Jackasses Attack Comments

Thanks for saying all the things I can’t. This video should run with a disclaimer before it saying that Vic isn’t a journalist, he’s a minister pretending to be a journalist. What never seems to be stated is that last November these people lost and to get revenge they are picking on a public institution that can’t fight back, though it will be a long time before our self appointed “moral guardians” run out of breath.

Thanks for that info, Jim!

Thank you for your blog. I think you sum up the situation pretty well.

At 6:22 into the video, I’ve paused it. So far there’s one huge hole in Mr. Eliason’s argument. He keeps going on about the gross detail that’s in these books. But the fact is, my local Barnes & Noble not only has a romance section (filled with books with way too much detail), but a “Sexuality and Relationships” section. Filled with graphic books. So why, we must ask, does Mr. Eliason not choose to pick on there books? Because he’s an old hoot, who’s anti-homosexual. All right, so this stuff is in the Young Adult section. But would moving the books stop the young adults from walking over to the adult section? If someone wants to read something, they’re going to search it out and read it. If he thinks what’s in those books is “pollution” to the mind, then maybe he should check out what’s on TV, what’s in the movies, what’s on the internet. And at around 15:40. He starts on censorship. And THEN moves onto heterosexual subjects. And then dimisses it! He dismisses it! Why? Because he’s a homophobe. I have several bisexual friends. They are not disgusting or gross or anything. I dated a bisexual girl. There is nothing wrong with homosexuality. Not everyone is like that though. It’s not a plague. Mr. Lyga, you have every single right there is to be infuriated with this. I’m just as enraged. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” my ass. Eliason’s the one bringing the subject up! I almost don’t want to watch past the 22:35 mark. He says: “I hope you want to go there to support those with a strong opinion about this.” …doesn’t he realize he just killed his own argument? Actually, I’m sorry, there is no argument here. The interview was sort of debate-like. But Mr. Eliason just bashes these books over and over. He sounds like a wanna-be communist almost. With all of his yearning for censorship. I’ve dragged on with this comment for too long, though, and I’m sorry, Mr. Lyga, but I can’t watch anymore. I’d rather do my homework than watch this old hoot. I’m gonna spread the word around about this. Let him reap what he’s sown.

Last time I checked, the news was supposed to present us with the facts and let us draw our own picture. Not spend five minutes telling us how wrong and sick homosexuality is before giving us the facts.
“A teenager raised by two dads is moved to Montana” Why does that make me blush?

You claim to be a writer, and you choose the term “jackass” to describe someone whom you do not agree with? How childish.I recently had the displeasure of inadvertently reviewing your book, “Boytoy”, while my 8 year old daughter was in the children’s section of our public library(of which the “young adult” section is a part of. I thought it was kind of a weird title to be there, so while she looked up books on “Bats”, I picked up your book and turned to about the middle of it, and was greeted by some rather disturbing and graphic sexual discriptions.

Filth, is what it’s called I think.

I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt and turned a few more pages, only to find more of the same.

I had to come to the conclusion, Mr. Lyga, that you are nothing more than a pornographer, who makes it that much worse because you are marketing your porn to kids. Yes, whether you like it or not teenagers are still kids, who don’t need to be exposed to this kind of vile garbage. There is enough of that everywhere else.

Just because you don’t include x-rated pictures in your book doesn’t mean it isn’t porn. Anyone can write porn.

Not believing what I was reading – in the children’s level of the library mind you – I did take your book to the librarian. She marked the pages I had seen(I didn’t want to see anymore), and took my name and number and will have the library director call me.

Regardless of what you think kids should be exposed to, your book should not be in the young adult section of any library, and from what I’ve seen of it, not in ANY section of the library. An adult book store might be a more appropriate setting for it.

Now, I am sure you don’t care about my thoughts or concerns, and will probably dismiss them while you surround yourself with the people who share your view of things, as so often happens, so you don’t have to be alone with your thoughts.

Because if you were alone you might just have to think about what you are doing, how you are living, and you might find truth.

Just remember, you can delete this comment, but you can’t hide from yourself.

