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On a dark and stormy night, a stranger knocks on Meg Murry’s door. A stranger who speaks of wrinkles in the fabric of time. A stranger who holds the key to unravelling the mystery of Meg’s father’s disappearance. A stranger by the name of Mrs Whatsit. And so begins Meg Murry's journey through space...Perhaps that’s why I associate A Wrinkle In Time with an uncomplicated kind of innocence. And also why I was so surprised to learn that it came in at number 22 on the ALA’s list of most challenged books between 1990 and 2000. More than surprised: dumbfounded. Disbelieving. And basically… confused. After all, we’re talking about people in the last decade finding a children’s book from the nineteen-sixties offensive enough to request that it is removed from libraries. No way, right? Yes way.
Interestingly, unlike the challenges of YA books based on supposedly age-inappropriate material, A Wrinkle In Time has been challenged for undermining Christian values and beliefs. In the interests of figuring out just what that means, I reread it this weekend. What I found did surprise me. I remembered the book as pure sci-fi, but after my rereading I would actually classify it as having strong Christian influences. The three ladies who take our heroine Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and her friend Calvin on their journey through space - Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, and Mrs Which - are mystical beings who, in addition to having once been stars, also have wings like angels. Perhaps they are angels - but if they are, angels aren't what we think they are. There’s a sense that science is never the whole story, but it is part of it. The same goes for Christianity. I can only conclude that it’s this that has caused offence to those who would see this book removed from library shelves. To me, this is as puzzling as the book itself was to my twelve year old self. Books are about opening your mind to new ideas, right? If you don't believe that, why have any books? Why have libraries?
Did I enjoy this book as much this time? In all honesty, no. It took me fifty pages to get into the rhythm of the writing, and the storyline didn’t blow my mind like it did the first time round. However, it did remind me of the magic of reading outside my comfort zone. There are so many YA titles these days that grab me from page one, sweep me away for hours at a time, and yet don’t challenge me at all - and it took a reread of a classic to remind me that sometimes I need to make more of an effort as a reader. It also reminded me of the first time I encountered new ideas I take for granted nowadays, like dystopia and hyperspace. Ideas I really wouldn't want to be without.
Verdict: This book needs to be in libraries, so that other people can have that mind-blowing first read too.
7 comments:
I loved it when I was younger too -- pretty funny how that works out. The best books stay with you, as you age, I think.
Wow it sounds good and i've always heard this book referred to fondly. would you recommend i read it, Lauren?
Aimee
www.myflutteringheart.blogspot.com
It sounds good, but I've never read it :)
I think the other books, though not my favorite when I was younger, hold up better in my age than A Wrinkle in Time did. AWiT will always be that book; that book that changed my life. That book that turned me from normal, slightly ambitious reader to a voracious, starving without a book in my hands reader. I think everyone should be required to read this book between 9 and 11. Except not required, because then people won't like it. Should mysteriously and serendipitously stumble upon this book like I did and have it change their life.
Aimee: I'm actually not sure if I'd recommend this to an adult who's never read it before. I think regularrumination's comment about it being life-changing at a certain age is pretty spot-on, and most of what I liked about it on my reread was *because* it was a reread. However, you seem to have a more eclectic taste than I do, and if you do check it out I'd definitely be interested to hear what you think of it, as someone who doesn't have an existing 'attachment' to the book.
I tried to read it as an adult (never got to it as a child) and couldn't get through it. Just couldn't do it.
But! If you've read this one, I highly recommend reading "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead. It is a great companion novel (says all of my co-workers at the library)!
This book really changed me--opened me to new scientific ideas (I got halfway through a book about E=MC2 lately, as I remembered the influences it had on the book, and plan to finish it). It also influenced my 'judging' on people. I try to be less harsh and go outside my boundaries. I still have a lot of flaws but I'm better off than I was.
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