mar_

ELLEN GUNN

■

Q Why Deenie?
A: Deenie is about a girl in sev-
enth grade with scoliosis (a curva-
ture of ,she spine). An adult might
say it's about parental expectations.
She has a mother who pigeonholes
her daughters — "Deenie's the beau-
ty, Helen's the brain," and she
decides what's right for each of
them. She's got Deenie down —
Deenie will model, Deenie will
make it through her face and her
body. And, of course, she gets scol-
iosis and her mother's plans are cast
aside. But what incenses the censors
is that the little girl, Deenie,
explores her body. She's never heard
the word "masturbation." I never
had when I was that age, or my
friends. Masturbation is much more
taboo than sexual intercourse.

.

Q: What strides have been made
against censorship since the '70s?
A: Since the '70s? It's much worse.
The '70s were a very open time, a very
good time for writers and for readers
and for children's books. The '80s are
when the censorship started again.
And it's gone to the '90s.

Q: That's curious, since readers
who grew up on Are You There God?,
Blubber, etc. are the ones having chil-
dren now
A: Yes. The censors are very vocal
but they are not a majority by any
means. It just takes one person to
walk into a school library waving a
book. We're not talking about people
who grew up on my books, I would
hope. I would hope they'd remember

why these books were important to
them.

O D

Q: So why are censors proliferat-
ing?
A: They've forgotten. Well, no, it
has nothing to do with that. It's main-
ly the religious right. We don't want
our children to read about this. We
don't want our children to know
about it. We don't want our children
to do it. But we're talking about
puberty. We're not talking about vio-
lence. It's terrible and it's tragic.

0

Gl

nv/A Dig

Q: The American Library
Association reports that you routinely
crop up on its list of most-censored
U.S. authors. By your tally, which
character draws the most fire?
A: Well, I think the censors have
been most successful with Deenie. And
that's because I meet so many kids
who say, "I want to read that new
book of yours, Deenie, but I can't find
it." It came out in 1973.

■

Q: How do you fight back?
A: I try to be an active spokesper-
son for the National Coalition Against
Censorship. I encourage people to be
aware. I'm thinking of one wonderful
librarian in particular — she's from
Greenville, S.C. — who goes around
Greenville and other communities giv-
ing classes about the First
Amendment. What better way to
learn?

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Q: What did you read, growing up
in New Jersey in the early '50s?
A _ : I was reading adult books from
the time I was 12 or 13. There were
no "young adult" books. I was read-
ing whatever I found in my parents'
bookcase, everything from Saul
Bellow's The Adventures of Augie
I found that when I was
March
to The Fountainhead. I
about 13
The
Catcher
in the Rye. I was
found
introduced to the short-story writer
John O'Hara. O'Hara was on my
reading list in high school. So was
Thomas Hardy, Tess of the
d'Urbervilles. I fell in love with
Thomas Hardy, those wonderful,
romantic, tragic books.

JULIE FEINGOLD

■

OLEG

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SARZI

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HESSAM

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Simcha with Simone

Danny Raskin, Jewish News

—

Q: What advice would you like to
give the grade-schoolers and adoles-
cents who are your hard-core fans?
A: I always say I don't give adviCe.
But ... think. Question. Just don't fol-
low, don't just do it. Censors don't like
that. It shows a lack of respect of
authority. But I think questioning is
healthy. ❑

KISMER

"The Simone Vitale Band is an assurance of a great
evening... One of the hottest bands in town."

—

Q: You have a 6-year-old grand-
son. Has he been exposed to your
books yet?
A: He's already listened to all the
Fudge books on tape because I've
recorded them. At one point, my
daughter, Randy, said, "Mother, I'm
glad he likes the books. But after lis-
tening to your voice, all day, every day,
I'm getting him a Walkman!"

1:05-1 MIZEOM

friendship that evolves over 20
years. Rich girl Caitlin is like a
post-modern female Peter Pan.
Victoria's a blue-collar "lost girl"
along for the ride. What's your spin
on these characters?
A: Do I have to decide? I just tell
the story ... I've never actually known
Caitlin, but I think she does represent
the bad girl in all of us. I identify with
all my characters. Everybody.

VIICTOR SHVAIKO '• MICHAEL KACHAN

■

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