Censoring Literature

This seems to be a big topic currently. The question is whether or not books should be censored because of the language the author chose to use. Let's take a closer look:

I have been reading the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain for a few weeks now and my teacher brought up the fact that it does incorporate certain words that many people find offensive. Does this mean we shouldn't be reading it? The "N-word" is a very racial term in our modern society, but in the time period that Twain wrote the novel, it was used in every day life.

It has been proposed that the word be replaced with "slave" and that the novel be reprinted with the replacement. Now, I'm sure if Twain was alive today, he would argue that this goes against his freedom of speech, but does it make the novel less than what it was meant to be if it is censored?

I believe it does. I'm not an advocate of the word and I am in no way a racist, but I firmly believe in a writer's freedom of speech. I also think the word is very important in the context of the novel. It reflects the time period of the story, as well as the society that Twain was writing about. If we censor the "N-word" and replace it with "slave", what's to stop us from censoring the word "ass" and replacing it with "donkey"? Not only does that go against a writer's freedom of speech, it also doesn't have the same meaning as the original word. "Slave" does not translate to the "N-word".

It's only my personal opinion, but if we censor literature, not only are we defying our natural human rights, we're messing with the true meanings of the novels. What are your thoughts?

(Original Post on September 29, 2011 at: http://dft.ba/-BSMeyers96 )

9-11-2001

We Will Always Remember.

Book Review: Last Night

Richard Allen is another of my favorite tweeters and I've just read his short story "Last Night". Here's what I thought of it.

The story begins with an unnamed narrator, a writer, working in his uncle's restaurant. Working along side him is Roger. Roger is an unlikely football jock who has always been nice to the narrator for whatever reason. The narrator tells us about Roger's tragic story of getting injured and being unable to play football again.

The story continues with a conversation between the two about what you would do if you couldn't do what you love anymore and it ends with chills running down your spine!

Richard's writing style is very appealing to me. It's very detailed, yet simple, and has little focus on dialogue in the beginning, which usually turns me off, but the dialogue in the end and the narrator's thoughts make up for that. The story is so realistic that you almost wonder if it's a part a Richard's life.

I recommend that you all go pick up a FREE copy of "Last Night" on Smashwords! (Yes, it's free!) After that you can check out Richard Allen's Blog, his Facebook Fan Page and his Twitter!

(Original Post on September 10, 2011 at: http://dft.ba/-BSMeyers93 )

Book Review: Red Rain

Aubrey Hansen is one of my favorite tweeters and she's just released her first novella! I had the honor of reading a pre-release copy and here's what I've got to say about it:

The short response: I love it!

The long response: From the very first line I was hooked. The story takes place in a futuristic dystopian society on Earth where Christians are looked down upon and kept in disturbing Christian-Camps. The father of our protagonist, Philadelphia, is summoned to Mars to work on a scientific project, but Philadelphia had no idea she was going with him. After hunting for her dead brother's possessions she stumbles into a hallway that doesn't exist and learns of a secret operation that leads to her ultimate decision: return to Earth or destroy it.


Throughout the story there is a "Big-Brother" feeling lurking, much like George Orwell's 1984 and that definitely plants some anxiety in your brain. There are many memorable lines a descriptions, but I'll let you read them for yourself. Aubrey's writing style is very good at pulling you in and keeping you hooked, and it is never lacking emotion. Aubrey has built a wonderful futuristic society and an even better story to go with it. Philadelphia is faced with discrimination because of her faith and I believe anyone can feel sympathy for her plight, even if you, yourself are not a Christian. I would recommend this novella to anyone looking for a good read!

Please visit the book page for Red Rain here: Book Page where you can watch a trailer for the novella, download illustrated bookmarks and order your own copy! Don't forget to check out Aubrey Hansen's blog while you're there. She's also got a Facebook Fan Page and she's on Twitter!

(Original Post on September 8, 2011 at: http://dft.ba/-BSMeyers94 )

Female Heroes

After reading an article speculating how Star Wars would have panned out with Luke and Leia switching positions (Here) and conversing with author SM Reine about it, we came to the conclusion that there really aren't that many females in literature or movies that follow the cycle of a hero.

You've got Harry Potter, Frodo and Luke Skywalker saving the world/galaxy and all, but then you've got Hermione, Arwen and Leia in the background. They're helping out, but they aren't single handedly saving everything.

Think of all the movies you've seen come out this year...Did any of them have female leads that were women? Green Lantern...Transformers...Captain America... Granted, those are all based on comic books, but where is Wonder Woman's movie? What about Ms. Marvel? The only movies I can think of (from any year) with female leads are Tomb Raider and Resident Evil, but those aren't legendary like the big three up there.

What are your thoughts?

(Original Post on September 1, 2011 at: http://dft.ba/-BSMeyers92 )