Banned Book: FLAMER

Today is the last day of Banned Books Week 2025 so I made it just under the wire with this review. 

Flamer by Mike Curato is a graphic novel based on some experiences from the author's life. It was the 10th most banned book in 2024.

It is the summer before high school. Aiden is fourteen, a boy on the cusp of manhood. He still has not has his growth spurt so he is short and pudgy for his age. He is constantly teased for his physique and bullied because he doesn't act like other boys think he should. Now at Boy Scout camp for the summer, Aiden finds that bullying hasn't stopped at the school doors. He has made some friends at camp, including his tent mate, Elias. In fact, he keeps having dreams about Elias.

Boys keep calling Aiden "gay" but it can't be true. "I know I’m not gay. Gay boys like other boys. I hate boys. They’re mean, and scary, and they’re always destroying something or saying something dumb or both. I hate that word. Gay. It makes me feel . . . unsafe."

At one point in the book Aiden is so distraught by his attraction toward Elias, the feeling of being abandoned by everyone he cares about, and the near constant bullying that he decides to kill himself.

He makes his way to camp chapel where he ends up wrestling with his soul eventually life winning out over death. The scene was a powerful reminder to any readers that all people are deserving of love and acceptance and joy.

I thought long and hard after I finished the story about how desperate a person must feel to want to end their own life and how importance it is that we accept people for what they are and not try to make everyone conform to some gender standard that is out of reach for most. Then I wondered at the type of person who would want to ban this book, making it not only not available for their child to read, but also so no child could read it.What if that child needed to read this book so they didn't feel alone? Some people are so heartless and thoughtless. I know some people are so frightened that their child might "become" gay by reading a book like this they must do whatever it takes to keep the book away from them. Obviously these people didn't read the book, or they would have seen how agonized Aiden was about his own sexual awareness and identity. This was not a choice for him. He was born this way!

I highly recommend the book. Read it even though Banned Books Week is over.

My rating: 4.75 stars 

-Anne

Review: BANNED TOGETHER: OUR FIGHT FOR READER'S RIGHTS

Banned Together:Our Fight For Reader's Rights is a collection of essays, short stories, memoirs, graphic novels/biographies, poems, and lists of books and resources by YA authors who have recently found themselves in the same club -- authors with at least one banned book.

The editor, Ashley Hope Pérez, the the author of a 2016 Printz Honor book, Out of Darkness. Her book has become one of the most banned or challenged books since 2021. She and sixteen authors and illustrators share their personal narratives to clever comebacks aimed at censorship, all "confronting the high-stakes question of what is lost when books are taken away from young readers."

When I was a teen librarian I would always make a big deal of the perils of censorship during the ALA Banned Books Week -- this year's dates are Oct. 5-11, 2025. I would place posters around the school and do all kinds of provocative announcements to encourage students to come to library to learn more. Some kids would arrive ready to do battle with me, thinking I was the one doing the censoring. Those were fun, teachable moments. Ultimately students understood that I was a firm believer in reading choices and that we needed a variety of books in the library which would speak to all members of our student body. If they were offended by a book or by its subject matter they didn't have to read it, but that didn't mean others wouldn't appreciate its message and it should be available for them. 

I wish I'd had Banned Together as a resource for me, something I could get into the hands of students so they would start to fully understand that detrimental effects that banning books has on all children, our future leaders and decision-makers.

Ashley Hope Pérez says in welcome letter at the beginning of the book,

I am so excited you are holding this book! I have been dreaming of an anthology like this since 2021, whyn my novel Out of Darkness became one of the most banned books in the US. It has been removed again and again from school libraries like yours, targeted by misguided adults who rarely bother to read the books they criticize. Book banners went hard for Out of Darkness, but they have also targets many others. Thousands of books. Books carefully selected by trained librarians. Books that readers have a right to access.

