Banned Books
Joseph Brodsky: "There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading."
Celebrate literary freedom by reading a banned or challenged book. Banned Books Week is September 22-28, 2013. According to the American Library Association, the top reasons given for a book to be challenged are sex, profanity and racism. Most of the challenges occur in schools or school libraries.
This is a list from ALA of just a few of the books challenged in 2012-2013:
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Challenged in Guilford County, NC.
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. Challenged in Easton, PA.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Challenged in Troy, PA.
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson. Marked for removal in Davis, UT schools.
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. Pulled but returned to shelf in Brevard County, FL.
A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley. Removed from Katy, TX school district reading list.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Removed but returned as assigned reading in Traverse City, MI schools. Challenged in McPherson, KS high school.
At least 46 of the top 100 novels chosen by the Radcliffe Publishing Course have been challenged, according to the Office of Intellectual Freedom of the ALA.
Are you looking for a banned or challenged book to read? Try one of these frequently challenged books. In honor of Banned Books Week, I'll be reading "1984" by George Orwell.
The Great Gatsby/ F. Scott Fitzgerald
1984/ George Orwell
Catch-22/ Joseph Heller
The Grapes of Wrath/ John Steinbeck
The Color Purple/ Alice Walker
The Call of the Wild/ Jack London
In Cold Blood/ Truman Capote
Sophie's Choice/ William Styron
Naked Lunch/ William S. Burroughs
Native Son/ Richard Wright
Lord of the Rings/ J.R.R. Tolkien
Rabbit Run/ John Updike
Gone With the Wind/ Margaret Mitchell
Invisible Man/ Ralph Ellison
Lovely Bones/ Alice Sebold
Bridge to Terabithia/ Katherine Paterson
Harry Potter (series)/ J.K. Rowling
Forever/ Judy Blume
Fahrenheit 451/ Ray Bradbury
A Wrinkle in Time/ Madeline L'Engle
The Perks of Being a Wallflower/ Stephen Chbosky
If you'd like to know more about banned or challenged books, here are three helpful websites:
www.ala.org
www.deletecensorship.org
www/tjcenter.org (Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression)
Happy Reading!
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Summer Vacation
Anna Quindlen: "Books are the plane and the train and the road. They are the destination and journey. They are home."
Somewhere right now, with a pencil firmly clutched in a sweaty hand, a student is writing the dreaded "What I Did On My Summer Vacation" essay. Traveled to Grandma's house? Fought off mosquitoes on an ill-advised camping trip? Broke an arm while skateboarding? Learned to play the piano?
Then, as now, my essay would revolve around the books I read and characters I met. Packing books along on a trip is as necessary as sunscreen and jeans. This summer, I had conversations about books on porches, in hallways, in restaurants and cars. Future reading ideas came from sisters, cousins and friends. Thanks for the ideas. This fall, I'll be reading "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline and William Faulkner's "Light In August."
The fall season promises many new books to read, enjoy or wonder how was this ever published?
New books are on the way from Stephen King, Wally Lamb, Linda Ronstadt (memoir), Jhumpa Luhiri, Thomas Pynchon, Donna Tartt, Bill Bryson, Doris Kearns Goodwin, David Baldacci, Janet Evanovich, John Grisham and Terry McMillan.
September is Be Kind to Writers & Editors month, and library card sign-up month. Treat yourself to a visit to your public library and check out the new books and events. Email or tweet your favorite writer/author and say "thanks."
What I read on my summer vacation:
Full Body Burden - Iversen, Kristen. A somber look at Colorado's Rocky Flats nuclear facility and the people who lived and worked in the area. Iversen was raised in Rocky Flats, surrounded by secrecy - what was happening at the facility and in her own home. The title refers to the "state of activity of a radioactive chemical in the body at a specified time after administration" according to Mosby's Medical Dictionary.
Silent Wife - Harrison, A.S.A. If you liked last year's Gone Girl, you'll enjoy this thriller about a philandering husband and his discarded wife. Enough said.
Joyland - King, Stephen. I kept checking the cover to make sure I was reading a King novel. To answer a friend's question about it being typically King scary, no it's not. This is King's maiden voyage in pulp-style fiction. I think it's more of a character study of the flamboyant, sad and complicated people who worked at the Joyland amusement park.
