Controversial Author Wins Edwards Award
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Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 1/16/2008 2:00:00 PM
If a well-known author writes and speaks about gays and lesbians in a way that many interpret to be anti-gay, should he be given an award that honors his outstanding lifetime contribution to writing for teens?
Librarians, authors, and academics have been debating that complex question since January 14, when this year’s Margaret A. Edwards Award was handed to Orson Scott Card. The award, established in 1988, honors an author and a specific portion of his or her work, and is administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and sponsored by School Library Journal.
Most people know Card as the talented sci-fi writer who turns out books like Ender's Game (1985) and Ender's Shadow (1999, both Tor Books). In fact, it’s those two novels—set in the future, where brilliant kids are sent to train for war against insect-like aliens—that the selection committee singled out for addressing universal topics about humanity and society.
But Card also writes opinion pieces—in both religious and mainstream publications—that include comments like this: “Laws against homosexual behavior should remain on the books, not to be indiscriminately enforced against anyone who happens to be caught violating them, but to be used when necessary to send a clear message that those who flagrantly violate society's regulation of sexual behavior cannot be permitted to remain as acceptable, equal citizens within that society.”
Committee members say they were unaware of Card’s articles, columns, and essays about homosexuality. “It was brought to my attention after the award announcement,” says the committee’s chair, Brenna Shanks of the King County Library System in Washington.
Nevertheless, Shanks says that Card’s views aren’t reflected in the books that were chosen and that the writer has the right to express his opinion. “Personal beliefs were not something our committee researched or discussed, so there was a certain amount of surprise,” says Shanks, adding, however, that the committee did know Card was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as the religion’s views on homosexuality.
Ultimately, the committee defended its decision, saying it awarded an author for a body of work that has had a long-term, positive impact on teens. “It is unfortunate that there are individuals who are upset…but I urge them to read carefully the committee's policies and procedures to understand that Card's opinions and beliefs were not, and should not, be a consideration,” says committee member Kimberly L. Paone, the supervisor of teen services at Elizabeth Public Library in New Jersey.
The heart of the issue really lies in whether someone who holds deeply controversial and polarizing opinions should be awarded a lifetime achievement award from a prestigious professional organization, says David Levithan, author of Boy Meets Boy (Knopf, 2003).
“I would like to believe that the Edwards committee would not have honored someone who had written essays that were as racist or as anti-Semitic as Card’s are anti-gay,” he says. “The charter of the Edwards award says that it “recognizes an author’s work in helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world”—I think Card’s writings on homosexuality do the exact opposite of that.”
Indeed, personal views aren’t part of the selection criteria, and intellectual freedom is something that librarians hold dear to their hearts, says Stacy Creel, the editor of Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA), a magazine serving young adult librarians.
“[Still] it’s unfortunate that when teens Google his name that these other essays and beliefs will come up alongside his excellent YA books,” Creel says. “[Card’s] beliefs on homosexuality could be especially damaging to a [gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning] teens who may not be able to separate the award, his YA books, the importance of intellectual freedom, and his personal beliefs.”
Others say they're not affected by an author’s personal beliefs. “As long as they write a good story and don't try to inflict those beliefs on me,” says Pam Spencer Holley, a former president of YALSA. She adds that Card’s two books appealed to people of her generation, who weren’t typical sci-fi fans. “Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow were often the first, and sometimes only, science fiction titles [we] read and could understand.”
As a firm believer in the First Amendment, Mary K. Chelton, a professor at Queen’s College’s Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, says she supports the committee’s decision in recognizing Card’s immense contribution to children’s literature. “[But] this is not to say that such views from organized religion are not hurtful to gays, but as in most things, people don't always come in nice ideologically pure packages,” she says. “I'm just damn glad the man writes books. “
Roger Sutton, editor-in-chief of the Horn Book, is another person who thinks Card’s personal beliefs should have no bearing on the awards that his books receive. “The award is not for being an idiot in real life; it's for writing books that have made a positive difference in the reading lives of young people,” says Sutton, adding that librarians have no business evaluating a writer’s moral, political, or ethical beliefs.