Book banning increased more than 1,500 present between 2021 and 2023. "From July 2021 to June 2023 PEN America documented a total of 5,894 books banned across 4 states and 247 public school districts. These bans restricted access to the work of 2,598 authors, illustrators, and translator" (10). And things are getting worse. Several states are making more and more restrictive laws. For example Utah now requires all school districts in the state to remove a book once it has been banned in three districts. If the topic has something to do with people of color, or has LGBTQ+ characters, it is more likely to be banned. It an author is female, a person of color, or an LGBTQ+ individual, the books are more likely to be banned than those written by straight, white men. Kelly Jensen, writing for Book Riot, gives some tips for things a teen can do to fight book bans on page 15. This is one of my favorite parts of this anthology -- there are so many helpful lists of tips and resource.

It just so happens that on page 56 it is Ashley Hope Pérez speaking again. Here she explains why she wrote the poem "Dancing with Haters":

Whether I'm, dealing with book bans or writing novels, I use words to transform pain, to dance away hate and injustice. My books address the harsh realities that many teens face. Once I put those hardships on the page, I have the chance to transform them. It's difficult, and often uncomfortable, but I know that it matters. Sure, the haters will be back, but I will free myself from their words as many times as I need to.

In this anthology several of the authors wrote essays about events which happened at some point in their life. Events that impacted their self-esteem or their health. For example, Bill Konigsberg, in his essay entitled "Groomer," talks about his first sexual encounter with an older man who was his teacher. A super uncomfortable topic, but one that needs to have the light shined upon it. Elana K Arnold wrote about when she was sexually assaulted in college in her essay "The Things, the Things that Happened, The Things that Happened to Me." You can bet readers of this essay would squirm, but imagine you are a girl and something like this happened to you, wouldn't you want to find yourself in the pages of a book rather than be made to feel, for the rest of your life, that you are alone?

Others wrote short stories or graphic stories which carried a one-two punch. One of my favorites is "Mature Themes" by Marina Omi. In it Omi illustrates an event that changed her life. She was a lonely, immature eleven-year-old when she happened upon a teacher who was cleaning out some old books from his classroom. He told her she could have any of them, but some might have mature themes. She selected Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut. Yes, it had mature themes but it showed her a way to brace herself against the bad stuff by reframing it as ridiculous. From this book she found other books which helped her. "By trusting me with a book with mature themes, my teacher changed, and perhaps saved, my life" (125). She became a reader of banned books and then an author, just like her hero Kurt Vonnegut, and yes one of her books has been banned.

I guess none of us really know what kind of impact our actions have on others. If a book we review or tell someone about will make a difference for that person in a positive way. Or what will happen if we do not speak up. If we hear about book banners in our community and we don't do anything, don't say anything, isn't that the same as saying we agree with their actions?

Book banners love to call books that contain some sexual content as pornographic or obscene. But just because there is sex doesn't make it porn. There is a legal definition of obscenity which can be determined by applying the Miller Test to it.  Here is the part of the Miller Test that applies to books: "The work, taken as a whole, must lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value" (235). think about that: Serious literary, artistic, political, or scientistic value (SLAPS, so you can remember it) and TAKEN AS A WHOLE. No, book banners, reading one passage out of context does not count!

I love this book and it's message. Every library should have a copy. Check to see if your high school and/or public library has one. If they don't, encourage them to buy it. Read it yourself. Be armed for battle...a battle for all of our rights to read whatever books we choose...a battle for the minds of children today!

Start planning ahead. What banned book are you going to read and review during Banned Books Week this coming October 5-11th? (Check out the PEN America Top Ten Banned Books list here.

My rating 5 stars.

Pérez, Ashley Hope, editor. Debbie Fong, illustrator. Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers' Rights. Holiday House, New York, 2025.

-Anne

2022 Banned Books Week Wrap Up

 

Banned and Challenged Books, Banned Books Week, ALA

"Authors Speak Up in Defense of Banned Books". Publisher's Weekly, Sept, 20, 2022.