The World's Strongest Librarian - Hanagarne, Josh. I can't stop talking about this book or recommending it to everyone. Hanagarne's writing is strong, almost poetic at times. We join him as he is diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome, struggles at relationships and at finding a suitable career path. We're all fortunate he chose to be a librarian. He writes of the importance of libraries in ALL of our lives. Hats off to Mr. Hanagarne. His blog:
http://worldsstrongestlibrarian.com/
Fourth State of Matter - Beard, JoAnn. A beautiful essay on a tough and heart-breaking topic - the shooting of six people at University of Iowa in 1991. Five died, one later recovered from her injuries. Beard is the author of "In Zanesville" and "The Boys of my Youth."
Top of the Morning - Stelter, Brian. You will never watch the morning news the same again. Stelter looks behind the headlines to the ratings wars, over-the-top personalities and salaries, and (alleged) rampant backstabbing.
Dad is Fat - Gaffigan, Jim. Laughter broke out often as I read this tale of family life. Right off - Gaffigan lives with his wife and five children in a two-bedroom NYC apartment. His own childhood had its painful struggles. However, this is not a self-pitying book. He writes lovingly of his wife and writes humorously of his children.
Blue Plate Special: An Autobiography of My Appetites - Christiansen, Kate. A memoir formed by food and its importance in Christiansen's life. Her novels include: "The Great Man" and "In the Drink."
Anna Quindlen: "Books are the plane and the train and the road. They are the destination and journey. They are home."
Somewhere right now, with a pencil firmly clutched in a sweaty hand, a student is writing the dreaded "What I Did On My Summer Vacation" essay. Traveled to Grandma's house? Fought off mosquitoes on an ill-advised camping trip? Broke an arm while skateboarding? Learned to play the piano?
Then, as now, my essay would revolve around the books I read and characters I met. Packing books along on a trip is as necessary as sunscreen and jeans. This summer, I had conversations about books on porches, in hallways, in restaurants and cars. Future reading ideas came from sisters, cousins and friends. Thanks for the ideas. This fall, I'll be reading "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline and William Faulkner's "Light In August."
The fall season promises many new books to read, enjoy or wonder how was this ever published?
New books are on the way from Stephen King, Wally Lamb, Linda Ronstadt (memoir), Jhumpa Luhiri, Thomas Pynchon, Donna Tartt, Bill Bryson, Doris Kearns Goodwin, David Baldacci, Janet Evanovich, John Grisham and Terry McMillan.
September is Be Kind to Writers & Editors month, and library card sign-up month. Treat yourself to a visit to your public library and check out the new books and events. Email or tweet your favorite writer/author and say "thanks."
What I read on my summer vacation:
Full Body Burden - Iversen, Kristen. A somber look at Colorado's Rocky Flats nuclear facility and the people who lived and worked in the area. Iversen was raised in Rocky Flats, surrounded by secrecy - what was happening at the facility and in her own home. The title refers to the "state of activity of a radioactive chemical in the body at a specified time after administration" according to Mosby's Medical Dictionary.
Silent Wife - Harrison, A.S.A. If you liked last year's Gone Girl, you'll enjoy this thriller about a philandering husband and his discarded wife. Enough said.
Joyland - King, Stephen. I kept checking the cover to make sure I was reading a King novel. To answer a friend's question about it being typically King scary, no it's not. This is King's maiden voyage in pulp-style fiction. I think it's more of a character study of the flamboyant, sad and complicated people who worked at the Joyland amusement park.
The World's Strongest Librarian - Hanagarne, Josh. I can't stop talking about this book or recommending it to everyone. Hanagarne's writing is strong, almost poetic at times. We join him as he is diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome, struggles at relationships and at finding a suitable career path. We're all fortunate he chose to be a librarian. He writes of the importance of libraries in ALL of our lives. Hats off to Mr. Hanagarne. His blog:
http://worldsstrongestlibrarian.com/
Fourth State of Matter - Beard, JoAnn. A beautiful essay on a tough and heart-breaking topic - the shooting of six people at University of Iowa in 1991. Five died, one later recovered from her injuries. Beard is the author of "In Zanesville" and "The Boys of my Youth."
Top of the Morning - Stelter, Brian. You will never watch the morning news the same again. Stelter looks behind the headlines to the ratings wars, over-the-top personalities and salaries, and (alleged) rampant backstabbing.
Dad is Fat - Gaffigan, Jim. Laughter broke out often as I read this tale of family life. Right off - Gaffigan lives with his wife and five children in a two-bedroom NYC apartment. His own childhood had its painful struggles. However, this is not a self-pitying book. He writes lovingly of his wife and writes humorously of his children.
Blue Plate Special: An Autobiography of My Appetites - Christiansen, Kate. A memoir formed by food and its importance in Christiansen's life. Her novels include: "The Great Man" and "In the Drink."
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