Sympathy for the Devil-oops-Antagonist

3-D antagonists, plus library censorship news

From my short hike last weekend in the San Gabriel Mountain foothills

Prickly blooming (plants and characters)

A variety of cacti are beginning to bloom in Southern California, but this week I was fascinated by clusters of thistle in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. I promised myself not to take pictures along the trail because I already have about a thousand photos of the area. But each time, being there fills the awe-shaped hole in my heart and I want to remember it all until the next time.

I love the intriguing patterns, pretty bloom, and spiky leaves on this thistle. From the name of this Substack, Be a Cactus, it’s clear I like things prickly enough to protect themselves. (Yeah, that also describes me, at least in part.)

A friend who knows more than I do (science teacher, volunteer docent in a botanical garden) told me that there are varieties of thistle native to Southern California, so I tried to find this one online when I got back home. It doesn’t look like any of the natives. It’s probably invasive. From the descriptions I read, it sounds like it’s milk thistle (St. Mary’s thistle). ¹

I want the protagonist of my novel on book banning to be like this, so I loved reading that milk thistle also has medicinal properties:

Silymarin is a complex mixture of plant-derived compounds extracted from milk thistle. It mostly contains flavonolignans and flavonoids, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Protagonist and antagonist as thistles

If I can write a character like this, then she will not be perfectly likable, but she will have both warm and admirable qualities, and she’ll contribute to the healing that occurs. That’s fun for me. 

Not fun for me: I need my antagonist to have some redeeming qualities. She should be something like a thistle, but not a milk thistle. No antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. 

As my novel takes place in the year 2000, I don’t want to call my (book censoring and fundamentally religious) antagonist a Christian nationalist although she lines up with that description in several ways. I’ve had a hard time sympathizing with her, which has made it hard to write her as a 3-dimensional person. So I’ve been reading and thinking a lot about how she and I can connect. 

If you are working to humanize a far-right antagonist, the following resource might be helpful.

I regularly read Writer Unboxed because a wide variety of writers and agents post on so many topics of interest. David Corbett has been discussing politics in fiction. This week he wrote a very long post about what national conservatism and Christian nationalism are. It’s worth your while to read the entire post.

Call me an idealist, but I think fiction can help build bridges, mend wounds, and offer understanding even as the proverbial (and at times all too real) bullets are flying.

Particularly helpful to me, in thinking about fundamentalism, is this:

To belabor the obvious, to write a character who would align themselves, however tangentially, to nationalist conservatism or Christian nationalism, we have to seriously, without any preconceptions, descend from the level of abstraction many of these principles represent and imagine their application in the real world. In particular, to write about a Christian nationalist one must first accept that whatever their beliefs concerning government, those beliefs are grounded in their faith, and that faith can’t be brushed aside as a mere ancillary factor.

We also need to see the value in at least some of the principles outlined [in the post] and understand how those principles translate into values or morals that in turn motivate behavior.

My antagonist wants to protect her teen daughter, yet she bases her idea of harm on things the protagonist sees as helpful. But the principles behind her motivation make sense. 

I’m also working on how patronizing, mean, and clueless some of my male characters should be (the ex-boyfriend, the school principal, the preacher). There are male characters who are generally good like the school counselor. The most difficult is the protagonist’s husband, who needs to be both supportive and sometimes self-centered. 

Just when I think I am caricaturing my fictional school principal or ex-boyfriend, real life makes me think it’s pretty spot-on to have a bit of completely clueless male behavior. For example, the response of Gregg Doyel to Caitlin Clark, which I first read about in

lyz

’s Men Yell at Me.

During a press conference, Gregg Doyel introduced himself to Clark and then made a heart with his hands. Clark begrudgingly responded, “Oh, you like that?” And then explained that it’s a gesture she makes for her family after every game. Doyel replied, “Well, start doing it to me and we will get along just fine.” 

But Doyel apologized. While I have male characters who have no need to apologize for their behavior to the women in the novel, I’m splitting my oafish male characters: the preacher is too self-righteous, believing he is the interpreter of God’s will, to apologize for anything. The school principal is just a jerk hoping to climb the district ladder. (Yes, based on my experience with administrators! Go figure!) The ex-boyfriend and biological father of the protagonist’s teen daughter is a jerk, but is trying to do better—unfortunately in ways that are not helping his cause.  

