Tested By Fire

Over the years the powers that be have tried to ban books. My generation, the Baby Boomers, had one of the most popular banned books, “Catcher in the Rye.”

Impossible to find in the school or public library, our English teacher, a recent graduate of Harvard University, supplied us with copies. Mainly, we looked for the “dirty words” in the paperback, but there was Holden Caulfield, the main character, his adventures, much like Peter Pan who never wanted to grow up, kept his reputation as a misfit and rebel from being able to identify with others and feared getting more mature.

Funny that the author of “Catcher” was as old as our parents. Everyone would stay a teen forever if it meant never having to face responsibilities. But, imagination and reality usually run smack into each other. They say that parents spend half their time trying to cover up their past. Eventually as your parents age, the truth comes out.

Abraham Lincoln said, “Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to me”. Over the years more to pacify ourselves we write our own story, leaving out quite a few details. Rationalization serves us well and sometimes separates us from animals.

Some of our favorite books are on lists of most banned books. John Steinbeck wrote quite a few. “Grapes of Wrath” forever reminds us of the way we all could end up, powerless to overcome indignities inflicted by the powers that be. The title was taken from “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

An unlikely banned book was “To Kill a Mockingbird” that showed the false sense we have of receiving justice. Harper Lee wrote a beautiful passage, “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy”.

Books serve to preserve our past no matter how ugly Fallacies to prove our past a lie is a very thin veil that burns easily when tested by fire.