LOST Rehash: This Place Is Death and 316

Feb19

Last week, honestly, I was too concerned and upset and hormonal about CPSIA to blog about LOST. I’m still concerned and upset, but I’m past the hormones. So, this week you get a two-fer. My thoughts on last week’s episode, This Place Is Death, and this week’s, 316.

This Place Is Death:

Dare I say, this episode is about Death. Lots of death. the French girl Nadine is killed by the smoke monster. The other three French guys get some sort of evil disease, and Rousseau kills them. Charlotte dies. John Locke goes back to not-Island time and place, and we know that he dies. Sun almost kills Ben. But maybe the Island is Death. Have you noticed that nobody has died off-island, except for Locke? Michael had to go back to the Island, or nearby, before he could die. Lots of people have died on the island, but none of the people who left have died —yet. As for Locke, why does he have to leave the island? He doesn’t really gather up all the Losties and bring them back. Instead, he dies. Does he have to leave the island in order to die?

What does it mean that the Island is Death? Are we back to purgatory? Nope, that theory was denied several seasons ago by the writers. And if the Island is a place of Death, it’s also a place where people are healed, come back to life. Rose at least thinks she’s been healed of her cancer. Locke could walk again. For some people. the island is Death, and for others it’s Life? By the way, I read somewhere that the name on the side of the van Ben is driving in this episode, Canton-Rainier, is an anagram for “reincarnation.” Not a coincidence, but I’m not sure what it means either.

316:

Numbers. The LOST numbers, the “cursed” numbers are 4 8 15 16 23 42. The original plane that crashed was Oceanic Flight 815. Now, the Oceanic Six are returning to the island on Ajira Flight 316. Why not 416, to go with the numbers? Because the numbers “316” mean something new. I googled and 316 is the title of a Van Halen song, an instrumental number that Van Halen named after the birthdate of his son. 316 also evokes the Biblical reference John 3:16.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

I don’t think the writers are preaching (yet), but that Biblical reference does tie into the whole theme of “believing.” “I wish you had believed me,” read John’s note. Jack’s still not sure he believes. Ben (of all people) comes nearest to preaching when he retells the story of the apostle Thomas who had enough faith to follow Jesus to his probable death, but not enough to believe in the resurrection. Ben’s priceless line, “We’re all convinced, sooner or later, Jack” echoes Philippians 2:8-11:

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: hat at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

On the one hand, I like all the Biblical and Christian references, but on the other hand, I like my religion “pure and undefiled.” There are also references on LOST to reincarnation, psychics and astrology, numerology, TIbetan Buddhism, and and who knows what else. I hope they’re not throwing everything in there helter-skelter, Matrix-style, and hoping that everyone will fixate on what fits with their belief system and ignore the rest. Or hoping for some sort of religious/philosophical syncretism that doesn’t really work, even in a fantasy. So, I would agree with Ben, that we’re all convinced sooner or later, but convinced of what? It matters not only that one believes, but also WHAT one believes. Or to (loosely) quote the latest episode of House that I also watched today, “Quit saying A truth! A truth! There is only one truth.

We keep being reminded that Ben is NOT a good guy and not trustworthy. Jack asks Eloise Hawking if Ben is telling the truth, and she answers, “Probably not.” Jack asks what is going to happen to all the other people on the plane, and Ben says, “Who cares?” Jack asks Ben how he can read, and Ben lies, for absolutely no reason, saying “My mother taught me me how.” (Ben’s mom died at his birth.) I think Ben went to kill Penny as his “loose end to tie up” because he promised Widmore that he would kill his daughter in retribution for the murder of Alex. Why is Ben on the plane anyway? I think he only kept the Oceanic Six alive and helped them go back because it was HIS only way of returning. I don’t think he was supposed to return; I’m not sure he was “supposed” to be the Leader of the Others. In other words, I think Ben is the fly in the ointment.

By the way, I haven’t read Ulysses, don’t plan to read it, especially not since Ben was reading it on the plane. It must be an evil book.

I can hardly wait to find out the story of how and why Sayid, Hurley, and Kate changed their minds and got on the plane. And what’s Jin doing in a Dharma suit?