A library board in Wellington, Colorado votes to ban book bans. Book Riot, Sept. 20, 2022

"Book bans reflect outdated beliefs about how children read." Conversations, Sept. 20, 2022.

"Here's Why I'm Celebrating Banned Books Week." Barack Obama, Sept. 23, 2022

"[Book banning] is a mistake. Not only is it important for young people to see themselves represented in the pages of books, but it’s also important for all of us to engage with different ideas and points of view." -Barack Obama

Beau of the Fifth Column on Sept. 20th on Banned Books Week, Censorship, Targeting of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC authors, and more.

“The wave of book bans that has swept across our country in recent years is a direct attack on First Amendment rights and should alarm every American who believes that freedom of expression is a fundamental pillar of our democracy,” said Chairman Jamie Raskin. (House Committee on Oversight and Reform, on resolution to recognize Banned Books Weeks.)

“Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.” ALA Theme for the 2022 Banned Books Week

 

Thanks to Notes in the Margin for the idea for this post.

Read a banned book this week!

-Anne

OMG: Kansas school district pulls 29 books off library shelves, including major award winners

You know things are bad when the book burnings begin. 

Goddard School District in Kansas recently ordered its libraries to remove 29 books from library shelves. A representative for the district said on Tuesday that one parent objected to language he found offensive in “The Hate U Give,” a novel about the aftermath of a police officer killing a Black teenager. The parent then submitted a list of books he questioned, and district officials agreed to halt checkouts and complete a review.

One parent.

Twenty-nine books pulled.

 

Reported by: KMUW, Nov. 9, 2021 

 

List of books:

“#MurderTrending” by Gretchen McNeil

“All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson

“Anger is a Gift” by Mark Oshiro

“Black Girl Unlimited” by Echo Brown

“Blended” by Sharon M. Draper

“Crank” by Ellen Hopkins

“Fences” by August Wilson

“Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic” by Alison Bechdel

“Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe

“Heavy” by Kiese Laymon

“Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison

“Lily and Dunkin” by Donna Gephart

“Living Dead Girl” by Elizabeth Scott

“Monday’s Not Coming” by Tiffany D. Jackson

“Out of Darkness” by Ashley Hope Perez

“Satanism” by Tamara L. Roleff

“The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime that Changed Their Lives” by Dashka Slater

“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie

“The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison

“The Girl Who Fell From the Sky” by Heidi W. Durrow

“The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood

“The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel” adapted by Renee Nault

“The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky

“The Testaments” by Margaret Atwood

“They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group” by Susan Campbell Bertoletti

“This Book is Gay” by James Dawson

“This One Summer” (graphic novel) by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

“Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard” by Alex Bertie

Surprising me the most is the excellent nonfiction book about the birth of the KKK. Clearly the parent is concerned that his children might read the book and decide to decry racism that he so closely holds.

Sad day.

Super sad day.

BTW: A book worth banning is a book worth reading. Check one of these books out today!

-Anne

Bless Me, Ultima---A Banned Book Selection

During Banned Books Week each September the Office of Intellectual Freedom announces the top ten most frequently banned or challenged books for the previous year. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya made that list for 2013 which is completely shocking since the book was first published in 1972. It is hard to believe that anyone is still making a fuss over a book published more than forty years ago.

I selected Bless Me, Ultima as my banned book read for the year in part because of its inclusion on the list mentioned above, but mainly because of a personal experience that indirectly involved me. Several years ago an English teacher at my school assigned Bless Me, Ultima to her class of Honors students. She was a tough grader and it seemed that everything she assigned drew the ire and scrutiny of parents. I can still see in my memory the long queue of parents lined up to speak to her during back-to-school night. While most teachers had two or three parents in their lines, she had fifteen or twenty. It seemed that everyone was mad at her for something. The next day, an administrator asked if I'd ever read Bless Me, Ultima. District officials were considering pulling the book from the curriculum because of all the complaints and they wanted my opinion. Of course, I was opposed to any such action. I hadn't read the book so I had to do a little research before making a recommendation. The district ultimately decided we would stick with the book but would allow alternative books for students whose parents had objections. That's unfortunate because few books do such an amazing job of highlighting positive aspects of Hispanic culture in the U.S. Bless Me, Ultima is also a remarkable coming-of-age tale. It offers so much to contemplate, to chew over, to learn from. This is a perfect book to teach because it would generate great class discussions.

