The Daily News Myers Itself

I posted this on YALSA-bk, where there's been a bit of discussion about the Daily News piece that trashed Walter Dean Myers, but I figured I'd share it with a larger audience. (That means both of you, my two loyal readers.)

The hot-issue quote seems to be "The purpose of literature is to elevate." Honestly, I can't argue with this. I know, more than once, when I needed to grab something that was just out of reach, I stood on a book. It really works. I was elevated. Though all literature isn't equal. The later Harry Potters do a much better job of elevating than those really thin books like The Dubliners.

Seriously, the whole thesis of this article, as stated in the headline, is spurious. You can't dumb down literature. Literature comprises a spectrum of depths. You certainly can't ascribe a universal purpose to it. Homer was probably writing to preserve history, and to show off his mad rapping skills. I doubt he saw himself as an elevator. I know that when I write, my main goal is to entertain. I'd like to think some of my output counts as literature. Alas, I'll be dead and cold before the final vote is tallied. Writers don't make literature. Time does.

Really, the bottom line to all of this requires me to use a slight bit profanity. For anyone to write this sort of article right after Mr. Myers was named kidlit ambassador is basically just a self indulgent and shitty thing. It is the opposite of elevation.