Books A Million blues

I finally went to Books A Million on Saturday night. I suppose I’m still missing Borders, because I was disappointed. I was confused as to how they determined which titles they carry and which they don’t. Today I searched reviews of BAM. I believe one consumer nailed the description as “the Big Lots of book stores.” That explains why there were 3 shelves of James Patterson, 2 titles from Ann Rule, and 0 titles from Charlaine Harris. I know those are all different genres, but they are also all prolific authors.

Another site I found is called Glassdoor – past employees review their former employers as to Pros, Cons, and give advice to senior management. Looks like BAM gets a low rating from its former employees mostly because they are pressured to sell, sell, sell the discount cards. On Saturday night, I went to the restroom while Michael paid for my purchases. When I caught up to him, he told me he had signed me up for the $20 discount card. My right eye started twitching before he confessed, “I’m kidding!”

So, I’m back to yearning for a “good” book store. One in which I can roam around, pick up books with interesting covers, and read their back cover before deciding to buy. I browse online, but I don’t really like it. It’s too easy to get lost. One minute I’m searching for the book club selection and the next I find myself reading about hexicdecimal color values and wondering how the heck I got there. Certainly searching by genre produces too many results. BTW another online site (Pissed Consumer), which provided reviews of the BAM online store, indicated low marks for their online customer service. Heaven help me if Amazon ever goes down the tubes!

So, perhaps this is the impetus I need to return to the library on a regular basis to wander the stacks. (They still have stacks, right?) Beyond NPR, I am looking to you, my friends, for book recommendations! What are you reading this week?

The sexualization of childhood

This is the topic of So Sexy, So Soon by Diane E. Levin and Jean Kilbourne. I heard Ms. Kilbourne on NPR some months back talking about her documentary, Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising’s Image of Women. During the interview, she mentioned this book.

The book discusses the barrage of sexual messages and gender stereotypes aimed at children and how it affects their self concept and their ability to have caring intimate relationships as adults.

The authors advocate accurate, no nonsense sex education in schools as one way of combating these messages:

“So although most of the messages about sex in the media are inaccurate, misleading, and distorted, young people generally accept them as fact, given the absence of accurate sex education in their lives.”

They maintain that we (and children) are desensitized by the sheer number of messages and therefore may think that what we’re seeing isn’t that harmful or influential. Quoting a researcher from UNC:

“If you believe Sesame Street taught your four-year old something, then you better believe MTV is teaching your fourteen-year old something, because the influence doesn’t stop when we come to a certain age.”

Another thing they advocate is reducing or eliminating advertising aimed at children:

“Of course, all these sexual images aren’t intended to sell our children or us on sex – they are intended to sell us on shopping. The desire they want to inculcate is not for orgasm but for more gizmos. This is the intent of the marketers – but an unintended consequence is the effect these images have on real sexual desire and real lives.”

The book is full of recommendations and resources for parents, teachers, and activists.

So Sexy So Soon: the New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids by Diane E. Levin and Jean Kilbourne, 2008, paperback, 226 pages.