A long-awaited return...

And I am back!! I just finished reading The Higher Power of Lucky, and I have to say that I really REALLY liked it!! Anyone who is reading this knows that I not one to just accept that a book is good because someone says so, or because it won an award...this is truly a great book.

In looking for any information online about the book, one of the over-arching themes is the use of the word "scrotum" in the first chapter, and again at the end of the book. Seriously, people...I am so irritated about the fact that people feel the need to condemn an otherwise wonderful book because of one word (which, as someone on Amazon pointed out, is actually the correct term, not some kind of crude slang...). If I were reading this book out loud to a class (which I absolutely would), I would probably change the word to maybe "butt" or something (even though I know it's not the actual meaning of the word, it would be an acceptable substitution for the purpose of the story), and I would ONLY do that because I could see some ridiculous parent getting upset if their child said they heard that word without a signed Family Life Education permission slip. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with it whatsoever, and people who get themselves all up in a twist because of something like that just need to find something better to do with their time, in my opinion.

If you don't like a book, then go read a different one, don't waste your time going nuts over one you didn't like. Also, like the whole Harry Potter controversy, I hope that all of the people who are causing an uproar about this book have actually READ the thing before they form an opinion. If you read the book and honestly do not enjoy it, that's perfectly fine, but if a person just hears about something in the book, or only reads that first page and then condemns the entire work as a result, that is just a waste. Ugh, I can't even express how much this bothers me. There is so much great stuff out there to read--if you don't like one book, then put it down and move on. There is no need for such a controversy.

And, I KNOW that I am somewhat guilty of the same thing, since I am getting upset about the controversy rather than just ignoring it and enjoying the book. However, before I read the book, I had stumbled upon some reviews/comments of it (actually, I was looking to try and find out why The Great Gilly Hopkins was banned) that all focused mainly on the use of this one word. So, as I read the book, I became more and more bothered that people were focusing on this one element rather than on the wonderful story. Anyway, end of soapbox for the time being!!

Read the book!