BannedBooks22

  I first read this book in 2015 when it was published. I was working with a teacher to bring more diverse literature into middle school classrooms. I would research new books, write emails to publishers, and basically beg them to send a few copies of their books to us for free because of the teachers limited budget. I remember finding this one on a “recently released” book list and immediately going home and purchasing myself a copy.     After that first read, I remember being struck by how weird it was that I was a senior in high school, and I was reading my first book about a trans child.   The most important thing I learned this semester is how important it is that these stories are available to people and especially children. It is important for children who identify with the stories to be able to see themselves as valued and being able to read about a situation a child isn’t subject to in their life can help build empathy and understanding for their peers. Literature and stories

      Melissa is an incredible, welcoming, and charismatic character to use as an example (not an exemplar) to help any child struggling with their gender identity.       Although Gino only writes from one perspective, they capture what I believe to be very poignant reflections on identity and finding that identity through adolescence. What I appreciate MOST about Gino's writing is the way they captured Melissa's feelings about her identity through feelings. Gino puts words to the feelings of genderqueerness, which would give transkids the language to express the feelings of discomfort within their bodies. On pages 89 and 90, the conflict of gender is described through the medium of sensations. "'I'll bet he read the stupid spider's part by mistake!' Jeff smirked. 'he's such a freaking girl anyway...' but George stood, stuck in place. The hairs on her arms stood straight up, and the back of her neck tingled." Melissa experiences the rushes

 The novel, George , offered tells the story of a young 'man' who felt that he did not fit into who he was; he saw himself as a young lady. While reading this novel, I noticed that this was the first piece of literature I have EVER read that even touched on this subject. To me,  George is a story about compassion, bravery, and accepting yourself & others-- all critical and key ideas in Middle and High School literature. However, this novel is continuously banned--which makes me wonder, 'how would you feel as a child who felt they had gender dysphoria or identified as non-binary or cis-gender and your school was fighting to ban a book like George '. Or, imagine if George (the character) learned his school was trying to ban a book like this? In George, the readers can see a clear change in the character once he sees that his principal is a supporter of transgender--but imagine if your school principal/administrator was trying to ban a book like George.  Not only is t

Alex Gino's, "George," now titled, "Melissa," brings forward two key ideas we have discussed throughout the semester; we should not underestimate the compassion and intellect of children and what is more comfortable for adults is not what we need as a collective whole to enact greater conversations of the intricacies of the human experience. Many of the reasons we see all of these stories being banned and censored from the public is people claiming they are unsuitable for young readers, their content is too diverse, too explicit, too harmful, and for that we should hide them away. In some cases, yes, we should not let elementary kids read 50 Shades of Grey , that's a little extreme and even then it should not be banned. However, when it comes to stories like Melissa , there is nothing explicitly sexual nor is there even instances of violence, it is simply a matter of adults being made uncomfortable by the identities they do not personally ascribe to. This is

  Melissa’s story in Gino’s novel George was sweet, powerful, genuine, informative and emotional. Sadly, with this book being about a trans girl, I understand exactly what would make parents want to ban this book. This book is not political in the slightest, but those who want to ban it make it political. But, any child who reads this novel would not be reading it from a political lens.This story is about understanding and learning about the struggles that LGBTQIA+ members face in their everyday life. This book is emotional in that readers come to terms with the reality that members of the LGBTQIA+ community have to face hate and inner conflict that other kids do not need to worry about. With the way gender is constructed, this community is forced to answer gender based questions that do not necessarily have answers. When I read this novel, I do not think of it as being politically driven by “leftist” ideology; I think about the stories that we have to tell and that we are brave enough

 The biggest takeaway I have from this class is related to my last post, but let me make it explicit. When we talk about banning books, we leak into talking about what books and stories we choose to tell. For a long time, the Western World has prioritized on white focused heteronormative narratives that support triumphalist, predatory, and patriarchal themes. People ask me if we talk about Fahrenheit 451 , and I explain that the reason we do not is because there are other stories that still must be shared ( Fahrenheit 451 has had its time in the limelight). The U.S.A. is filled with people with diverse lives that deserve their stories to be acknowledged and seen. What I've learned is that we live in a world that wishes to homogenize and silence diverse stories, where there is beauty and truth that everyone should witness in these stories. I will continuously say that George and Bronx Masquerade is in my ideal curriculum, for everyone. These stories ability to impart empathy and