Author Rudolfo Anaya grew up in a small town in New Mexico. Bless Me, Ultima was his first novel. Anaya said he grew up listening to the magical stories told by the old people in his community. In Bless Me, Ultima the young narrator, Antonio (Tony) tells of:

"his experiences with his friends and family, his schooling, and his special friendship with Ultima, a curandera (curer) who comes to live with his family. Anaya weaves myths and legend into his tale of family life and follows Antonio's spiritual quest to reconcile the existence of evil with God. Antonio learns of the existence of other gods and forces such as sorcery. It also contains expletives (mostly in Spanish), but it reflects the pride and dignity of Chicano life. (Foerstel 228).

Antonio is a very introspective and thoughtful child who has deeply disturbing experiences at a young age, such as witnessing a man's death. With Ultima's help he learns he can gain strength even from negative experiences and that good is always stronger than evil...messages all of us need to hear.

What a pity that some parents try to "protect" their children from reading this book. Young Antonio has questions about his faith and God and he has an adult, Ultima, with whom he can discuss his concerns. Don't all children have questions of a spiritual nature? This book could provide a launching pad for great family discussions. Parents erroneously think that by preventing their children from reading information different from what they believe, children won't question their faith. More likely, children will go out and find answers to their questions elsewhere just as Antonio did when he explored the myth of the golden carp. Censorship has the exact opposite effect of what parents want.

Bless Me, Ultima catapulted itself onto my top twenty all-time favorite books. The language is so rich and evokes such beauty in my mind. I highly recommend that everyone, both young and old, read it.

“I made strength from everything that had happened to me, so that in the end even the final tragedy could not defeat me. And that is what Ultima tried to teach me, that the tragic consequences of life can be overcome by the magical strength that resides in the human heart." --Antonio in Bless Me, Ultima 

One more thing:  I listened to the audiobook of Bless Me, Ultima. Listening to Robert Ramirez, the voice actor, enhanced my reading experience because of his marvelous work. (Recorded Books, 1994).

Source:
Anaya, Ruldofo. Bless Me, Ultima. New York: Warner Books, 1972. Print.

Foerstel, Herbert. Banned in the USA. New York: Greenwood Press, 2002. Print.

Authors of Banned Books Speakout

This has been an amazing week in the GKHS library.  Many teachers are bringing their students in to the library the make their free-choice book selections and I've talked to every class about the implications of banned books and what it means to them.  The last group I worked with was the most rewarding.  30 eager honors students from an English class, they wanted to know all about Banned Books and literally booed when I mentioned that To Kill A Mockingbird is often at the top of the list.  They read that book as a required read last year.  They all wanted to read Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak after I told them about the controversy right now over that book in Missouri. They moaned about the idea of some adult telling everyone they shouldn't read the book just because he doesn't like it.  Bravo for this generation.  They understand how important it is to stand up for their freedom to read.

With that in mind I found a few choice quote from authors about their experiences with book banning.

Carolyn Mackler, author of The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things from an article found on ilovelibraries.org:

So The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things has made it onto the Top Ten list again... The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things is the story of Virginia, a curvy fifteen-year-old girl who has been made to feel terrible about herself by her not-so-curvy family.  But when her “perfect” – quote, unquote – brother falls from grace and the family is propelled into crisis mode, Virginia is forced to reevaluate everything.  She ultimately learns to feel good about herself, even to celebrate herself, as she is, without losing weight, without hurting her body.

