Wouldn't it be ironic if a book tweaking the book-banning crowd were targeted by book banners? Hmmm. We have a new one-star review of "Murdermobile" on Amazon that raises that specter. Here's a response we've posted that we think deserves as much attention as that one-star review. -- Brian and Barbara Cantwell
We believe in letting fair criticism stand on its own, so we don’t usually respond to negative reviews. However, this review offers some pointed accusations that demand a response.
First we should say that we stand firmly with the American Library Association in its longstanding and eloquently stated opposition to book banning (see http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned), and our “Murdermobile” heroine, librarian Hester McGarrigle, shares that widely held view.
We take exception to this reader’s leap of thought that says opposition to book banning equals bias against Christians, or any church or faith. The reader implies that Christians want to ban books; we do not make that implication. Nowhere in “Murdermobile” will you find a statement linking the book-banning group to Christianity or to any church. The group could just as well be atheists, or Hindus, or simply a social club that opposes open library shelves. One blanket statement we will make: Book banners are people who want to tell others what they or their children should or should not read. That’s something against which we profess a bias without regret. We stand firmly on the side of freedom of speech and freedom of thought; that's a very American tradition.
Perhaps we portray the book banners as a little clownlike, with our tongue planted firmly in cheek. Call it artistic license -- it is a work of fiction -- but it is based in part on research in which we attended a public school-district hearing where a book-banning proposal was being aired. A careful reader might also note that “Murdermobile” has its share of fun at the expense of “tell-it-like-it-is” books for teens with ludicrous titles such as “Boy Krazy” and “Cheerleader Mom.” Nobody gets off scot-free here.
Finally: This reader makes some assumptions about us having "a big problem" with "normal" (her loaded word) families. In fact, we’re an old married couple who just celebrated our 40th year together and enjoyed watching our daughter graduate from college in June. We believe healthy and happy families -- and we draw a wide circle there -- are the foundation of civilization. The reader assumes we never step foot in a church. We won’t dignify that with a response other than to say that our personal spiritual life is OUR personal spiritual life, and nobody’s business but our own.
We believe in letting fair criticism stand on its own, so we don’t usually respond to negative reviews. However, this review offers some pointed accusations that demand a response.
First we should say that we stand firmly with the American Library Association in its longstanding and eloquently stated opposition to book banning (see http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned), and our “Murdermobile” heroine, librarian Hester McGarrigle, shares that widely held view.
We take exception to this reader’s leap of thought that says opposition to book banning equals bias against Christians, or any church or faith. The reader implies that Christians want to ban books; we do not make that implication. Nowhere in “Murdermobile” will you find a statement linking the book-banning group to Christianity or to any church. The group could just as well be atheists, or Hindus, or simply a social club that opposes open library shelves. One blanket statement we will make: Book banners are people who want to tell others what they or their children should or should not read. That’s something against which we profess a bias without regret. We stand firmly on the side of freedom of speech and freedom of thought; that's a very American tradition.
Perhaps we portray the book banners as a little clownlike, with our tongue planted firmly in cheek. Call it artistic license -- it is a work of fiction -- but it is based in part on research in which we attended a public school-district hearing where a book-banning proposal was being aired. A careful reader might also note that “Murdermobile” has its share of fun at the expense of “tell-it-like-it-is” books for teens with ludicrous titles such as “Boy Krazy” and “Cheerleader Mom.” Nobody gets off scot-free here.
Finally: This reader makes some assumptions about us having "a big problem" with "normal" (her loaded word) families. In fact, we’re an old married couple who just celebrated our 40th year together and enjoyed watching our daughter graduate from college in June. We believe healthy and happy families -- and we draw a wide circle there -- are the foundation of civilization. The reader assumes we never step foot in a church. We won’t dignify that with a response other than to say that our personal spiritual life is OUR personal spiritual life, and nobody’s business but our own.