. That term-handling applications are originated with integrated thesauruses makes it even cooler to hunt this shortcut.

This can produce some horrific (or uproarious, contingent on your idea of vision) outcomes.

And that is how I've cherry-picked to mark Thesaurus Day, Peter Mark Roget's centenary: By resaying the content of this editorial a subsequent time, but with (evidently) equal changeovers of words from MS Word's integral phrasebook.

Joyous Thesaurus Period!

¹ Also the name of Fiona Apple's next album.
² If Wikipedia is to be believed. I went all-out for this research, eh?
³ One of those two translations of thesauros is inaccurate.

Five Ways NOT to Write about E-Books

People have strong feelings about books. Vehement, emotional discussions about the fate of print books in a publishing industry evolving toward all-digital output are a dime a dozen online. At one extreme, the die-hard paper-lovers alternately thump their chests and wail the plight of the demise of traditional books, while at the other extreme, insatiable tech junkies turn their noses up at archaic, dead-tree publications as if they were totemic relics of a savage age.

My Response to Infinite Jest

Infinite Jest is a strange novel.

I'm slightly embarrassed to say that I started reading Infinite Jest back in January of this year, and I just last night (finally) reached the final period of the final sentence. There may be spoilers in the words that follow here, but they will be more or less spoilers about the way David Foster Wallace wrote IJ and not so much about what happens in IJ. It would be hard to spoil that novel, like telling you the ending. As you'll see soon enough.

And per my usual unusual logophilic touch, I will attempt to mimic DFW's predominate IJ style while I write about IJ.

Mimic, not mock.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

I just found this amazing video, "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore," on YouTube and had to share. It's one of the most beautiful things I've seen in a while. This is for all you writers and book lovers.

There's just so much to read into this, from how books can help make one's life meaningful to the importance of writing your own story. I definitely think that this video is worthy of the Oscar for Best Animated Short.

Seven Lesser-Known Dystopian Novels

I've been a big fan of dystopian fiction since high school, when I read Nineteen Eighty-four and Brave New World back-to-back (and then searched for and found Brave New World Revisited). Discussions of dystopian fiction always start with these two novels and Fahrenheit 451 before moving to the more recent A Handmaid's Tale, The Giver, and now the Hunger Games trilogy. But there are certainly more dystopian societies out there to discover.

Here are seven lesser known dystopian novels that I have read and what I think of them. They aren't all good. I rank them on a scale of one to five boots stamping on my face forever — five being "You must read this book" and one being "meh."

Instead of summarizing the plot of each novel, I outline the characteristics of the setting that make it a dystopian novel.