Over the years, I have gotten hundreds of letters and emails from teenage girls who have read The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things.  They tell me that they, like Virginia, have always felt lousy about themselves.  But after they read my book they were inspired to take control.  They tell me that my book helped them stop hating their bodies.  They tell me they were depressed or bulimic or cutting themselves and my book encouraged them to get help.  They tell me that The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things was the first book they’ve ever completed and now they’re passionate about reading, and they tell me that this book was their sole support as their father was dying, and it showed them that even though times are tough there will be brighter days in the future.

And yet The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things is frequently banned from schools and libraries.  I write about teenagers as they are, and my characters sometimes curse, and they hook up, and they confront their parents when they feel they are being wronged.  This, I suppose, is upsetting to people who don’t want their child exposed to these things.  While I sincerely doubt that my book will be someone’s only exposure to such content, I respect a parent’s wishes for their children.  Their children, I emphasize.  Not everyone else’s.

This is what I think about when The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things is removed from libraries.  I think about all the letters I’ve received from readers, and I wonder about the teenagers who will never have access to my book.  And I wonder if, because of this, they’re going to feel that much more alone.

As soon as I read this piece by Mackler I ran to my computer to see if nay of my copies of the book were in.  Nope.  It's been a good week for banned books at GKHS and both copies were checked out.  Now I will have to wait my turn.

Ray Bradbury author of Fahrenheit 451 found in the Coda of the book:

...I discovered that, over the years, some cubby-hole editors at Ballantine Books, fearful of contaminating the young, had, bit by bit, censored some 75 separate sections from [Fahrenheit 451]. Students, reading the novel which, after all, deals with censorship and book-burning in the future, wrote to tell me of this exquisite irony. ("Coda" 1979)

Books don't have to be banned to be rendered useless.  Just edit all the bad bits out and leave behind the milk toast. Blah!  Or as Bradbury says: "There is more than one way to burn a book."

Judy Blume, one of the most frequently banned or censored authors, reminds us that parents can help avoid the need for censorship merely by talking to their kids:

"Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won't have as much censorship because we won't have as much fear.”

 

Thank you Judy for all you've done for young women and for all of us in terms of understand the dangers of censorship!

The Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher

I finally have the perfect book to recommend to teenagers who want to know more about book banning.  It is The Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher. Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while will remember that I read and loved two of Chris Crutcher's books this summer and became a big fan of him at the same time.

The story is set in a small community in Idaho where two friends Eddie and Billy (the narrator) enjoy doing just about everything together, especially running and sledding.  When Eddie's dad dies of a tragic accident he is devastated but at least he still has his friend Billy for support. But then two months later Billy dies in another senseless accident and Eddie goes into a total tailspin.  Before Billy departs from this world he senses that he needs to stay for a while to help Eddie cope with his losses. That is how Billy can be the all-knowing narrator---he has a heavenly vantage point.

When Eddie finally returns to school after his double tragedy, he finds solace in his Modern Lit. class taught by the librarian (no wonder I like it) and the book they are assigned to read, Warren Peece. The book is chalk full of controversial topics but many students find themselves on the pages and are excited to have an opportunity to discuss the book. (And don't you just love the irony in the title of the book?)  That is until the most conservative teacher and part-time pastor, Mr. Tarter, gets a few parents activated in an attempt to ban the book.

The Sledding Hill is different than any fiction book I have ever read because Chris Crutcher inserts himself into the story as the author of the fictional book, Warren Peece, and as a YA author whose works are often banned or frequently-challenged...which is really the case. Crutcher seems to have a sense of humor about himself that shows up in this book and I found it charming.

