Topic: Body parts

[rbt]

  Hey guys, its been a while but i missed being here. been busy on my 9-5 and working on my series but i had a quick question. There are few and many things that people can consider offensive in a MG book. There are also some things that can get a book shunned or banned. My question is, if in my book, the MC who is 12/13 refers to the male reproductive organs as "marbles", is that obscene? Is it inappropriate for such a age group? Is it too much? Say for example he tells another character, "I cant believe you had the marbles to do that!" I think of MG as 10-14 and i know we talked about that kind of stuff. But the main character is not referring to them in a sexual way, just slang. And doing it for good reason, not just to say it at random to sound cool or for a laugh. Could this get the book banned or worse? The word is only used one other time in the book and maybe once in another. Dont know if its going to be in any more, but its apart of who he is. Remember life when we were that age. That's my MC. Young, and full of life. No profanity though. With all the hoopla about what kids are reading these days, i imagine they are seeing far worse elsewhere. Thanks

[AmandaSue]

I'm not an expert, but I wouldn't have an issue with it.  I am religious and conservative in many ways, but I also do not believe in book banning, so.....maybe I'm no help at all!  I don't think there is anything wrong with marbles, it is not crude in my opinion.  My only word of caution is that MG can be considered for children as young as 8.  I don't know if that changes your mind, or not.

I think of the Giver.  I know it was read out loud in my husband's class when he was in grade school, and I read it in the fourth grade.  We were probably both ten at the time, but it is an MG book, and the MC has a dream about asking a girl to take a bath.  It isn't graphic or anything, but I would say it is more than just the word "marbles". 
Of course, some people wouldn't let their kids read the giver.  I heard a woman say she won't let her daughter read Junie B. Jones.  If someone is a book banner, they'll find any reason, and it may not be the reason you think. 

If it is any encouragement, I had an english teacher joke that if she wrote a book she would try to get it banned, because then people were sure to want to buy it and find out what was in it.  Sounds like a recipe for success to me!

[Kell]

I personally find that expression sexist because it equates courage with maleness (and I don't like the "ovaries" version either). But certainly it's something people say, so if a character says it, it would be fine for me as part of characterization in YA. MG, probably not  --   I know some parents/teachers/librarians didn't like a very benign reference to a dog's scrotum in A Higher Power of Lucky, and that was both A) a dog B) strictly anatomical.

Also, I have never heard that exact expression -- stones, balls, gonads, cajones, but not marbles. I'm not sure if that would make it more acceptable *shrug*

[Kurtis]

You can leave it in for now and let your editor decide if it needs to go. Or you can just find another way to say it without resorting to male-centric metaphor (stones, marbles, balls, etc.) How about "guts"?

[Laura L. Sullivan]

I've never heard marbles in that context either -- I wonder if people might think of it as in "lost your marbles"?

I don't think it would be a problem, though, particularly with that slight ambiguity.

[Joni]

What Kurtis said.

[amberturner]

I like the "guts" approach too. I would wince at the marbles reference if I were reading it with my MG daughter.

[Christine B.]

I agree with Kell and Kurtis.

[Mike Jung]

I agree with Kurtis that your editor won't hesitate to let you know if it needs to change. I think real-life middle grade boys DO use that kind of expression without resorting to euphemisms, but having a few alternatives in mind is probably good. Guts, nerve, spine, that sort of thing...

[Alison Stevens]

Heehee, AmandaSue, I was going to say the same thing about banned books selling!

I agree with Kell that the statement is pretty sexist, but if it fits the voice of your character.... As for referring to that part of the anatomy, I used cojones in my MG (said by a Mexican-American character); I hope someone will tell me if it needs to be removed!

[ameyers]

I agree with Kurtis. It doesn't bother me and I get your meaning. But let your editor decide.

[AnnH]

What about "nuts" or "the family jewels"?