Oh, I love the Narnia references, and even the Star Wars and Star Trek nods. Charlotte said the only other language she spoke was Klingon. The underground Pendulum Station was called The Lamppost. Locke returns in next week’s episode(?), hooded and looking just like good old Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Thinklings discussion of LOST 316: “I don’t know how comfortable I am with John Locke being a Christ figure, but that certainly seems to be where they are going with this. How do you feel about that? ”

Rocks in My Dryer: “We learn that Mrs. Hawking and her crew have been hanging out in a bizarre laboratory with a giant swinging pendulum that searches for The Island. I think I may have missed a few important plots elements at this point, because I was distracted by the way all the characters walked right around the pendulum perfectly gracefully, and I wondered when it was going to knock someone over. PLEASE, WHACK BEN!”

SO, what did you think of this week’s episode of LOST? What did it make you think about? Leave a comment, and I’ll link.

YA Fiction of 2008: The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante

Feb18

At first, I thought this story about two teenage girls fleeing a cult/commune just didn’t ring true-to-life. One of the girls, Agnes, was way too indoctrinated to be believable, but the other girl, Honey, was too rebellious and knowledgeable to have been encased in a religious cult all her life. So, I came to believe in Agnes. She had doubts and fears, and she was confused. But Honey? Even though the author tried to explain her worldliness and her insight into the real structure of the cult by showing that she did have some contact with the outside world, a few visits to a nearby farm and a little bit of television on the sly, I just couldn’t quite see someone as worldly wise and personally strong as Honey coming out of a cult like the one described in the book.

Then, I read the author’s note at the end of the book and discovered that Cecilia Galante grew up in a commune much like the one in the book. Authoritarian and charismatic leader, psuedo-Catholic teachings, legalistic separation from the world. So, Ms. Galante has a lot more authority to write on the subject than I do, and if she says someone like Honey could come out of a lifelong immersion in such a group, immediately intact and decisive as a person, then who am I to argue?

Aside from my internal discussions with myself over characterization, I found this debut YA novel to be fascinating. It was all about lies and secrets and telling the truth and how important it is to have a self and to tell yourself and others the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
The villains (cult leaders and parents) are rather one-dimensional, but the book isn’t about them. It’s about Honey and Agnes and growing up and making decisions that are painful but necessary. Recommended for those who like to read about such things.

Other voices chiming in:
Jen Robinson’s Book Page: “The genius of this book is Galante’s telling of the story from both Agnes and Honey’s perspectives. Each girl’s personality comes through clearly, and together they give the reader a full perspective on life in this repressive religious commune.”

The Reading Zone: “Agnes’ grandmother and Honey plot to take all three children and escape the commune. Their journey begins an exploration of faith, friendship, religion and family for the two girls, as Agnes clings to her familiar faith while Honey desperately wants a new future.”

Sarah Miller: “This may be a book with something to say something about religion, but Cecilia Galante is smart enough not to turn her story into a pulpit. The plot is quick and intense, and the writing vivid enough that after Honey tasted her fist Big Mac, I just had to do the same.”

Little WIllow interviews Cecilia Galante.

President’s Day in Poetry and Prose

Feb16

Leetla Giorgio Washeenton by Thomas Augustine Daly.

More Washington Poetry.

O Captain My Captain by Walt Whitman.

White House site with mini-biographies of all 44 U.S. Presidents.

More information on the Presidents for President’s Day.

Recommended Children’s Books about the Presidents:

The Buck Stops Here by Alice Provensen.

So You Want to be President? by Judith St. George and David Small.

Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull.

A Book of Americans by Rosemary Carr and Stephen Vincent Benet.

George Washington and the Founding of a Nation by Albert Marrin

George Washington’s World by Genevieve Foster

The Great Little Madison by Jean Fritz.

Old Hickory: Andrew Jackson and the American People by Albert Marrin.


Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman

Lincoln Shot: A President’s Life Remembered
 by Barry Denenberg

Unconditional Surrender: U. S. Grant and the Civil War by Albert Marrin.


If You Grew Up WIth Abraham Lincoln by Ann McGovern

Bully For You, Teddy Roosevelt by Jean Fritz

The Great Adventure: Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Modern America by Albert Marrin.

Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Russell Freedman.

Kennedy Assassinated! The World Mourns: A Reporter’s Story by Wilborn Hampton.

