The Questionable Way that Books are Made

Today was another pretty uneventful day, consisting of working in the bomb room, checking in the crates we received from the other branches (containing the books that people have requested), and working on the claims return list that I've had for the past week and a half.

The claims return list is made up of books that customers have said that they have turned in, but for some reason the book can't be found. Sometimes this is an error on our part (the books miss the check-in, they get discarded improperly, get shelved in the wrong place) or on the part of the customer (they only think they turned it in, have lost it, etc.). But basically when the book goes on this list, it stops accruing late fees and goes on a list that we in turn use to go hunting for the books. We do a branch one once a week, and at the beginning of the month we do an entire system-wide list. The list looks something like this:

And for some reason, this month the list was 14 pages long. So I have been working on half of it, and finally reached the last page today. And I managed to find 2 books (they're the only 2 that I have managed to find off the whole thing, it's ridiculous).

While I was looking for them, I was sitting on the rolling bench we use, and the cutest little boy came over and just stood next to me. He was probably about 2, and had blonde curly hair and dimples. Adorable. And he was like, "Hi!" to me and I just grinned and said hi back, and tried to ask him what his name was but he laughed and ran off instead of answering me. He came back a few minutes later and we repeated the routine, but I still didn't get a real answer from him. Oh well, he was still a cutie.

What I really wanted to share tonight was a book called The Wonderful Way that Babies are Made by Larry Christenson. Yes this is a real book. And it gets circulated way more than I think it should, which is a testament to the area that I live in. This book is essentially a childrens' book (although it's shelved in adult non-fiction) for parents to read to their children when asked the classic, "Where do babies come from?" question. It is an extremely Christian-centric book, some parts are written so they rhyme (at least for the younger children) and each page has a corresponding section that goes into more detail (for the older kids).

So after giving a long back story about creationism and Adam and Eve, it goes into talking about sex:

"When a sperm from the father comes together with an egg from the mother, a new baby starts to grow. God made a wonderful way for the father's sperm and the mother's egg to come together. It's something Father and Mother do that is called making love. When husbands and wives make love together, they kiss and tough and lie close to each other; for God made their bodies to fit together so the sperm from the father can swim into the mother. Making love was a wonderful part of God's plan when He made the very first woman and man. It's His beautiful gift just for husbands and wives to bring them happiness all of their lives."

And from the "older kids" section:

"Making love is one of the wonderful things God planned for husbands and wives." And "Intercourse is a very special and wonderful experience that a husband and wife share with each other. It gives them pleasurable feelings in their bodies and a sense of love and closeness to each other."

I suppose if this is your kind of thing, then this book is a pretty good resource to explain sex to younger kids. I take issue with it because of it's single-mindedness. The author makes a point of repeating over and over again that sex is between husband and wife, and condemns those who do not fit this standard, going so far as to say/imply that those who don't are terrible, horrible people. Granted, I'm aware that many people feel this way, but I don't. I like to subscribe to a more open-minded way of thinking, and I try not to judge others for their actions. Therefore, I just have to cringe when I see a book aimed at children that essentially teaches them to judge others for the things they do. There has to be a better way to get the author's message across that you should wait until you get married to make love than to say that all of those who don't are lesser and worse people than you.

P.S. Thanks for the idea for the title of this post, J! :)