FromthewebsiteLettersofNote:Correspondencedeservingofawideraudience

Iamveryreal

InOctoberof1973,BruceSeverya26yearoldEnglishteacheratDrakeHighSchool,NorthDakotadecidedtouseKurt Vonnegut'snovel,SlaughterhouseFive,asateachingaidinhisclassroom.Thenextmonth,onNovember7th,theheadoftheschool board,CharlesMcCarthy,demandedthatall32copiesbeburnedintheschool'sfurnaceasaresultofits"obscenelanguage."Other bookssoonmetwiththesamefate. Onthe16thofNovember,KurtVonnegutsentMcCarthythefollowingletter.Hedidn'treceiveareply. (Source:PalmSunday:AnAutobiographicalCollageImage:KurtVonnegut,viaEverythingwasVonnegut.)

November16,1973 DearMr.McCarthy: IamwritingtoyouinyourcapacityaschairmanoftheDrakeSchoolBoard.IamamongthoseAmericanwriterswhosebookshavebeen destroyedinthenowfamousfurnaceofyourschool. Certainmembersofyourcommunityhavesuggestedthatmyworkisevil.Thisisextraordinarilyinsultingtome.ThenewsfromDrake indicatestomethatbooksandwritersareveryunrealtoyoupeople.IamwritingthislettertoletyouknowhowrealIam. Iwantyoutoknow,too,thatmypublisherandIhavedoneabsolutelynothingtoexploitthedisgustingnewsfromDrake.Wearenot clappingeachotherontheback,crowingaboutallthebookswewillsellbecauseofthenews.Wehavedeclinedtogoontelevision, havewrittennofieryletterstoeditorialpages,havegrantednolengthyinterviews.Weareangeredandsickenedandsaddened.Andno copiesofthisletterhavebeensenttoanybodyelse.Younowholdtheonlycopyinyourhands.Itisastrictlyprivateletterfrommetothe peopleofDrake,whohavedonesomuchtodamagemyreputationintheeyesoftheirchildrenandthenintheeyesoftheworld.Doyou havethecourageandordinarydecencytoshowthislettertothepeople,orwillit,too,beconsignedtothefiresofyourfurnace? IgatherfromwhatIreadinthepapersandhearontelevisionthatyouimagineme,andsomeotherwriters,too,asbeingsortofratlike peoplewhoenjoymakingmoneyfrompoisoningthemindsofyoungpeople.Iaminfactalarge,strongperson,fiftyoneyearsold,who didalotoffarmworkasaboy,whoisgoodwithtools.Ihaveraisedsixchildren,threemyownandthreeadopted.Theyhaveallturned outwell.Twoofthemarefarmers.IamacombatinfantryveteranfromWorldWarII,andholdaPurpleHeart.IhaveearnedwhateverI ownbyhardwork.Ihaveneverbeenarrestedorsuedforanything.IamsomuchtrustedwithyoungpeopleandbyyoungpeoplethatI haveservedonthefacultiesoftheUniversityofIowa,Harvard,andtheCityCollegeofNewYork.EveryyearIreceiveatleastadozen invitationstobecommencementspeakeratcollegesandhighschools.Mybooksareprobablymorewidelyusedinschoolsthanthoseof anyotherlivingAmericanfictionwriter. Ifyouweretobothertoreadmybooks,tobehaveaseducatedpersonswould,youwouldlearnthattheyarenotsexy,anddonotarguein favorofwildnessofanykind.Theybegthatpeoplebekinderandmoreresponsiblethantheyoftenare.Itistruethatsomeofthe charactersspeakcoarsely.Thatisbecausepeoplespeakcoarselyinreallife.Especiallysoldiersandhardworkingmenspeakcoarsely, andevenourmostshelteredchildrenknowthat.Andweallknow,too,thatthosewordsreallydontdamagechildrenmuch.Theydidnt damageuswhenwewereyoung.Itwasevildeedsandlyingthathurtus.

AfterIhavesaidallthis,Iamsureyouarestillreadytorespond,ineffect,Yes,yesbutitstillremainsourrightandourresponsibilityto decidewhatbooksourchildrenaregoingtobemadetoreadinourcommunity.Thisissurelyso.Butitisalsotruethatifyouexercise thatrightandfulfillthatresponsibilityinanignorant,harsh,unAmericanmanner,thenpeopleareentitledtocallyoubadcitizensand fools.Evenyourownchildrenareentitledtocallyouthat. Ireadinthenewspaperthatyourcommunityismystifiedbytheoutcryfromalloverthecountryaboutwhatyouhavedone.Well,you havediscoveredthatDrakeisapartofAmericancivilization,andyourfellowAmericanscantstanditthatyouhavebehavedinsuchan uncivilizedway.Perhapsyouwilllearnfromthisthatbooksaresacredtofreemenforverygoodreasons,andthatwarshavebeen foughtagainstnationswhichhatebooksandburnthem.IfyouareanAmerican,youmustallowallideastocirculatefreelyinyour community,notmerelyyourown. Ifyouandyourboardarenowdeterminedtoshowthatyouinfacthavewisdomandmaturitywhenyouexerciseyourpowersoverthe educationofyouryoung,thenyoushouldacknowledgethatitwasarottenlessonyoutaughtyoungpeopleinafreesocietywhenyou denouncedandthenburnedbooksbooksyouhadntevenread.Youshouldalsoresolvetoexposeyourchildrentoallsortsofopinions andinformation,inorderthattheywillbebetterequippedtomakedecisionsandtosurvive. Again:youhaveinsultedme,andIamagoodcitizen,andIamveryreal. KurtVonnegut