Biographies of the U.S. Presidents

Feb16

I’m participating in only a couple of reading challenges this year, and the one I’m most enjoying so far is the U.S. Presidents Reading Project. I have a goal of reading one biography of a president per month, and I’m on target, having finished a biography of Washington and having read about halfway through John Adams by David McCullough. Here’s a list of some of the biographies I plan to read for this project. If you have any suggestions for the presidents whose names have no biography listed, or if you think I should choose another book other than the one I have listed, please leave any and all suggestions in the comments.

1. George Washington, 1789-97 Washington: The Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner. Semicolon review here.

2. John Adams, 1797-1801 (Federalist) John Adams by David McCullough. I also plan to watch the mini-series based on this book.

3. Thomas Jefferson, 1801-9 (Democratic-Republican) I’ve taken a dislike to Jefferson after the Washington biography (not too much Jefferson in the John Adams book yet, but Jefferson probably won’t be a hero in that one either). So I’m not sure which Jefferson bio to choose, one that’s flattering to restore my faith in this rather contradictory and enigmatic president, or one that’s iconoclastic to reinforce my antipathy.
Beth Fish reviews Twilight at Monticello by Alan Pell Crawford.

4. James Madison, 1809-17 (Democratic-Republican) The Great Little Madison by Jean Fritz. Yes, this one is a children’s book. I plan to read children’s books for some of these presidents because sometimes they’re better than the adult tomes. And I may use the children’s biographies in future school years. And reading a children’s biography may tell me whether or not I want to read more about a particular president.

5. James Monroe, 1817-25 (Democratic-Republican) James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity by Harry Ammon.

6. John Quincy Adams, 1825-29 (Democratic-Republican) The Life and Times of Congressman John Quincy Adams by Leonard L. Richards.

7. Andrew Jackson, 1829-37 (Democrat) American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham. This one is displayed prominently in the bookstores, and it looks interesting.
Also, there’s Old Hickory: Andrew Jackson and the American People by Albert Marrin.

8. Martin Van Buren, 1837-41 (Democrat)

9. William Henry Harrison, 1841 (Whig) Mr. Jefferson’s Hammer: William Henry Harrison and the Origins of American Indian Policy by Robert M. Owens

10. John Tyler, 1841-45 (Whig) John Tyler, the Accidental President by Edward P. Crapol

11. James Knox Polk, 1845-49 (Democrat) Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America by Walter R. Borneman.

12. Zachary Taylor, 1849-50 (Whig)

13. Millard Fillmore, 1850-53 (Whig)

14. Franklin Pierce, 1853-57 (Democrat)

15. James Buchanan, 1857-61 (Democrat)

16. Abraham Lincoln, 1861-65 (Republican) Whereas with several of preceding presidents there is a dearth of good biographies to choose from, for Abraham Lincoln, it’s more like an embarrassment of riches. Which biography of LIncoln should I read? Maybe, Commander and Chief: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War by Albert Marrin. I like Mr. Marrin’s books.

17. Andrew Johnson, 1865-69 (Democrat/National Union) The Avenger Takes His Place: Andrew Johnson and the 45 Days That Changed the Nation by Howard Means.

18. Ulysses Simpson Grant, 1869-77 (Republican) Grant: A Biography by William McFeely.
Or, Unconditional Surrender: U. S. Grant and the Civil War by Albert Marrin.

19. Rutherford Birchard Hayes, 1877-81 (Republican) Fraud of the Century: Rutherford B. Hayes, Samuel Tilden, and the Stolen Election of 1876 by Roy Morris Jr. Read, 2014.

20. James Abram Garfield, 1881 (Republican) Dark Horse : The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield by Kenneth D. Ackerman

21. Chester Alan Arthur, 1881-85 (Republican) Gentleman Boss: The Life of Chester Alan Arthur by Thomas C. Reeves.

22. Grover Cleveland, 1885-89 (Democrat) To the Loss of the Presidency (Grover Cleveland a Study in Courage, Vol. 1) by Allan Nevins.

23. Benjamin Harrison, 1889-93 (Republican)

24. Grover Cleveland, 1893-97 (Democrat) Grover Cleveland: A Study in Courage by Allan Nevin. (2 volumes)

25. William McKinley, 1897-1901 (Republican) In the Days of McKinley by Margaret Leech.

26. Theodore Roosevelt, 1901-9 (Republican) Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt by David McCullough
Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Modern America by Albert Marrin.

