"Navarro, Yvonne - The Cutting Room" - читать интересную книгу автора (Navarro Yvonne)

Watching the newscast was habit for both of them, something which had been
ingrained in almost everyone, Roger was sure, from birth. Every evening at six
o'clock he gathered his family and sat in front of the television. The thought
that he was already carrying on the tradition by "training" Brian made him
uneasy, yet he seemed helpless to do otherwise. Most of the time Roger thought
that he didn't really want to watch the newscast, and he was sure that most, if
not all, of what was shown was little more than lies disguised by the colorful
words and painstakingly correct smiles of the newspeople. Yet the thought of
actually missing the newscast, even accidentally, left him feeling unfulfilled.
He knew that if he got up in the middle of the program, went outside and walked
down the street, the chances were better than ninety-nine percent he wouldn't
see another human being on the sidewalk until the hour was over. It occurred to
Roger that even Brian, with his never-ending supply of wriggles and gurgles, sat
far more quietly than one would expect of a boy just entering his terrible twos.

He felt slightly sick as he wondered what unseen messages were being imprinted
on their minds as they sat before the tube like good little soldiers.
Nonetheless, he settled back, watching as the news anchor, a meticulously
made-up woman in her mid-thirties, smiled widely at her unseen audience and
began.
"In nearby Atlanta this morning, the Reverend Jerry Ackerson led a group
comprised of parents and members of his parish in what was supposed to be a
local book-burning festival in the parking lot behind his small church. While
only a small number of participants had been expected, news of the event had
apparently spread to neighboring suburbs and literally thousands of people
turned out, packing the streets and causing major traffic problems in the area
surrounding the New Age Ecumenical Church. When questioned by reporters,
attendants who had been stranded in their cars for over an hour insisted they
didn't mind the wait, pointing out that the firefair had been organized to
destroy books on the so-called Darwinian theory of evolution, a theory
speculating that man was not created in the image of God but grew instead out of
the inferior forms of life on the planet." The newswoman gathered her papers and
tapped them neatly on the desk in front of her. "The festival is still in
progress at this hour and the Atlanta Police Department has indicated that the
New Age Ecumenical Church will receive its full cooperation and support during
the remainder of the book-burning, regardless of its duration."
"That's terrible!" Roger said. The senselessness of it made his fingers twitch
in frustration. "They shouldn't burn those books-н what will happen when they're
gone? There might be people who believe in that Darwin theory."
Miriam shifted Brian's weight and glanced at him. "You'd better be careful, Rog.
Talk like that..." She let the thought go unfinished.
He shook his head. "But it's not right," he insisted. "There used to be
libraries where you could go to read anything you wanted, even check out books
and take them home. People should be able to choose for themselves what they
want to believeнн"
"Stop it!" Miriam snapped. Her tone of voice made Brian's eyes go wide. "Times
change and it's too late to be radical. You have a family to think of. Me,