Gender roles

From the blog Sociological Images: Seeing Is Believing:



Wow. I saw this a couple days ago and was hoping it was a joke. While the post received clarification for the context of this illustation (via comments), it's still quite shocking. A cartoonist and humorist named Whitney Darrow intended this page and the book it belonged to (I’m Glad I’m a Boy! I’m Glad I’m a Girl!) to be a satire of gender roles. Phew. But wait...

Intention and reality can be glaringly different.
A commentor, Ellie, quoted some reviews of the book:

From School Libraries, published by the American Association of School Libraries, 1969: ”This warmly humorous book makes everybody glad they are what they are.”

From The Horn Book Magazine, 1970: ”He’s glad he’s a boy and she’s glad she’s a girl. In this warmly humorous book, they tell each other why and conclude that the best reason of all is — because they need each other!”

From the “Books for Children” section in Childhood Education, 1970: ”Simple drawings with line captions designed to help the young child discover his or her appropriate sex role.”

That is just nuts. Three resources librarians use and rely on to assess if materials are worth purchasing seem to have brushed over the satire, embracing the content as serious. How often does this mistake happen - not only in reviewing, but in cataloging? I've been to more than one library that has Borat's Guide to Kazakhstan in the travel section instead of with the humor. I would be devestated if a child picked up I’m Glad I’m a Boy! I’m Glad I’m a Girl in the non-fiction section amongst books like Amazing you: getting smart about your private parts and What to tell your children about sex. Thoughts? Examples?

To end with an upbeat thought ( because I always feel inclined to :) ), it's pretty great to see blogs use their medium to the fullest. Before any comments were added, the image was without author and without context. Readers were able to share their knowledge and complete the thought. What a perfect example of what this tool can do for information.

My first published review

I'm unabashedly excited to have my first libraryland review published. From the January 1st 2009 copy of School Library Journal:

BRASHARES, Ann. 3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows. 336p. Delacorte. Jan. 2009. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-385-73676-3; PLB $21.99. ISBN 978-0-385-90628-9. LC number unavailable.

Gr 7–10—Incoming freshmen at the same high school that the original sisterhood attended, Ama, Jo, and Polly are learning that falling out of friendship is an unfortunate part of growing up. They're spending the summer apart—uprooted—dealing with divorce, unmet expectations, and, of course, boys. Fans of Brashares will likely be thrilled to get their hands on Willows, yet the story falls short of offering the chick-lit genre anything new. Undoubtedly, though, readers will become involved with the girls as they grow their separate ways, ultimately realizing that the roots of their friendship have never really come undone. The sweet (near sappy) novel will find a place on the to-read list of many tweens and teens.—Emily Chornomaz, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
link to the slj page

It feels pretty great to have this out there, like it's an official announcement of my librarianhood. Under the recommendation of professors (John Berry, Caroline Ward, and Jack Martin) I filled out an application and submitted two sample reviews (positive and negative) to School Library Journal. Probably 2 months later, The 3 Willows galley proof arrived by mail.
I read the book (which wasn't exactly of my favorite genre), wrote a first draft, consulted Jack, and submitted the finished project. Not sure whether or not it would be used, I was happy to at least receive a second book to review about a month later. Brent Runyon's Surface Tension will hopefully be my next SLJ review! I didn't know for sure my review would be printed until I saw it in their today. They also sent me the hardcover first edition in the mail about a week ago, which I thought was extremely generous.
SO...my advice - find some way to get involved in libraryland besides the "job". Whether its reviewing or committees or blogging or strictly social librarian gatherings, the experiences are enriching, allow for networking, and usually add a notch to your resume. Mad cool.