"This clever, spirited post-modern meta-narrative is a quick read that is bound to be controversial. It has no profanity, sexual acts, drug or alcohol use, or bloody violence but takes dead aim at censors."-School Library Journal
 
On a related note...I just finished reading this book last night.  Today, out of the blue, as I was walking through the cafeteria another teacher stopped me to ask me if I had any Chris Crutcher books in the library.  It seems that this teacher became acquainted with him this summer and is now a big fan, too.  Weird timing and small world. Also, Chris Crutcher's webpage has a plethora of information and links to even more information about book banning and censorship.  Take a look here.

Remember...banned books week is still on.  

Read a banned book this week.  Carry it with you to 

work or school and keep the cover out for all to see!

To Speak or Not to Speak...

Last week a Republic (Springfield), Missouri parent and college professor wrote an opinion piece in the local newspaper, The News-Leader. Among other things this person identifies Laurie Halse Anderson's award-winning book, Speak, as soft pornography. Anyone who has read this book knows that Speak is a condemnation of rape and of casual sex. It is about a girl who is so traumatized by being raped that she can't speak and she spirals into a deep depression.  This 1999 book is powerful in helping students recognize the need to seek help, to ask for what we need. Sure doesn't sound like any pornography I've ever seen or heard of.

Laurie Halse Anderson responded in her blog.  Here is a quote from that blog:

The fact that he sees rape as sexually exciting (pornographic) is disturbing, if not horrifying. It gets worse, if that’s possible, when he goes on to completely mischaracterize the book.
Some people say that I shouldn’t make a big deal about this. That I am giving him more attention than he deserves. But this guy lives about an hour and half from the school district that banned Sherman Alexie’s THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN this month. (Where they not only banned it from class usage but also voted to have it removed from the library shelves.) My fear is that good-hearted people in Scroggins’ community will read his piece and believe what he says. And then they will complain to the school board. And then the book will be pulled and then all those kids who might have found truth and support in the book will be denied that. In addition, all the kids who have healthy emotional lives but who hate reading, will miss the chance to enjoy a book that might change their opinion.

Bravo for Ms. Anderson.  We all have to stand up when the censors get out their guns and fire away with lies and half-truths.  We can't sit idly by and think to ourselves, "Well, that would never happen in my community." Today Missouri, tomorrow your home town.

In honor of banned books week read  

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. 

Afterwards donate it to your local secondary school library.

Mark Twain on Book Banning

When Huck Finn came under fire and was banned by the Omaha Public Library in 1902, Mark Twain said this in response:

     "Dear Sir, Your telegram has arrived, but I have already said all I want to say concerning Huck Finn's new adventures, there is no need to say it again...I am tearfully afraid this noise is doing much harm. It has started a number of hitherto spotless people to reading Huck Finn, out of a natural human curiosity to learn what this is all about---people who had not heard of him before; people who will go to wreck and ruin now. The publishers are glad, but it makes me want to borrow a handkerchief and cry. I should be sorry to think it is the publishers themselves that got up this little flutter to enable them to unload a book that has been taking up much room in their cellars..."    NY Times September, 6, 1902 (View the original article here.)

I truly believe that Mark Twain was on to something.  Why else would books like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), Catcher in the Rye (1951), The Chocolate War (1974), Slaughterhouse Five (1969), and The Color Purple (1982) still be attracting attention decades after they were first published?

Margaret Atwood in her novel The Blind Assassin said, "There's nothing like a shovelful of dirt to encourage literacy."

Bring on the dirt!

Think for yourself and let others do the same.  Read a banned book this week.

Silliest and most illogical reasons for book banning

The silliest and most illogical reasons for book banning

1. “Encourages children to break dishes so they won’t have to dry them.” ( A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstien) 

2. “It caused a wave of rapes.” ( Arabian Nights, or Thousand and One Nights, anonymous) 

3. “If there is a possibility that something might be controversial, then why not eliminate it?” ( Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, by Dee Brown) 

4. “Tarzan was ‘living in sin’ with Jane.” ( Tarzan, by Edgar Rice Burroughs) 

5. “It is a real ‘downer.’” ( Diary of Anne Frank, by Anne Frank) 

6. “The basket carried by Little Red Riding Hood contained a bottle of wine, which condones the use of alcohol.” ( Little Red Riding Hood, by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm) 

7. “One bunny is white and the other is black and this ‘brainwashes’ readers into accepting miscegenation."(The Rabbit’s Wedding, by Garth Williams) 

8. “It is a religious book and public funds should not be used to purchase religious books.” ( Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, by Walter A. Elwell, ed.) 