A little note on my published books

I hope readers will enjoy my posts and perhaps buy one of my books. That’s why I don’t have a paywall—I think sharing the books is the real reward. But I realized I never include links to my books. <Sigh> No one would ever accuse me of being a great salesperson. So before we get to the news about libraries and book challenges—which is below as always!—here’s the pitch for my books with some links. You can buy them online from the usual suspects—Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org. And if you do, my heart will be full with gratitude!

Acts of Contrition is a great collection, one I read in a single sitting, the stories sly and engaging, hilariously dark and always surprising. The women of Victoria Waddle's fiction are characters I'd spend much more time with - they are brutally honest, have excellent talents at remembering, and they soldier on with grace and humor and wine."—Susan Straight, author of Mecca

More at the publisher’s website 

When I heard Jon Stewart on the The Daily Show (Comedy Central) talking about the death of his rescue dog, Dipper, I made him a little dog-themed bookmarks and send it to him (via his agent) along with my chapbook.

In her chapbook memoir, The Mortality of Dogs and Humans, Victoria Waddle explores her (our) relationship with dogs, the joy and comfort of their companionship, and the lessons they can teach us about being better humans. By sharing her memories of Fletcher and Zainy, she shows everyone else what dog people already know: that dogs are individuals (with specific personalities, quirks, and anxieties, just like the rest of us) and how our relationship with them changes from one dog to the next. She shows how it is through their interaction with dogs that the truth of a person is revealed. This book is an examination of our responsibility to those we love, and the (sometimes impossible) difficulty of taking care of them, especially those who are beyond our communication. Waddle captures the pain of deciding when, exactly, a dog is suffering more than living and, in comparison, forces the reader to wonder why we allow our beloved elderly to suffer more than our beloved pets. Dog people, as they read this book, will instantly get it. Cat people will get it. Non pet owners, those poor lost souls, will get it (and they might even be converted).—Tim Hatch, poet and author of Wild Embrace

More at the publisher’s website

Onward and upward.

The value of libraries and librarians

I’ve written articles on this topic (here’s one), but I like this reminder of the value of school libraries and how they improve literacy. School libraries do so much more than just provide books. This is well worth a read. (Thanks to Jennifer Ormsby, Library Services Manager, Los Angeles County Office of Education for pointing it out!)

Investing in School Libraries and Librarians To Improve Literacy Outcomes

 Since a shocking plunge in math and reading scores on the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), educators, administrators, and policymakers have grappled with how to address learning challenges following the pandemic. One factor that has largely escaped notice, however, is the role school libraries and librarians play in academic performance. School libraries are too often treated as a luxury rather than an essential part of the public education system with a proven impact on learning. It is time to turn around years of disinvestment in school libraries and librarians, taking steps to measure and report school library quality within holistic systems of accountability that can reflect the resources—or lack thereof—that underpin student outcomes and thus test scores.

Library book challenges

And here is this week’s book challenge news.

Book Bans Are Silencing Survivors’ Stories

You probably already have heard of or been impacted by the increasing number of book bans across the country. These bans target content about LGBTQIA+ identities, gender, and sexuality; race, racism, and the history of segregation and colonization; and reproductive rights and sexual health. What isn’t talked about as much, however, is, how these bans also target discussion about sexual harassment, violence, and abuse. PEN America recorded that from July 2022 through June 2023, books that depicted rape or sexual violence were banned in a quarter of the over 3,000 books targeted.  

In fact, five of the 12 most frequently banned books include depictions of sexual violence, such as Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and Sold by Patricia McCormick. 

Yes, that’s right. Extremist groups have banned books in schools that discuss survivors’ experiences of sexual violence, rape culture, and even just information about the prevalence of sexual violence. Pro-censorship advocates falsely claim these issues are too “sexually explicit,” “controversial,” or “pornographic” for school. 

I reviewed one of those five most frequently banned back when it was published. I booktalked it a lot (booktalking is what it sounds like—telling the students a bit about the book to pique interest). The review is here: Thirteen Reasons Why

Another YA novel that has been perpetually high on the challenged and banned list and deals with sexual assault is Speak. Yes, more booktalking, and I wrote a review, though it was hard to say much because of multiple spoilers. Eventually, Speak was approved as a classroom text in my district. 