27. William Howard Taft, 1909-13 (Republican)

28. Woodrow Wilson, 1913-21 (Democrat) Woodrow Wilson: Princeton to the Presidency by W. Barksdale Maynard.

29. Warren Gamaliel Harding, 1921-23 (Republican) Florence Harding: The First Lady, The Jazz Age, And The Death Of America’s Most Scandalous President by Carl Sferrazza Anthony (Read, January, 2105). Wow, Harding was a cad and a person of low character. I didn’t finish or review this bio because it was so depressing.
The Strange Death of President Harding by Gaston B. Means and May Dixon Thacker.

30. Calvin Coolidge, 1923-29 (Republican) A Puritan in Babylon: The Story of Calvin Coolidge by William Allen White OR The Autobiography Of Calvin Coolidge by Calvin Coolidge.

31. Herbert Clark Hoover, 1929-33 (Republican)

32. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933-45 (Democrat) Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship by Jon Meacham. I rather like Churchill, FDR not so much, so this one sounds like something I could enjoy and learn from. *I actually read and enjoyed FDR and the American Crisis by Albert Marrin in October, 2015.

33. Harry S. Truman, 1945-53 (Democrat) Truman by David McCullough. 1993 Pulitzer Prize winner.

34. Dwight David Eisenhower, 1953-61 (Republican) Ike: An American Hero by Michael Korda.
My Three Years with Eisenhower by Captain Harry Butcher.
Crusade in Europe by Dwight Eisenhower.

35. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 1961-63 (Democrat) I might just re-read Profiles in Courage in lieu of a biography of this overrated (IMHO) president.

36. Lyndon Baines Johnson, 1963-69 (Democrat) The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate, Volume 3 (2003 Pulitzer Prize for biography) by Robert Caro.

37. Richard Milhous Nixon, 1969-74 (Republican)

38. Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr , 1974-77 (Republican)

39. James Earl Carter, 1977-81 (Democrat) An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood by Jimmy Carter

40. Ronald Wilson Reagan, 1981-89 (Republican) Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader by Dinesh D’Souza

41. George Herbert Walker Bush, 1989-1993 (Republican)

42. William Jefferson Clinton, 1993-2001 (Democrat)

43. George W. Bush, 2001-2009 (Republican)

44. Barack Hussein Obama, 2009- (Democrat)

I guess for most of the presidents I haven’t decided on a biography or related book. I’m taking suggestions, folks.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

Feb15

Wow! This book was not what I expected at all. I don’t remember who recommended it, and I didn’t make note of the recommendation in my TBR list along with the title of the book. I had some vague idea that that title had something to do with Matthew 10:29-30, where Jesus said:

“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”

I was right about the source of the title, but The Sparrow ain’t your typical, everyday, run-of the mill Christian fiction title. First of all, it’s science fiction, published by Ballantine Books, mainstream publisher, not an intentionally “Christian” book. A group of adventurers, scientists and Jesuits travel to Alpha Centauri in search of the source of a SETI radio signal picked up in the year 2019 at a small astronomical station in Puerto Rico. The action takes place in two time periods: 2019 and following as the explorers set off for an unknown planet somewhere in the relatively nearby galaxy and the year 2059 when only one of the members of the team returns to earth, the sole survivor of a highly controversial mission.

The book, Christian or not, is distinctly theological in its themes, discussions, and undertones. And the book discusses sex, celibacy, and deviancy in practically all its many permutations, managing to be both provocative and thoughtful at the same time.

The ending is shocking and somewhat abrupt, even if I could almost see it coming. The discussions of God and the universe are, at the very least, good food for discussion and even argument, and nothing seems forced or preachy. In fact, at the end of the book and even after I read an interview with the author in which the interviewer asked some of the questions I had been asking myself, I still wasn’t sure what the author herself believed or what she was trying to say about the beliefs and actions of her characters. I have some ideas, but this book isn’t about certainty.