9. “A female dog is called a bitch.” ( My Friend Flicka, by Mary O’Hara) 

10. “An unofficial version of the story of Noah’s Ark will confuse children.” ( Many Waters, by Madeleine L’Engle) ----ALA  Ideas for Displays 

Read a banned book this week. 

 

 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

The American Library Association published the list of the Top Ten Most Banned Books of 2009 in preparation for Banned Book Week which is September 25-October 2nd this year. The Color Purple by Alice Walker is once again on that list. Can you imagine that people are still trying to ban students from reading this book over 27 years after it was published?  But actually most of the books on the list were published decades ago.  I swear that act of attempting a ban on a book increases interest in the book.  "There is nothing like a shovelful of dirt to encourage literacy." (Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin)

So I finally read The Color Purple.  Sometimes I am embarrassed when I consider the books I haven't read.  Up until a week ago this book was on that list.  As I started reading it I realized that I basically didn't know anything about the book other than it was about a black family and incest occurred. Here's a quick summary about the book:   "The Color Purple by Alice Walker, published in 1982. It won a Pulitzer Prize in 1983. A feminist novel about an abused and uneducated black woman's struggle for empowerment, the novel was praised for the depth of its female characters and for its eloquent use of black English vernacular." -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

 I don't need to tell you to read it.  If you haven't read it you know you should. It is not just a fabulous book it is an important book. It has an important message for all people about the transformative power of love and friendship in overcoming cruelty and despair. It is a powerful statement about the power we have within us to better our lives.

Read a banned book this week. 

"Think for yourself and let others do the same."

Banned Book Challenge...Read a Banned Book Today!

Banned Book Week is coming soon.  In honor of that event I am picking books which have been frequently banned or challenged as my reading selections this month.

Last year Ani Vrabel at Paste Magazine.com wrote an article called "10 Frequently-Challenged Books Everyone Should Read." The article highlights each selection and tells why the book is frequently-challenged and why it is worthwhile reading.  The ten books are listed below and please take a look at the article for all those details. After Vrabel's list I have added a few frequently-challenged books that I think everyone should read.  In the comment section, please add your suggestions of books you think everyone should read, too.

1. Catcher in the Rye by Holden Caufield
     I read this book a few years ago because it has been such a frequently-challenged book. I honestly think that attempts at banning books actually causes many people to read the books.
2.  Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
     Because it is an uncomfortable subject it should be banned?
3.  To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
     I had a student tell me that he hated this book because it contains the N-word.  I asked him if his teacher did anything about the history of the time when it was written to help him understand the use of the word.  He said no.  Such a pity.
4.  The Giver by Lois Lowry    
5.  Lord of the Flies by William Golding    
6.  Native Son by Richard Wright
7.  Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
8.  Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
     Can you believe that I haven't read books 4-8?  Obviously they are all on my "list" now.
9.  Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
     I guess that parents are uncomfortable with death and learning disabilities, otherwise why would they want to ban this classic?
10. Any book by Judy Blume
      I'm a bit old to have benefited personally from Judy Blume, but my daughters read her books and felt they helped.

Books I would add to the list of frequently-challenged books everyone should read ...
A.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Why it is challenged: profanity and sexual content.
Why it is worthwhile: Alexie is Native American.  He writes about life on the reservation and what challenges alcoholism and poverty  pose for his people.  The book is funny, yet poignant.  It doesn't preach but you will understand much more about the culture and problems.  This book is thought to be semi-autobiographical.

