{"id":386,"date":"2023-12-25T11:34:40","date_gmt":"2023-12-25T17:34:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/?p=386"},"modified":"2023-12-25T11:34:43","modified_gmt":"2023-12-25T17:34:43","slug":"that-girl-is-great-isnt-she-banned-book-qotd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/2023\/12\/25\/that-girl-is-great-isnt-she-banned-book-qotd\/","title":{"rendered":"That girl is great, isn&#8217;t she? \u2013 banned book QOTD"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div id=\"banned-book-QoTD\" class=\"wp-block-group is-style-default\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p id=\"QoTD\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400\">&#8220;I do have friends, but they don&#8217;t know me, only someone I&#8217;ve created to take my place.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"single-item-list\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:200\">from <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simonandschuster.com\/books\/Identical\/Ellen-Hopkins\/9781416950066\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Publisher's official book site\"><em>Identical<\/em><\/a><\/em> by <a href=\"https:\/\/ellenhopkinsbooks.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Author's site\">Ellen Hopkins<\/a>, a frequently banned book<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\".single-item-list\" id=\"hitlist\"><strong>#10<\/strong> on the <a href=\"https:\/\/pen.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">PEN America&#8217;s<\/a> list of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ala.org\/advocacy\/bbooks\/frequentlychallengedbooks\/decade2019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Most Banned Books list 2022-2023 school year<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Very popular<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ellen Hopkins is extremely popular&#8230; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>New York Times best-selling author of young adult and adult novels Ellen Hopkins has won <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ellenhopkinsbooks.com\/about.html#:~:text=Ash%20Canyon%20Poets-,AWARDS,-%3A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">many awards<\/a>, writing nonfiction titles with punchy, concise titles and go-for-the-jugular commitment to telling truth. She&#8217;s also a favorite of <em>book banning<\/em> enthusiasts, earning the distinction of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/most-banned-book-author-in-america-ellen-hopkins-calls-bs-on-parents-concern\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">&#8220;most banned author&#8221; in the US<\/a>. She writes about topics that certainly never affect young adults (sex, drugs, rape), so we may be asked to understand why some parents want their kids never to be exposed to such things&#8230; in books, anyway. Because not knowing about a thing definitely protects a person from that thing IRL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just kidding, just kidding. The effect on kids doesn&#8217;t really matter. It&#8217;s more about not offending parents&#8217; delicate sensibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Head fake<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In reality, this is about sin. Not about <em>all<\/em> sin, mind you, just sin that they think is gross. Because I think we all can agree, stuff that grosses us out is obviously extra icky to God, too. That&#8217;s right, book banning is the blunderbuss mostly being pointed at&#8230; the gays. I mean, it&#8217;s just not <em>natural,<\/em> right? Coveting doesn&#8217;t get too much press, and adultery only matters if <em>those<\/em> people do it. But eeeew, can you imagine?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For those using the Bible as a scoring manual, you&#8217;ll find that nothing resembling LGBTQ+ people or culture has been addressed in that text in the way that Bible thumpers be thumpin&#8217;. Yup, there&#8217;s whole whole Genesis 5:2 &#8220;Male and female he created them,&#8221; as if nothing else has happened since the beginning of time. Creation continues, and things that nobody in 0 BCE ever saw continue to spring up. Though the Bible never mentions dishwashers, we never see fervent Christians picketing a Whirlpool plant. And biblical scholars have said for years &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/um-insight.net\/perspectives\/has-%E2%80%9Chomosexual%E2%80%9D-always-been-in-the-bible\/\" title=\"&quot;Homosexual&quot; hasn't always been in the Bible\">that doesn&#8217;t mean what you think it means<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In October 2023, the Human Rights Campaign reported that hate crimes against our LGBTQ+ siblings rose 13.8% compared to last year. And that number jumps to 32.9% for hate crimes based on gender identity. No surprise, since the 2024 presidential election season opened with its first primary debate in Wisconsin featured multiple candidates &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrc.org\/press-releases\/icymi-statement-from-human-rights-campaign-president-kelley-robinson-on-first-gop-primary-debate-of-2024-presidential-election-cycle\" title=\"ICYMI: Statement from HRC president\">attacking and maligning transgender kids to score political points with the most extreme and radical portions of their base<\/a>.&#8221; And a buncha&#8217; evangelicals <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Christian_persecution_complex\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">want you to know that <em>they<\/em> are being persecuted<\/a> because not everybody is saying &#8220;Merry Christmas&#8221; to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bigotry isn&#8217;t born<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"420\" height=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/throw_the_book_at_em_small.jpg?resize=420%2C420&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"An old white-dude politician waves a pink book and shouts, probably bemoaning the death of traditional values.