literature
Let’s all play some #BOOKTUBEBINGO
Hey, all!
So, you want to play some #BooktubeBingo? Awesome! Let’s get to it! Here’s the link to the bingo cards. Print yourself off one. You can take as long as you want to complete a bingo! Just update us so we can all check out your progress. 😀
Comment below with your name and your channel/blog info!
Huge shout out to all the awesome folks who helped to create these bingo cards!
Let’s Talk | Comics and Graphic Novels [Video Post]
In which I talk about comics and a bit of their history and context.
Bout of Books 11 Update– Sunday
So, I haven’t done much today.
I was going to go to the library. I want to pick up an audio copy of Coraline by Neil Gaiman. It’s about three hours long and perfect for chores around the house.
I went to Half Price Books and picked up a copy of the final two books in Mira Grant’s (Seanan McGuire) Newsflesh series.
I also am starting Pretty Deadly, a graphic novel published by Image Comics.
I haven’t read hardly anything today and will do better tomorrow. Do you ever have a problem starting read-a-thons?
Mental Disability in Literature
As some of you may know, it’s autism awareness month. This is a very special issue to me; my older brother, G, has very severe autism and my childhood took place in an environment where that was not an unusual or strange thing.
I understand more than most what a mixed blessing a family member with disability can be, particularly when that disability is mental. There are frustrations and anger, but also love and compassion. This is why it irks me when I see most portrayals of mental disability in literature, especially SF/F.
Literature often does not portray mental disability well. Whether out of ignorance or inability to show the complex family and social dynamics, literature (as well as many other storytelling medium) fall far short of the mark. I often find that, in fiction, persons with disability are used more as a plot device than as a character with purpose and emotion. This is not something done maliciously or out of some anger towards those with disability, but perhaps it happens because we take people for granted–people of all shapes, sizes, and ability.
I’ve put below some of my favorite representations of autism and disability below. I’d love to hear yours.
Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
A Song of Fire and Ice, George R.R. Martin (This is not for Hodor’s protrayal, which I find largely disappointing, but for his relationship with his grandmother, who loves and accepts him for who he is despite her frustrations.)
Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer
lowteabooks.com 