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Saturday, February 01, 2014
Mormon Mention: Rainbow Rowell
1:03 AM
****
In Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, Cath Avery is a college freshman who spends most of her time in her dorm room studying, worrying and writing fanfiction. She's introverted and nerdy, a complete puzzle to her new roommate, Reagan. This conversation ensues:
"Wear whatever. Wear something that doesn't have Simon Snow on it, so that people won't assume your brain stopped developing when you were seven."
Cath put on her read CARRY ON t-shirt with jeans, and redid her ponytail.
Reagan frowned at her. "Do you have to wear your hair like that? Is it some kind of Mormon thing?"
"I'm not Mormon."
"I said some kind." There was a knock at the door, and Reagan opened it.
-- Quote from Fangirl, page 69
Like I said, Cath's a "good girl," a virgin who doesn't drink, smoke, party or throw herself at random guys. Naturally, Reagan—who's her complete opposite— assumes she's a nun. Or a Mormon.
Passages like this are actually compliments to us, I think, since they're commentaries on the LDS ideals of clean living. Active church members adhere to the Word of Wisdom, which strongly cautions against the use of tobacco, strong drinks, even coffee and tea. We are counseled to stay away from other potentially harmful behaviors as well, including taking illegal drugs, abusing prescription drugs, engaging in premarital sex, etc. Thus, we've earned a reputation as people who strive to be as squeaky clean as possible. Which isn't a bad thing. Not at all.
A side note on Mormon college life: Many LDS kids choose to attend church colleges (BYU-Provo, BYU-Idaho, BYU-Hawaii, etc.), not just because they're good schools, but also because students there are required to uphold the standards of the LDS Church. Does this mean there isn't any drinking, smoking, drugs, partying, sleeping around, etc.? Of course not. If you're looking for that kind of thing, I'm sure you can find it at BYU just as easily as anywhere else. However, it is definitely not the norm. Most BYU-ers are at BYU because they've made a conscious choice to avoid those kinds of elements. In fact, BYU-Provo's been named the nation's top "Stone Cold Sober" school for almost 20 years in a row by The Princeton Review. It's a distinction of which Mormons, especially BYU alums (like Yours Truly), are extremely proud.
Labels:BYU,College,Mormon Mentions,Rainbow Rowell
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But are there more ponytails at BYU? I don't remember anymore...
ReplyDeleteActually, Rainbow Rowell is a Mormon.
ReplyDeleteReally? How do you know? I can't find anything definitive about it on the Web ...
Delete