\" class=\"wp-image-392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/throw_the_book_at_em_small.jpg?w=420&amp;ssl=1 420w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/throw_the_book_at_em_small.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/throw_the_book_at_em_small.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/throw_the_book_at_em_small.jpg?resize=1%2C1&amp;ssl=1 1w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/throw_the_book_at_em_small.jpg?resize=100%2C100&amp;ssl=1 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Not actual people. Faces have been invented to protect those who just don&#8217;t seem to get it. And don&#8217;t want to.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>But it can be legislated. Now, listen up. Hopkins quotes from <em>Identical<\/em> come in very handy for this topic: &#8220;Evil is not intrinsic. It&#8217;s fashioned.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in the US hasn&#8217;t reached <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GovUganda\/status\/1663096996956192768?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Ugandan president Kaguta Museveni signed the brutal &quot;Anti-Homosexuality Act&quot; of 2023.\">Uganda-level hatred<\/a>, politicians work hard to stoke the fires of fear and resentment. As result, state legislatures have thrown bills against the wall to see what sticks across the US. You see, they are absolutely determined to burn down the veritable forest of straw men they created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">ACLU<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/legislative-attacks-on-lgbtq-rights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">tracks anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States<\/a>, and let&#8217;s just say that the Midwest is making a strong showing\u2014even compared to such perennial standouts like Florida, Texas, Mississippi, and Missouri. These laws restrict healthcare, student and educator rights, limit freedom of expression, and weaken civil rights, much of it in the name of religious freedom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Freedom of what now?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You heard us, this agenda stems mostly from a voting bloc who claims that religious freedom means forcing other people to live according to <em>your<\/em> beliefs. Feel free to discriminate against people, limit their rights, even refuse to do business with them, as long as you say you&#8217;re grossed out because of your religious beliefs. Well, that works as long you ascribe to a very specific slice of evangelical Christianity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cue the next quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>&#8220;Ask me, it&#8217;s a sin to pervert faith with religion. Despite every church, mosque, &amp; synagogue in it, this is not the world any God worth his salt would have created.&#8221;<\/p><cite>Ellen Hopkins, in <em>IDENTICAL<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Indeed, we agree. Humans made this world what it is. We refuse to leave it that way. So help us to prove that bigotry isn&#8217;t a Christian stance. Please learn about <a href=\"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/about-us\/\" title=\"Re:faith About Us\">what Re:faith stands for<\/a>. Help us show vulnerable people everywhere that people of faith have been represented by the loudest and most misguided. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Never accept evil as something you must walk with, something you deserve.&#8221;<br>&#8211; you guessed it, Ellen Hopkins in <em>Identical<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I do have friends, but they don&#8217;t know me, only someone I&#8217;ve created to take my place.&#8221; #10 on the PEN America&#8217;s list of Most Banned Books list 2022-2023 school year. Very popular Ellen Hopkins is extremely popular&#8230; New York Times best-selling author of young adult and adult novels Ellen Hopkins has won many awards, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":387,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[22],"tags":[24,27,25,26],"class_list":["post-386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-qotd_banned_book","tag-book-banning","tag-censorship","tag-lgbtqa-issues","tag-queer-issues"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/sculpting_self.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfkMc6-6e","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":235,"url":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/2023\/12\/11\/its-to-the-northwest-banned-book-quote-of-the-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":386,"position":0},"title":"It&#8217;s to the northwest\u2013banned book quote of\u00a0the\u00a0day","author":"re-faith.org","date":"December 11, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\"The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.\" from Looking for Alaska by John Green, a frequently banned book #5 (tie) on the American Library Association's list of Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022. See what we are doing about it at Re:faith.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;QoTD_banned_book&quot;","block_context":{"text":"QoTD_banned_book","link":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/category\/qotd_banned_book\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A young man navigates through a huge, foreboding green maze.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Labyrinth-green-with-text.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Labyrinth-green-with-text.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Labyrinth-green-with-text.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Labyrinth-green-with-text.