“Taming the Star Runner”
(Look! I’m typing about Banned Books Week today!)
Just to prove that I’m not a total moron when it comes to controversial books, I want to let you know that I read the first chapter of S.E. Hinton’s “Taming the Star Runner” last night and can definitely see why someone would find it controversial. The main character is a 16-year-old who talks about using drugs, smoking, drag racing while drinking beer with friends in his car, and getting into a fight with his abusive step-father that is so severe, he almost killed him. I can see why a lot of parents wouldn’t want their young adult children to read this book. Do I think it should be banned? No. (Do I think any book should be banned?) When I think about what I knew or had experienced by the time I was 16, the first chapter of this book presents nothing new to me. (Not that I did drugs, drag raced drunk with friends in the car, etc. etc., but I certainly knew people who did those things and knew that those things were in the world and my school.) It’s rumored to be a book of transformation, so I’m really eager to finish it to see what becomes of the main character.
Addendum 9/29: I finished the book tonight. Read the last words just as the subway was pulling into my stop. Well, Hinton doesn’t take the characters down the seemingly predictable path other authors might have chosen. I’m still trying to sort out her ending and decide whether it really works for the book. It seems very disconnected, hastily constructed, and like not much of a final ending. If she took those characters into a sequel, would what seems like it might happen actually happen? Knowing what she did with the characters between chapter one and the final chapter, I would say no. I think the book is worth reading, definitely. Especially for teenagers from homes with abusive step-fathers or teenagers who like to write. I think the most controversial part of the book is the first chapter when Hinton introduces us to Travis, the main character, and his background. The rest of the book tones down quite a bit after that.
