Everyone who knows me knows that I have a rebellious nature. I’m not talking simple disobedience or adolescent non-conformity. I’m talking actual Rebel Scum.
So, it will not surprise you that I revile almost every aspect and position of modern social and political conservatism. For me, book bans are part of the evil Empire. I recently read that among the books banned from some elementary school bookshelves is the title “And Tango Makes Three.” It’s the true story of two male penguins that are given a parentless penguin egg at the NY Central Park Zoo, help to hatch it, and then raise the fledgling as their own. The book was written by a gay psychiatrist and his children’s book author partner.
When I read about the book ban, I decided that I had to acquire a copy of the story for our granddaughters – lest their school not have it for them to read. I asked their Mom whether they already had the book, and she responded that they did not – Amazon Prime, to the rescue!
I ordered the book for them, and a couple of days later, it arrived on their doorstep. Our daughter-in-law said that she read it to her daughters (ages 5 and 3 soon to be 6 and 4). The young ladies enjoyed the book, which I must admit, I have not yet read. Celeste, the younger daughter, kept asking her Mom, “But who’s the Mommy?”
The world is complicated and nuanced, and we all come to understand it bit by bit rather than all at once. In all fairness, her question was perfectly age appropriate.
Good job, Celeste.