Here’s what it is about:

“And a lot of the time, even now, I think I must be a lunatic and this whole thing is crazy. But, sometimes—Anne, there are times when I can let myself believe, and when I do . . . it’s amazing. Inside me everything makes sense, everything I’ve done, everything that ever happened to me—it was all leading up to this, to where we are right now. But, Anne, it’s frightening, and I don’t know why . . . ”

She waited to see if he had more but when he fell silent, she decided to take a shot in the dark. “You know what’s the most terrifying thing about admitting you’re in love?” she asked him. “You are just naked. You put yourself in harm’s way, and you lay down all your defenses. No clothes, no weapons. Nowhere to hide. Completely vulnerable. The only thing that makes it tolerable is to believe that the other person loves you back and that you can trust him not to hurt you.”

He looked at her, astounded. “Yes. Exactly. That’s how it feels, when I let myself believe. Like I am falling in love and like I am naked before God. And it is terrifying, as you say. But it has started to feel like I am being rude and ungrateful, do you understand? To keep on doubting. That God loves me. Personally.”

But I must say that’s not the ending. That’s only the middle. What if you began to trust in God, and then you did get hurt. A lot. What if your choice is between believing in no God at all or believing that God is vicious, vindictive, and deceptive? It’s a question that people ask all the time. Maybe not in those words. But we do ask.

I highly recommend this book IF you like your theology in sci-fi form and IF you can tolerate some language and some sexual content, as they say in the movies. For mature audiences. But well worth the price of admission.

On a related note, I found the link to this Christianity Today article about science fiction and its influence on spiritual beliefs and worldview in our culture at Brandywine Books. I think the score is more even than Professor Herrick indicates in his article: a lot of contemporary and classic sci-fi embodies a faith in evolution and in Space exploration-as-saviour, but a lot of it is dsytopian and cautionary, pointing toward a Christian worldview. I would put The Sparrow in the latter category.

Oh, there’s a sequel to The Sparrow called Children of God. I’m almost afraid to read it since it could be disappointing in several ways and only good in one way that I’m not sure the author can manage to pull off. However, that said, I’ll probably give it a try since The Sparrow was so very good.

The Sunday Salon: Gleaned from the Saturday Review

Feb15

Old Books, Rare Friends: Two Literary Sleuths and Their Shared Passions by Leona Rostenberg & Madeleine Stern. Recommended at Book Psmith. Wouldn’t it be fun to be a rare book dealer/collector? Next best thing: reading about a pair of rare book dealers with a rare friendship.

In the Woods by Tana French. Recommended at Whimpulsive. I read a review of this mystery/suspense title somewhere else, and it sounded like a good read. SuziQOregon’s review tipped the book over the edge into the maelstrom that is my TBR list.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Recommended by Jennifer at 5 Minutes for Books. Jennifer gave this new title such a glowing review that I can’t resist. The Book Lady also recommends this one, calling it “addictively, compulsively readable.”

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister. Recommended by Jennifer at 5 Minutes for Books. I already added this book to my list. (Recommended by Megan at Leafing Through Life) I think I might actually buy a copy, read it, and then send it to Eldest Daughter, who loves to read and to cook.

The Only True Genius in the Family by Jennie Nash. Recommended by Natasha at Maw Books. Father-daughter-grandaughter relationships and the origins and incarnations of artistic talent and genius. I must admit that I could be jealous of my talented children if I let myself think about the comparison.

An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth MacCracken. Recommended by Natasha at Maw Books. I’m not sure if I can detach enough to get through this book or not. It’s a memoir by an author whose first child was stillborn. My fifth child died eight months into my pregnancy. I am intrigued by the subject of Ms. MacCracken’s memoir, but also some what uneasy about reading it. And if it’s as well written as Natasha says, that might make it worse.

The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean. Recommended by Mindy Withrow. Mindy’s review made this one sound like something I wouldn’t want to miss.

The Terror by Dan Simmons. Recommended by Ti at Book Chatter and Other Stuff. This one just sounds like (scary) fun, maybe not terribly deep but “cool” for this spring or summer when Houston gets unbearably hot.

Bound South by Susan Rebecca White. Recommended at S. Krishna’s Books. Southern fiction. About a mother and daughter and growing up and getting old. Gotta check it out.

Enough. I have so many books on my TBR list that I’ll have to get a life extension permit just to have time to read them all. But what a life!

2008 Cybils Winners

Feb14

Yeah! Hooray! The 2008 Cybils winners were announced today.

Easy Readers: I Love My New Toy by Mo Willems. Mr. Willems is, by the way, Z-baby’s favorite author. She loves all of his books, but she is especially fond of the Pigeon books.

