You Are What Your Eat (and Read)

This article was published last week in our local diocesan paper. I'm not sure how long the article link will stay live, and the online version did not publish the (in my humble opinion!) excellent sidebar on some great alternatives, so I am just going to post it here as well.

I was very happy with the way the article came out. I had to cut a lot out to keep it under 1,000 words (including sidebar!), but I captured the key points well. My other main point is not to say, no, no, no, but rather, look at these great alternatives that are equally satisfying.

After talking with a number of moms-of-teens after the article came out, I've found that that girls who read the books along with their moms and talk about them are actually having great conversations and learning what to take away and what to leave behind from these books.

I still think they should all read Northanger Abbey, nonetheless, both moms and girls. There's always a Jane Austen solution to everything.... (I'm joking here, but I'm right).

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When Claire, the French 15-year-old visiting our family this summer, pointed out “Twilight” on a Barnes & Noble visit, and said she had enjoyed it, I had proof the Stephenie Meyer novels really are an international phenomenon.

The “Twilight Saga,” for those without teenage girls in your immediate orbit, is a popular four-novel series about the love story of Edward Cullen, an impossibly handsome and virtuous vampire, and Bella Swan, a kind of “everygirl.”

“Breaking Dawn,” the final in the series, and others are on the New York Times Bestseller list; a movie is slated for November release.

I found they are all quick, enjoyable, reads. They are mostly free of explicit sex and violence (the fourth crosses some lines), but there’s lots of heavy breathing and implied violence. “Breaking Dawn” is the best of the bunch, with a more mature sensibility, and even a pro-life theme of sorts, with Bella and another vampire trying to protect her unborn child.

Still, I have a lot of reservations, quite apart from the supernatural element that I know may give many pause. Let me just pick one: the way to practice self-control is not to put your beloved in mortal danger so you can “get stronger,” as Edward does so he can resist Bella. It might work for vampires, but it doesn’t work for humans. Some like to call the alternative “avoiding the near occasion of sin,” and it’s time-tested.

But that’s really not the point. Young women reading these books aren’t looking for role models or boyfriend tips, though I think some are. It’s all just escapism and fantasy and fun, right?

Yes and no. I’m not trying to spoil anyone’s fun, but . . .

An analogy might help. One of my other summer reads was “In Defense of Food,” Michael Pollan’s critique of the modern food culture. He recommends, “Eat food. Not too much. Plants, mostly.”

My new discovery (turns out I’m hopelessly behind) is that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is the new “trans fat.” In the same way we’ve all become aware of and avoid trans fat, HFCS is being understood now as bad for our bodies. In our family, we’ve been really shocked to see where it shows up. Rice Krispies? They’re not even sweet!

But while we’re gradually trying to make healthier choices at the grocery store, I don’t feel condemned by Pollan. We’re just doing the best we can, and glad someone is making us aware.

So what’s that to do with the “Twilight Saga”? If the novels were a food, HFCS would be the first ingredient, and trans fat the second. I haven’t sent them to the lab to be analyzed — that’s just my quick English major opinion.

So is reading “Twilight” going to kill you? Probably not; just as eating the occasional super-processed fast food meal won’t kill you. But you aren’t going to be very healthy if that’s all you eat.

And your mind and soul won’t be well-nourished or healthy if books like this are all you read. Especially if you read them without considering carefully what you want to take away, and what you want to leave behind. Or, a friend points out when we talk about a less-than-perfect book or movie, “Don’t forget to spit out the bones.”

And just like some food substances can alter your body so it becomes difficult to metabolize real food well, some novels might leave you not as able to appreciate good literature, and, more importantly, the real world.

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Sidebar:

If you’ve read the “Twilight Saga” books, consider the following, “whole-food” alternatives. If you haven’t read them, you’ll like these better:

For Reading:

*Regina Doman has a terrific series of novels that match the emotional intensity of the “Twilight Saga,” but with a clearer and more Catholic vision of the human person. The novels have action, romance and even a bit of the supernatural. Unfortunately, they are not easy to obtain from traditional retailers, but I was able to find them at Adoremus Books, (with free shipping over $25, just like Amazon). .

The novels are:
--The Shadow of the Bear
--Black As Night
--The Midnight Dancer
--Waking Rose

*No one who knows me will be surprised to see Jane Austen recommended here, but truly, her funniest novel, Northanger Abbey, is appropriate for anyone enchanted by Twilight.

Heroine Catherine Morland has a vivid imagination from reading lots of horror novels, and nearly ruins everything when she lets it run away from her. If you have an active imagination, read it and laugh at yourself. Then read another Jane Austen novel…they’re all good. Please don’t bother with the movie adaptations of Northanger Abbey; unlike most other Jane Austen novels, this one has never been captured well on screen.

*For both parents and teens, read Australian writer Clare Cannon’s detailed critique of the Twilight saga. Her sensible article, “The Best Thing Since Harry Potter?” can be found here.

For your movie “queue”:

*Groundhog Day makes “top films of all time” lists for good reason.

In the “Twilight Saga,” vampires are so perfect at some things, like languages and playing piano and making money, because they never die.

Groundhog Day explores this theme with much more success and humor.

Bill Murray’s character is doomed to live the same day, Groundhog Day, over again until he learns that finding true joy and is not about meeting his own needs, but serving others. The movie is funny & poignant, and makes you want to be a better person yourself rather than look for the perfect person to make you happy. It captures well the “theology of the body” concept of the “sincere gift of self.”

For listening:

Twilight author Meyer pays homage to bands that helped her write the novels. Pass those by, and head towards Itunes to download some Superchick, an awesome group with positive messages.

Three songs come to mind:

*Princes and Frogs (be sure to get the longer, Underdog remix version). Extra credit to discuss this line: when you look into his eyes, are you a princess or a fly?

Barlow Girl: It came out a few years ago, but the message is unchanging and well-sung.

So Beautiful: This energetic anthem reminds all girls (of any age) of our beauty is “from birth,” not from what the culture dictates.