B.  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Why it is challenged:  racial slurs; seemingly racism.
Why it is worthwhile: This is truly the great American novel.  It is so-o-o-o well written.  Twain is truly the best of the best.  Huckleberry Finn does seem to be racist at the beginning of the story but he figures out that his initial thoughts are wrong.  With a good teacher and class discussion, any racial issues can be assuaged.  (I think this book is the perfect book to listen to on audio-books since it is written in vernacular.  Loved it!)

What books would be put on this list?
For more ideas, here is a list of 25 frequently-banned books that everyone should be read.

Your turn......

Deadline by Chris Crutcher

What if you only had one year to live...and you knew it? Ben decided not to tell anyone. He just wanted to have the best senior year possible.  He wanted to experience things he'd never done before without others holding him back because he was ill.  So he goes out for football even though he weighs less than 130 pounds and has only played with his brother, also a senior, in the back yard. He talks to and actually starts dating the hottest girl in the school.  He is bold and fearless.  He reads voraciously and challenges teachers to think outside the box.  Along the way he learns that love means you can't leave people out without consequences.  He eventually faces this and comes clean with everyone about his illness.

Lest you think that this is just a sob story---think again.  It is about our education system, about the power of books, the effects of book banning, about First Amendment rights of free speech, what we are taught in our history classes and why.  It is well written, thoughtful and will appeal to both male and female readers.

I decided to read Deadline yesterday.  It was a lovely day in the Northwest so I sat outside with an iced tea and read the book all day. It was a quick read full of thoughtful an poignant parts many of them spiritual in nature but it has enough about football in it to keep even the biggest jock interested.  I will definitely read more Crutcher in the future.  He tackles (pun intended) topics that need to be addressed but doesn't come off as being preachy.  One of my favorite parts of the book was in chapter 12 where Ben is insisting that the Civics teacher allow him to do a project on Malcolm X and Sylvia, another student, pipes up that the teacher should discipline Ben and that the book he is reading should be banned. What ensues is an excellent, hands-on lesson that teaches kids more than whatever the teacher had a paper to do that day.  Read it and see if you agree with me.

Here is a favorite quote:
"God isn't a guy.  God isn't a girl. God is a force.  You have all these people trying to figure out whether to believe in God or the Big Bang. Well, God IS the Big Bang.  If God relegated his thinking to human cognition, it would never get anything done...Just know that everything started as one, everything still is one, and it will end up as one."  ---Hey-Soos to Ben in dream, p. 241-2

Visit Chris Crutcher's Page to read more about Deadline.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The classic, everyone-must-read-book, about book burning. Ray Bradbury is my hero. This book is so-o-o important as I consider the effects of book censorship or book banning. I am especially moved by comments made by Bradbury in the Afterward and the Coda. Here is a poignant quote from the play that Bradbury wrote twenty years after 451 was published where each character comes out of the shadows and explains more about his/her character. This quote is from Fire Chief Beatty:
"The man who loved books, no the boy who was wild for them, insane for them, who climbed the stacks like a chimpanzee gone mad for them. I ate them like salad, books were my sandwich for lunch, my triffin and dinner and midnight munch. I tore out the pages, ate them like salt, doused with relish, gnawed on the bindings, turned the chapters with my tongue! Books by the dozen, the score and the billion...you name 'em, I ate 'em." (Pgs. 170-171)

Ever feel like that? Like you could just eat up a book it is so good?

Here is another favorite quote taken from the Afterward. When Bradbury was confronted with a publisher's request to print one of his short stories in an anthology but only if the 'offending' phrases were omitted, Bradbury said:
"The point is obvious. There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running around with lit matches. Every minority, be it...(long list here)...feels it has the will, the right, the duty to douse the kerosene, light the fuse..." (Pgs. 176-177)

I recommend that you reread or read this book for the first time. Remind yourself about how censorship hurts everyone.

5 out 5 stars.