Middle Grade Fantasy and Science FIction: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Unfortunately, I tried twice but didn’t make it all the way through this Newbery Award winning book. When I read somewhere that it was partially inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, I understood the format and flow of the book a little better. I still don’t think I’ll go back to it.

Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Oh, YES! This book is the one I thought should win the Newbery or the Printz or something. I’m so glad the Cybils committee picked this book. Semicolon review here.

Fiction Picture Books: How To Heal a Broken WIng by Bob Graham.

Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novels: Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale. Ummmm . . . I have this book on my TBR shelf, but I haven’t read it because I’m prejudiced against graphic novels. I never liked comic books, even when I was a kid. Do you think it’s time I got over my irrational aversion to graphics?

Young Adult Graphic Novels: Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki.

Middle Grade Fiction: The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd. Iwas on the MIddle Grade Fiction panel that picked the finalists, and I must say that I didn’t care too much for a couple of the books that our panel ended up choosing. I loved The London Eye Mystery, and I’m so pleased that it won. Semicolon review here.

Middle Grade/Young Adult Nonfiction: The Year We Disappeared: A Father/Daughter Memoir by Cylin Busby and John Busby. This one needs to go on the TBR list.

Nonfiction Picture Books: Nic Bishop Frogs by Nic Bishop.

Poetry: Honeybee by Naomi Shihab Nye. Poetry and sicence mixed together sounds good.

Young Adult Fiction: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart. I’m really excited about this one, too. Brown Bear Daughter and I both loved it. Semicolon review here.

Lead Poisoning and Books

Feb13

I took a look at this list of recalls issued by the CPSC due to excessive lead content.

Every recall I looked at involved a toy manufactured overseas, mostly in China.

Not one recall was issued for a BOOK that contained excessive lead content.

No injuries or deaths were reported associated with any of the toys recalled for excessive lead content.

What is the purpose of this law, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act? We are protecting children from a non-existent or minimal danger that parents and concerned adults are already protecting them from anyway, ergo no injuries or deaths reported. And in the process, small businesses, usable clothing, toys, and BOOKS are being destroyed.

Why?

CPSIA: Time to Make Some Calls

Feb12

Why are people not up in arms about the new Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act? Why are the talk show hosts and the blogs and the news outlets not buzzing with information about this heinous law?

I think there are several reasons:

1) Even now that the law has gone into effect, many people are like I was —in denial. Our government could not be causing the wholesale destruction of books, children’s clothing, and toys for no discernible reason, could they? Either there must be a real danger OR it must not be happening.

Well, there is no danger to children from lead in books or clothing or toys. A very few pieces of jewelry may pose a problem, and even those are few and far between. SO no real danger.
And it is happening, folks, whether anyone wanted the books to be destroyed or not, they are being trashed. Scroll down to my previous post for more details.

2) Those who are in charge of enforcement in Washington and those who are responsible for passing this law in the first place don’t shop in used bookstores and in thrift stores. The national news media people do not shop in used bookstores and thrift stores. And many of them don’t have children. anyway. They do not see why the destruction of some old clothes and old books is such a problem. And they don’t listen to poor and middle class people who do shop in thrift stores and who do buy used books.

3) Publishers and new booksellers, who should be having a fit about CPSIA, don’t really want you to buy used books anyway. The used book market cuts into the sales of new books. So what if you can’t find a copy of Tasha Tudor’s pre-1985 books anymore? Just buy something new and shiny. Forget those old books.

4) Libraries have declared themselves exempt from CPSIA. Even though the libraries are loaning out the same books that used bookstores are being told to destroy or “sequester”, the libraries think they can go on their merry way unmolested because the ALA has told them that they can. Good luck with that. What happens when it comes time for the library book sale and your library wants to sell all those old books that it pulled from the shelves?

5) The news media is so busy trying to figure out and spin the stimulus bill that anything else is a distraction. CPSIA was a bill passed under a Republican administration (Bush) and now implemented under a Democratic one (Obama). Republicans and Democrats voted for CPSIA (all of them except for Ron Paul, I think). So, nobody gains any political points by realizing that the law was a mistake or by fixing it.

