This year’s Newbery winner, The Higher Power of Lucky, has caused quite a stir. If you aren’t familiar with the controversy, this New York Times article will help you catch up. To sum up: the book uses the word “scrotum” to describe where a rattlesnake bit a dog, and it does it on the first page, which has offended a lot of people.
As a librarian, I feel strongly that a book should be judged on its overall merit and not rejected because of a word. And, in my opinion, The Higher Power of Lucky is a very good book. I’m not an educator, I’m not trained in children’s literature (though I have read a lot, does that count?), but I think Lucky’s story is one that would be helpful and powerful for a lot of children.
Lucky, you see, has lost her mother. As her father never really wanted children, Lucky is being raised by a guardian, and Lucky is always aware that her guardian doesn’t have to stay and could leave at any time. Latching on to the terminology of AA (whose meetings she often overhears), she searches for a “Higher Power” to help her get control of her life. Lucky is supported by a memorable cast of characters including Lincoln (who ties knots), Miles (who mooches cookies), and Brigitte (her French guardian). When Lucky finds something that leads her to believe that Brigitte is planning to return to France, she takes action, dragging her backpack/survival kit and her mother’s ashes into a sandstorm to run away rather than being forced to go to an orphanage.
While the AA metaphor and concept of what a Higher Power is will probably evade children as much as it evades Lucky, I think many children these days can relate to her feelings of abandonment and hitting “rock bottom.” They will also enjoy the quirky town and its characters as Lucky learns to accept her mother’s death and trust the people around her. Lucky herself is a very realistic character, and children will, I think, be drawn to her as much as I was.
As far as using the word “scrotum,” I think part of growing up is learning that there are appropriate times and places to use words like that, and I appreciate that the book handles Lucky’s questions in a mature way. I think it’s important that we talk to children in appropriate ways about sex, and I think it’s important that we teach them what the correct words are (because, let’s face it, many of them already know the slang). Before I left for vacation, we had a discussion at work about some local middle schoolers who are pregnant. I am not saying that a book is going to dramatically keep kids from getting pregnant, but I do believe that talking to kids in responsible ways about sex should be something our culture values. Using correct words in a mature way is part of that. I understand that time and the threat of parents’ complaints and the general culture of education in this country might make teachers and librarians hesitant about defining the word in a classroom setting, but . . . I think they are ultimately worrying about the wrong things. And, in doing so, are keeping kids from reading a wonderful book.
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5 Comments
I like it when people get up in arms about stupid things. It makes me feel better about myself when I feel like I’ve done something stupid.
Parents get alllll riled up if you don’t use euphemisms for their children’s “privates”. Even if you’re a doctor. :rollingofeyes:
How about writing childrens’ books about childrens’ issues. This book is written for a 9-10 year old audience and it’s about abandonment and alcoholism. I’m sure there are those 9 year olds out there who need help working through their issues of being left by their parents, unloved, unneeded, etc. Mine is not one of them and for those reasons I find this book entirely inappropriate. The word scrotum is irrelevant.
Betty, you must live in a really, really lovely sort of world to believe that childrens’ issues don’t involve abandonment and alcoholism at the age of 9 years old. Just because your 9 year old is lucky enough to not be dealing with such things doesn’t mean that this book wouldn’t really help another 9 year old who is — fine if you don’t feel it’s appropriate for YOUR child, but don’t generalize your feelings to the population of 9 year old children at large. I know a whole lot of 9 year olds who would probably really resonate with this story.
I never said it was appropriate for all children, but I do feel strongly that it shouldn’t be excluded from libraries. I don’t know of any books that are for everybody. The inside of the copy I read said 9-11, not 9-10, by the way.
I also think that children who don’t face those issues can learn from the book. I never had a childhood friend die, but it was still perfectly appropriate for me to read Bridge to Terabithia when I was 9 or 10. Reading other people’s stories makes us more compassionate and helps humanize the world around us. Lucky’s story isn’t factually true, since it’s a novel, but it’s true in that there are children who are abandoned and who do face alcoholism. As a child, I learned about different kinds of people in different places, all through reading, and I think that is a great gift we can give our children.