Bull Market

Ferdinand the Bull turns 90; plus, solitude influencers, a few pleasing things, and a really good place to donate right now.

Dear readers,

Have you been good little boys and girls this week? I sure hope so. Let me know what's new in your world by hitting the old reply button if you like.

The children's book The Story of Ferdinand is officially 90 years old this year. Though the tale of this sweet little bull who'd rather sniff flowers than fight has never gone out of print, it was never on my radar until I became a parent in 2005. I'm not sure why that is. Was it more popular in certain parts of the United States than others in the 197os? Was the animal rights movement vehemently against any subject matter involving bullfighting and so maybe booksellers were cautious about having it in their stores? Were rooting-tooting Southerners concerned that a pacifist bull would kill their son's interest in all manner of hunting? Was the nuclear arms race to blame? It's hard to know, but my research indicates that at least one other person my age didn't discover this tale until she became a parent in the early aughts too, so I imagine that there are others of my vintage who also didn't know about it as kids.

What I love about Ferdinand is that he showed us we don't need to lock horns with everyone in our path. Instead, we can sit back, relax, and sniff the flowers if that's what's in our heart. It's one thing to understand that as an adult. As a kid reading the book, it's a little bit different because you're just starting to tread down the road to becoming yourself, and maybe it hasn't been an easy stroll. Maybe you've been left out or made fun of because you're not like the other bulls. You'd rather draw than play dodgeball, and read instead of play Red Rover. But then you find Ferdinand and realize it's okay to do things your way, too.

The New York Times recently explored the artistry, history, and enduring power of this "unwilling fighter." Published in 1936, the book certainly delighted plenty of readers and became a bestseller. Surprisingly, it also sparked a bit of a culture war, which certainly would have mortified our dear Ferdinand. Spanish General Francisco Franco banned the book for being openly pacifist, while bullfighting aficionado Ernest Hemingway was compelled to rebut the story with his own yarn about a faithful bull who felt that "fighting was his obligation and his duty and his joy." The Cleveland Plain Dealer opined that the story was corrupting America's youth, and Hitler, of course, wanted to burn this book because he believed it was "degenerate democratic propaganda."

It's enough to make you want to scream "Did you even read the book, bro?"

I certainly did. Again and again. And I think it's one of the most important books you can have on a small child's bookshelf because of the lessons it teaches: be true to yourself, be gentle in this world, and, of course, watch out for bees.

Be good to one another, folks. And whatever you do this weekend, don't forget to stop and smell the flowers.

-- Paige

Writing prompt: Write about your favorite children's book. What was it and what did you love about it then? Did it teach you any lessons that you apply to your grown-up life? If so, what were they?

Every secret of a writer's soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind is written large in his works.

-- Virginia Woolf

Endnotes

Allll Byyyy Myyysellllfffff...

Some of us like big crowds of people. Some of us are loners like Ferdinand and that's okay. But you don't need me – or anyone else – to tell you what's right or wrong. Or at least that's what I thought. Recently, The Atlantic published a piece about solitude influencers, or people who gain big online followings by posting about the things they're doing alone, like maybe folding socks, or watching the rain, or staring into the void and wondering why we need to be influenced into doing something that I thought was a perfectly healthy part of existence. Of course, this phenomenon comes with its own special set of hashtags, too, among them #cozyathome, #introvertdiaries, and #alonenotlonely. But are you really in solitude when you're posting for an audience? Is what you're doing real or performative? And if we're coming to these sites seeking validation for our own solo lifestyle, are we really the loner we think we are if we're telling someone in Kalamazoo "yeah, I too like a dark and quiet room full of candles with a little Mozart on the turntable." I mean, I read about stuff like this and I get very confused about the world we're in. But maybe you see it differently. Do you? Hit reply and let me know what you think, and what your relationship to solitude is, if you're so inclined.

Things I'm Enjoying

Isaac Fitzgerald's American Rambler, which is part memoir and part romp through American history and Johnny Appleseed lore. Game 4 of the NBA finals. Kristen Arnett's LitHub advice to a writer whose sister thinks everything she writes is about her [ed. note: I realize this may only be amusing to me because I do occasionally write about my sister here when I'm trying to give BMP a break from all the attention]. Pamela Toler's post about the book Fast Talking Dames.

If you get a minute...

...please consider making a donation to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, which helps domestic violence survivors live their lives free of abuse.