All of these reasons for inaction mean an uphill battle. I am sad that more and more books, irreplaceable copies of beautiful children’s books from the decades before 1985, are going to be destroyed because of a stupid, unnecessary law that never should have seen the light of day.

Call someone today before any more books are destroyed. And if you get a placating or patronizing answer, talk back. Be sassy. It’s time for some outrage. If you love freedom and books, please call to protest this book-banning law.

They’re Burning Books!

Feb11

I have been an ostrich. I thought that someone, somewhere would see reason, fix a broken law, and everybody would live, if not happily ever after, at least happily free to do business and buy books in the United States of America.

Instead, the deadline has come and gone, and now they’re burning/trashing books. The Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act was signed into law six months ago. It was supposed to keep our kids from being poisoned by lead in toys.

“Under the law it is now illegal, as of yesterday, to sell or distribute any product–toy, book, clothes, electronic gadget, you name it–aimed primarily at children 12 and under without first having every accessible element in that product–fabric, appliques, ink, zippers, buttons, switches, doll hair, you name it–certified by a third-party lab (not, for instance, the zipper maker) as having less than 600 parts per million of lead. The law includes substantial criminal penalties and allows state attorneys general, as well as the Consumer Product Safety Commission, to enforce its provisions.”

Read more here. And here. (The Headmistress has been blogging about this law for over a month, and I, ostrich that I am, have done nothing.)

Yes, the law covers books. Yes, each book that is to be sold must be tested for lead content. Yes, this law includes used books. The Consumer Products Safety Commission has promised not to enforce testing provisions for another six months . . . while at the same time warning retailers not to sell anything, after February 10th, with unacceptable levels of lead. How exactly do you make sure your products don’t have too much lead if you don’t test? And how do you test every product if the testing costs a minimum of fifty dollars per product, and there aren’t enough labs to test everything anyway?

The answer: you don’t. Instead, it’s Fahrenheit 451, guys, and they are BURNING BOOKS, at the behest of the government. It doesn’t matter whether anyone meant for this giant, country-wide bonfire to happen or not. It doesn’t matter whether you think I’ve gone from being an ostrich to being an alarmist. It’s happening anyway.

My daughter works in a used bookstore. TODAY they pulled all the books from the children’s section that had any kind of metal or plastic or toy-like attachment, spiral bindings, balls or things attached, board books, anything that might be targeted under this law, and they very quietly trashed them all. I say “very quietly” because the bookstore had a meeting with employees and told them to be careful not to start a panic. If anyone asked what they were doing they were told to say that they were “rearranging their inventory.” No one was allowed to tell anyone about the new law, and no one was allowed to take any of the doomed-for-destruction books home or give them away.

The CPSC has, as of last week, made an exception for “ordinary children’s books printed after 1985.” Supposedly, some inks used before 1985 may have contained some lead. (However, the eight, nine, or ten year old reading a copy of Winnie the Pooh printed before 1985 would have to eat the book to get get any level of lead into their system. My four to twelve year olds don’t eat books. Do yours?) Right now, the bookstore where my daughter works is getting around the law by reclassifying their children’s books printed before 1985 as “vintage books” for adult collectors. Of course, this strategy is just that, a way of circumventing the law. That 1983 copy of Winnie the Pooh isn’t really vintage or collectible; it also isn’t dangerous to children.

It’s not just books, of course. Small businesses that make clothing and toys for children are going out of business. Thrift shops are destroying all their inventory of children’s merchandise because they fear being found with something that contains lead. And all this is happening in an economy that is having major issues in the first place. Are we crazy?

My husband asked me why this law was passed in the first place and why no one has fixed it. I think it was passed out of ignorance and fear, and now out of pride and inertia, no one wants to admit that they made a mistake.

Please call Congress, and tell them to fix this law. Many of these older children’s books are irreplaceable. The books are out of print, and no one even has the original manuscripts or printing plates. And it’s already too late for the books that were destroyed today and those that will be burned tomorrow.

By the way, the American Library Association says that the CPSIA doesn’t apply to libraries because . . . get this, no one has said yet that it applies to libraries. So, libraries don’t have to comply with the law unless . . . they do. And bookstores have to destroy or “reclassify” their books, but libraries can loan out these “possibly dangerous” books to children without fear of penalty.

Read more here. And somebody tell me that this horrible thing isn’t happening in the U.S.A.