Hi, Lazarus,
First of all, I don’t “claim” to be a writer. I am a writer. Look — I have multiple books published and everything! See? It’s not a claim — it’s a fact.
I called those people jackasses because they ARE jackasses. I don’t see what’s wrong with that. I could have used much stronger language.
I’m amused that YOU chose to use the inaccurate word “pornography” to describe my work. By your own admission, you didn’t bother to read the book. So you don’t know that it’s about a child struggling to overcome the guilt and shame of sexual molestation. Not that you care.
Guess what, Lazarus? Kids get molested. It’s a horrific, vile, disgusting fact of life. I know it because I get e-mails from them, e-mails where they and their friends tell me that reading my books help them to understand that they’re not alone. That they don’t need to be afraid or ashamed. I get e-mails from kids who tell me that they were suicidal until they read one of my books, that reading my book literally saved their lives.
When your library director investigates Boy Toy, he or she will discover that it has won an award. That newspapers from the Chicago Tribune to the LA Times to USA Today have hailed it as an important work of literature. That sexlaws.org — an organization devoted to protecting children from abuse — has broken its rules about only discussing works of nonfiction and put an entire page on its site recommending Boy Toy “for anyone, including teens 16 or older, who want a better understanding of this particular issue and the problems an adolescent male can face.”
The fact of the matter is that bad things happen to kids. My books don’t make those things any worse and sometimes they can make those things better.
So I’m sort of curious — why are you against the existence of a book that has helped children? Why do you hate children, Lazarus? Why do you want them to suffer?
Oh, and by the way — you’ll notice that I didn’t delete your comment. This is because — unlike you — I am not afraid of opinions or ideas with which I do not agree. You don’t like my book — that’s fine. But to try to get it removed from the library? That’s vile and unAmerican.
I don’t like your opinion. I don’t like the way you want kids to live in a world where they can’t read books that can help them understand themselves and the world around them.
But I didn’t do anything to censor your opinion, Lazarus. Think about that.
One more thing — my real name is all over this site and my books. Yours is nowhere to be found. What are you afraid of? Come on, Lazarus — post your name for everyone to see and let’s have a real, open, honest discussion about this.
Barry

Jackass was defined in the 19th century as a “stupid person”. This guy certainly fits that definition. It takes a very special type of stupid to hold on to this bigoted viewpoint.
You chose the username of Lazarus. I’m hoping I can safely assume that this implies that you are a born again Christian. Nearly all the born again Christians I’ve met have this bad habit of using Bible verses out of context to support their own agendas. You seem to share this bad habit since you are willing to criticize a novel without actually reading the context that this supposedly “pornagraphic” material was used in.
Lets look at some quotes from the Bible.”Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.” Song of Solomon 4:5

“If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl’s father fifty shekels of silver.” Deuteronomy 22:28-29
By the same measures that Boy Toy is pornographic, the Bible is more so. Perhaps we should remove the Bible from anywhere children might inadvertently have access to them. This would include stores, libraries, and even churches. This is a book that should obviously only be sold in adult bookstores.
To sum this up for you; you are reading a blog. Blogs are typically one person’s opinion. You may dislike their opinion and you have every right to share that dislike with them. To insult their profession and the material they have put their heart into is just completely unacceptable. You should be ashamed of yourself!

I can’t believe someone would desecrate someone’s book on their own site. I love Barry Lyga’s books, and while you may not agree, I think more people should read books like Boy Toy.
They help people who have been through tough things, or even people who haven’t, understand. It helps us understand how those people who are suffering feel, and it helps them know that they are not alone.
I guess some people want to shelter the world from the horrors that actually exist. Banning books from libraries doesn’t make those problems go away. If you bothered to even read Boy Toy, you would know that every “explicit” part was counteracted by the guilt and troubles that the main character faced during and after the fact.
But I guess people still judge books by their covers, literally.

Wow, I didn’t know that. There are homosexual relationships in books. That’s wrong. Ugh, really though, it’s just an example of idiocy. Anyone can call of at least a couple “young adult” novels that feature something sexual. I have two that come to mind instnatly King Dork, a pretty bad novel in itself, and Breaking Dawn. If that’s allowed why shouldn’t ones of homosexual nature be allowed? I’ve read some novels that depict homosexual relationships and most if not all of them are less described when it comes to sexual themes then straight relationships.

I just read his comment and, even though he will surely never read this I do believe that others will, this is just an absurd view. Boytoy is a novel depiciting a young mans life after his sexual molestation of his sixth grade or so I believe teacher. It’s meant to depict his inability to properly care about the girl he is in love with, his problems with anger and the all around drama that a teenager must normally face in life. Lazarus, you obviously did not fully read the book, but you somehow felt the need to come to Mr. Lyga’s site and write your ignorant little comment. Read the entire book please before you feel compelled to write another comment, because I already feel sorry for your daughter for having a father who did not find out all the facts, a phrase used in this “rant” in regards to finishing a book, before he would make a rash decision.