Burn this book edited by Toni Morrison
Harpercollins, 2009.
ISBN 9780061774003.
(Age 15+) Burn this book is a
collection of essays edited by Toni Morrison on the power of writers
and
writing. The collection has been sponsored by the PEN association, an
organization that since 1921 has worked for the rights of all to
communicate
freely. The essays are by well known authors including John Updike,
Toni
Morrison herself, Nadine Gordimer, Orphan Pamuk, Paul Auster and
others, and
deal with the reasons for writing as well as the transformative power
of the
written word. The writers' attitudes are at times influenced by their
culture;
those from the 'free' world, John Updike, for example, tend to be more
skeptical about the influence of writers than those living under
repressive
regimes. All generally agree that good writing is not overtly
political; it
cannot preach or proselytize, support or undermine a government.
Rather, it is
a testament to the strength and dignity of the individual, the power of
the
imagination and the importance of freedom of expression. A strength of
this
collection is the variety of responses to the topic; Updike's essay
explores
his own methodology, David Grossman from Israel writes of the power of
his
writing to heal personal grief, Francine Prose, an American academic
and
critic, writes an entertaining piece about connections and 'unknowing',
and Ed
Park uses the banning of I am the Cheese by Robert Cormier as
the
springboard
for a creative riff on censorship. The collection would be suitable for
senior
students.
Jenny Hamilton