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":313,"url":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/2023\/12\/16\/fire-can-never-burn-it-down-banned-book-qotd\/","url_meta":{"origin":386,"position":1},"title":"Fire can never burn it down \u2013 banned book QOTD","author":"re-faith.org","date":"December 16, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\"A word to the unwise. \/ Torch every book. \/ Char every page. \/ Burn every word to ash. \/ Ideas are incombustible. \/ And therein lies your real fear.\" from Crank by Ellen Hopkins, a frequently banned book #10 (tie) on the American Library Association's list of Top 13\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;QoTD_banned_book&quot;","block_context":{"text":"QoTD_banned_book","link":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/category\/qotd_banned_book\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A blindfolded girl holding a book, burning bookshelves in the background.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/girl-with-book-shelves-burning.jpg?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":299,"url":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/2023\/12\/15\/greater-good-not-so-great-banned-book-qotd\/","url_meta":{"origin":386,"position":2},"title":"Greater good not so great \u2013 banned book QoTD","author":"re-faith.org","date":"December 15, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\u2033\u2018Many atrocities,\u2019 Rhys purred, \u2018have been done in the name of the greater good.\u2018\u201d from A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, a frequently banned book #10 on the American Library Association's list of Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022. See what we are doing about\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;QoTD_banned_book&quot;","block_context":{"text":"QoTD_banned_book","link":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/category\/qotd_banned_book\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Book quote and several scenes of bad things done for \"the greater good.\"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/atrocities.webp?fit=768%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/atrocities.webp?fit=768%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/atrocities.webp?fit=768%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/atrocities.webp?fit=768%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":210,"url":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/2023\/12\/09\/you-see-me-here-i-am-banned-book-quote-of-the-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":386,"position":3},"title":"You see me, here I am\u2013banned book quote of\u00a0the\u00a0day","author":"re-faith.org","date":"December 9, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Visibility is power, and our existence challenges societal norms.\" from Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe, a frequently banned book #1 on the American Library Association's list of Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022. Come see what we are doing about it at Re:","rel":"","context":"In &quot;QoTD_banned_book&quot;","block_context":{"text":"QoTD_banned_book","link":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/category\/qotd_banned_book\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/resolving-teen.jpg?fit=742%2C989&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/resolving-teen.jpg?fit=742%2C989&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/resolving-teen.jpg?fit=742%2C989&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/resolving-teen.jpg?fit=742%2C989&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":137,"url":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/2023\/12\/06\/even-three-quarters-banned-book-quote-of-the-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":386,"position":4},"title":"Prolly three-quarters &#8211; banned book quote of the day","author":"re-faith.org","date":"December 6, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Not sure if there is a God or why some all-powerful being would give half a damn about the likes of me.\" - from Tricks\u00a0by Ellen Hopkins, a frequently banned book#98 on the American Library Association's list of top 100 most banned and challenged books, 2010-2019, but more recently among\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;QoTD_banned_book&quot;","block_context":{"text":"QoTD_banned_book","link":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/category\/qotd_banned_book\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":217,"url":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/2023\/12\/10\/found-in-the-crowd-banned-book-quote-of-the-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":386,"position":5},"title":"Found in the crowd\u2013banned book quote of\u00a0the\u00a0day","author":"re-faith.org","date":"December 10, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\"You sometimes don\u2019t know you exist until you realize someone like you existed before.\" from All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson, a frequently banned book #2 on the American Library Association's list of Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022. Come see what we are doing about it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;QoTD_banned_book&quot;","block_context":{"text":"QoTD_banned_book","link":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/category\/qotd_banned_book\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A child, seeing self reflected in the visible experiences of others.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/reflected_experience_insta.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/reflected_experience_insta.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/reflected_experience_insta.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/re-faith.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/reflected_experience_insta.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":393,"href":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386\/revisions\/393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/re-faith.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}