New Report Finds Unprecedented Surge in School Books Bans

While censors continue to use the concept of “obscenity” to justify widespread books bans, the report examines a wave of intense scrutiny over books that discuss women, sexual violence, and rape. This concerted focus comes amid an epidemic of sexual violence in the United States. The report also finds that books discussing race and racism, LGBTQ+ and especially transgender identities continue to be targeted at consistently high rates.

How library workers are defending books, democracy, and queer lives

However, reading is more than just transformative for people who want to become librarians. It’s transformative for all of us. It’s time for community members to view attacks on books, libraries, and librarians through the same prism as those who oppose us. When people try to limit who we can be as readers, they’re really setting limits on who we can be as people.

Red states threaten librarians with prison—as blue states work to protect them

But the library-friendly measures are being outpaced by bills in mostly red states that aim to restrict which books libraries can offer and threaten librarians with prison or thousands in fines for handing out “obscene” or “harmful” titles. At least 27 states are considering 100 such bills this year, three of which have become law, The Post found. That adds to nearly a dozen similar measures enacted over the last three years across 10 states.

Fighting back against library book bans

A bill recently passed by the West Virginia House of Delegates is one of the latest attempts to censor educational materials. If the measure becomes law, it would make librarians and other educators criminally liable for showing obscene materials to children who are not accompanied by an adult. Librarians and teachers could then face felony penalties, up to $25,000 in fines, and even up to five years in jail. 

. . .

To be clear, however, this is not to say that children should have access to every book and resource created, nor that parents shouldn’t have a voice in the education of their children. Yet, current legislations ignore the fact that protections for children already exist in library collection development guidelines and policies. ALA itself has created a number of resources and guidelines to help protect children from inappropriate materials, with its guidelines for school libraries stating that materials should be “appropriate for the subject area and for the age, emotional development, ability level, learning styles, and social, emotional, and intellectual development of the students for whom the materials are selected.” There are additional tools to assist librarians in determining which materials are appropriate for school librarians including the Notable Children's Books List and the School Library Journal.

Higher-ed experts discuss impact of banning books at Greensburg panel

“A book can be a very good friend to a child,” Jones said. “I’m deeply aware of how valuable these books, which are frequently challenged because they deal with difficult material, really are a good friend to children who have been in crisis, who maybe aren’t able to talk about what’s happened to them, because they emotionally can’t handle it.”

Once again, Florida leaders side with book banners

What Young People Can Do About Book Bans: Book Censorship News, April 12, 2024

The Whitewashing of Education—and How to Stop it

School librarians targeted in new wave of censorship legislation

Proposed policy changes include removing obscenity law exemptions. The American Library Association warns such moves are driving out librarians.

James Patterson's Latest Reveals the 'Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians' 

Throughout the interviewing and research process, Patterson said he was especially surprised by the level of work that goes into librarians’ and booksellers’ jobs. “I don't think I was aware of how much hard work they do,” he says. But what he did already know was how poorly compensated a lot of them are for that work. Every year since 2015, Patterson has donated $500 “holiday bonus” checks to librarians and booksellers across the country. And every time he does, he hears from grateful employees who use the money for mostly practical purposes.

“The amazing thing is I get notes from almost every single person that you give 'em to. And it'll be things like, ‘I got the check and I went to the dentist this year,’ or ‘I got the check, and for the first time in four years, I gave my parents some presents,’” he recalls. “It really brings home the fact that so many of these people, they really do need the money.”

The book comes at a fraught time for literacy champions in the United States, with rampant book bans sweeping the country. That makes librarians’ and booksellers’ jobs even more challenging, something Patterson says came up again and again in his interviews. He relayed that many of the people he spoke with have been on the receiving end of “a lot of verbal threats,” that has made the job scary for many. “These people work too hard and they're trying to do the right thing,” he adds.

Suit Challenging Iowa’s Book Ban Is Backed by Every Major Publisher

HarperCollins, Hachette, Simon & Schuster and others join legal action started by Penguin Random House last fall

1. If you know what milk thistle looks like, let me know if this is it. The descriptions showed the flower but only described the leaves. I figured the white veins were in line with the descriptions.