With conversations relating to Banned Books Week still fresh on my mind – did you know that Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford was one of the most frequently challenged books of the last decade? – I picked up Adam Pepper’s newest release this weekend, a bizarro fiction novella entitled Super Fetus. Essentially the story of a self-aware fetus whose morally bankrupt mother (at 22 years of age, she already has three children from three different men, one of whom is her own father!) is desperately trying to abort him, this darkly humorous novella will surely appall and upset a sizable percentage of people who read it.
I’ve read Pepper’s work before (2003’s Memoria) and he seems to relish exploring the boundaries of hot-button topics with a decidedly twisted sense of humor – the existence of a soul and an afterlife in Memoria and abortion in Super Fetus – so I wasn’t overly offended as I read his latest: it was enthralling in a strangely horrific, darkly comedic way…. And even though he included an Author’s Note in the beginning of the book denying that Super Fetus was intended as a social statement, there is no way that I can look at this story as anything but in-your-face, allegorical social commentary. After the nameless fetus realizes his mother’s intentions – “My mommy is trying to kill me.” – he must fight off abortion clinic vacuums, surgical tongs and scalpels, and after all of those efforts to end his life fail, he is viciously attacked by his own coat hanger wielding mother. The tagline on the book’s back cover says it all: “Too tough to be aborted, Super Fetus fights back!”
Reading this controversial work of speculative fiction got me thinking about all of the science fiction and fantasy books that have been banned and/or challenged from libraries, schools, etc. over the last few decades: Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, Huxley’s Brave New World, Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 45, Rowling’s Harry Potter saga, Lowry’s The Giver, even Dav Pilkey’s The Adventures of Captain Underpants! Most of these titles are unarguably classic works of literature.
My issue here isn’t so much with the banning of a particular book as it is with the overall attitude – or condition – of humankind. Why is it that when faced with a book that may not fit in precisely with one’s personal worldview, some choose to ban, prohibit or outlaw that book? Narrow-mindedness is such a terrible affliction – and it’s made even more heartbreaking because those that chose to outlaw books like Slaughterhouse-Five and Brave New World just may be those who would benefit the most from reading them! That’s why I cherish seeking out and reading books like Super Fetus. I may not agree with or particularly enjoy every book I read but it’s a glorious feeling to have the opportunity to experience the philosophies, hopes, dreams and/or visions of those who may see the world differently than I do. What a great way to not only more clearly understand yourself but to also educate yourself and broaden your mind – by reading novels that challenge, enlighten, provoke, consider, question…
One of my favorite quotes is oh so fitting here: “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton
So, in conclusion, I’d like to personally thank each and every author who has ever written a novel or story that someone, somewhere has tried to prohibit or ban in any way. Adam Pepper’s Super Fetus is a perfect example – sure, there will be those out there who are disgusted and appalled by this book but there will be others who get the author’s humor, enjoy it immensely and get something out of it, be it entertainment or enlightenment. I mean, imagine a world without any of these thought-provoking books: what a sad and boring and backwards world that would be….
Sometimes I think I like a book better when I know it has turned someone's crank. Not quite sure why...I was always a pretty good kid so reading "banned" things was my rebel outlet.
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You're singing to the choir, Melissa! 