I have learned a lot from our readings and class discussions this semester. Most notably, these conversations have introduced me to the ignorance that is present and, unfortunately, thriving in our society. A recurring theme in our discussions revolves around the idea that it is clear that those fighting to ban books have not read the books that they are fighting to ban. Often these people hide behind false claims to fight for these changes. Typically, these claims are the most contentious topics in society, and are guaranteed to quickly garner the attention of the public, especially when discussed in relation to children. Using this strategy and false claims, people are able to turn society against a text, even though there is no reason for this reaction. Rather, these works are the ones that should be highlighted in society, as they accurately portray necessary, underrepresented themes that are commonplace in our diverse society and world. If people actually read these texts, this

     One thing that struck me while reading George is the way in which masculinity-- and gender as a whole-- is taught and socialized as opposed to an innate quality. Melissa is only 10 years old, and yet she has already been able to somewhat unknowingly pinpoint how gender is a social construct. Gino writes,    "[Melissa] hated the boys' bathroom. It was the worst room in the school... she hated the blue tiles on the wall to remind you where you were, as if the urinals didn't make it obvious enough. The whole room was about being a boy," (Gino 16-17).  The way in which the boys' bathroom is set up to remind people that they are boys indicates that gender is a performance that must continuously be reinforced. Blue is automatically associated with boys in our society and pink is automatically associated with girls. This reinforcing even begins before people are born, with the colors of blue and pink indicating the gender of an unborn child at gender reveal parties

     The book  George , by Alex Gino explores the struggle of gender and identity within the main character, George. One of the themes that I found prevalent in this book that I believe relates to the entirety of the course is the idea of defining things. Throughout many of the works we have read throughout this course there has been an underlying notion of society trying to define certain people. Such as Starr, for example, who was defined by both her white friends at school and by her black community as different things for different reasons. Or in  Lysistrata  where the women were defined by their sexuality and pleasure that they could provide to their husbands. Throughout society in the real world and in many of the books we have read, definitions and labels are always being imposed on people. And as we can see through the practice of banning books, society does not like when people try to expound upon or reject these labels. They have a need to be straightforward and certain and p

     George is able to make readers empathize with those experiencing dysphoria regarding their gender. The manner in which Alex Gino describes Melissa’s dysphoria encapsulates the shared experience of those dealing with this perception of themselves. When Melissa’s teacher says that she will make a fine young man, Melissa’s discomfort is described as: “The word man hit like a pile of rocks falling on George’s skull. It was a hundred times worse than boy , and she couldn’t breathe. She bit her lip fiercely and felt fresh tears pounding against her eyes. She put her head down on her desk and wished she were invisible” (Gino 16). Hearing someone call her “man” or “boy” provokes her emotions and causes her to experience anxiety. The way that Gino describes it as “a pile of rocks falling on George’s skull,” is such a descriptive way to describe the dysphoria that she feels to someone who otherwise would not understand. Gino is a non-binary author and can draw from their own experiences in

 Some of the things I was most surprised about in "Banned Books" this semester is just how uninformed those looking to ban books are on the books they are looking to ban. Book Banning gives power to people whether they deserve it or not, and no critical reading is required for the words of ignorant parents to have power in what they teach their kids. I was in no way surprised by how fearful and close minded parents can be, but I was frankly flabbergasted by their lack of trust in the education system. So many parents seems to spout off the importance of education without understanding he importance of anything their children learn. "For a career," they may say. I was told the same thing my whole life, that you go to school and try your best simply because its what you need to do. These parents have no understanding of what education truly is for, and yet they are given the power to ban the things they don't want their children to see.  In the wake of the outcry

 Here is the first passage I read from my copy of George . It is the last statement of the FAQ (AOTAWTS). (It should be understood that Alex is talking explicitly as the author.) It is the last page of my copy before the About the Author section. I recommend reading all of this section. " I'm so glad I understand transgender people now. Okay. This isn't a question, but I'm adding it here anyway. George is only one story. It is the story of a white, middle-class transgender girl growing up near New York City, written by a white, middle-class genderqueer person who grew up on Staten Island, New York. Every transgender story is different, just as we are all different. Race, money, disability, and other realities further impact these differences . I will add that you don't need to understand someone to respect them, so while I'm glad you have a greater insight into Melissa's experience, I hope you also learned from Mom, Kelly, Scott, Jeff, Rick, Ms. Udell, amd