Never Too Busy to Type 'Scrotum' on My Blog...
Right now I'm buried in huge pile of deadlines from which I'm pretty convinced I may never climb out. (I didn't even manage to email or call my only sister on her birthday yesterday.) But I had to take time out from my (rather wonderful) pile of articles, to talk scrotum. Yes, I said it: scrotum. Scrotum, scrotum, scrotum. The very word that has teachers, librarians, and reviewers in a buzz due to its appearance in Susan Patron's recent Newbery Medal winner The Higher Power of Lucky.
My goodness. Now some are saying they can't recommend the book due to the inclusion of the word scrotum. (I may never have occasion to type this word again, so I'm packing them in.) Is scrotum the new F-word? Are anatomical terms such as scrotum automatically offensive?
I guess we'll all make up our own minds on this one. But some of us wield a great deal more power when it comes to getting certain books in front--or away from--young readers. I guess we shall see what becomes of all this scrotum business. In the meantime, read Patron's book and decide for yourself.
(And I am venturing a guess that this blog post of mine will be my husband's favorite one ever.)
Friday, February 16, 2007
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3 comments:
I'm sorry to hear that some people can't deal with hearing anatomical terms to the point that they would not recommend an award-winning book. This is riduculous! Think of all the other terms Patron could have used in its place. Scrotum sounds pretty tame to me, although admittedly, I haven't read the book yet. But still--not recommending a book because of the word "scrotum"?
Hilarious post. I began reading this book late last night and had to reread the first page a few times just to make sure what I was seeing. Didn't bother me at all--but did surprise me.
Dear Alice,
Perhaps we will need a Broadway version of the Scrotum Monologues to raise consciousness and reduce collective anxieties. Any authors out there want to take this project on?
At the very least, we should all make a committment to use the word scrotum at least once daily in a sentence.
Thanks for your post, Alice-- refreshing!
Scrotumly,
Mary Hershey
http://maryhershey.livejournal.com
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