Banned Books Month: Guest Post from Elisa Nader: Reading Banned Books is Punk Rock!
“Punk rock is just another word for freedom.” – Patti Smith
Parental Advisory!
I’m naturally rebellious. I can’t help it. I’m immediately suspicious of being told what to do and how to do it. That’s why, when I was a teen, I connected with punk culture and the DIY initiative. I recognized if an idea was deemed off limits, it must frighten someone, so it must be worthy of exploration.
“Undermine their pompous authority, reject their moral standards, make anarchy and disorder your trademarks. Cause as much chaos and disruption as possible but don’t let them take you alive.” – Sid Vicious
Oh, Sid.
I didn’t want to cause chaos and disruption. I didn’t think anarchy was the answer (necessarily), and, hell, if “they” wanted to take me alive, I definitely would have preferred it.
What I did want was access to ideas. I wanted to know more, experience more. I never set out to read ban books, mostly because I didn’t know at the time books were actually banned. Music, yes, but books?
The news was everywhere in the early ‘90s. The music industry agreed to add labeling to albums, calling out lyrics that were deemed unacceptable to minors. When record stores ruled, and teens congregated among the stacks, those same stickers, warning parents of the album’s content are exactly what made those records more desirable. And, in turn, spiked sales for these records.
The Parental Advisory sticker became a badge of honor for musicians. (Do you think Tipper Gore thought that would happen?)
“Punk is musical freedom. It’s saying, doing, and playing what you want.” – Kurt Cobain
Merit Press, August 2013.
When I was younger, I played bass guitar in a couple of bands, and I probably would have paid any record label to add the Parental Advisory sticker to our album. I know for other teens like me it would have been one of the first records I would have picked up.
Now that I’ve published my first book, would I want it to be a challenged or banned book? My answer is simple: Hell yes.
Of course I don’t want my book out of the hands of teens because someone other than their parent or guardian thinks it’s inappropriate.
But if it is banned, it means something in my book challenged someone; an idea, a scene, a certain turn of language, a specific situation ended up sparking a conversation to question its content.
ESCAPE FROM EDEN is about Mia, a sixteen year old girl living in a religious commune in the middle of the South American jungle. The commune, called Edenton, is surrounded by miles of rainforest; isolated and not under the jurisdiction of any government, the Flock is left to live and worship as they wish. Or as the Reverend Eden wishes.
Mia, brought to the commune at the age of ten by her mother, realizes the isolated world of Edenton isn’t what she wants in life. Her mother, however, believed the commune was what was best for her children. Mia’s mother wanted to protect her kids from the evils of the outside world and, in turn, made them more susceptible to danger than she ever imagined.
ESCAPE FROM EDEN is about how well-meaning people can become so consumed with the idea of control; they forget the importance of individual freedoms. Authority, however well-meaning—or tyrannical, for that matter—should be questioned.
Sid would be proud.
Elisa Nader
Elisa Nader was born and raised in Washington D.C. While attending Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, she began writing her first novel, but quickly cast it aside as her love of music took hold, and she picked up a bass guitar. Three bands and five years later, she moved back to Washington and rediscovered her love of writing, penning arts and entertainment pieces for the Washington City Paper.
But, once again, writing took a back seat. After a stint at The Washington Post as a lead website designer for the Arts and Entertainment section, she began a long career at AOL as a creative director, working alongside such companies as Time Warner, Travelocity, MapQuest, Bebo, Moviefone, and many more.
Since leaving the company, she spends time writing, raising her seven-year-old daughter, and working alongside her husband in their new venture, Mag7, a User Experience Design collective.
After watching the Cults video “Go Outside,” Elisa was inspired to write ESCAPE FROM EDEN. It is her first novel. When she’s not writing or designing, she’s avoiding putting away laundry. Elisa, her husband, and daughter live just outside of Washington, DC, with their two psychotic, but charming, cats. Follow her on Twitter @elisanader.
