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!

Top Ten Quotes and Literary Couples

*I missed last week's meme but liked it so much I decided to write my diary on it in addition to this week's meme. 

The Broke and the Bookish

What are your top ten favorite quotes from books?

1. "That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive- all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment."---The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrons, pgs 11-12.

2. "When I visit the back corners of my life again after so long a time, littlest things jump out first." "Even when it stands vacant the past is never empty."---Whistling Season by Ivan Doig, from first line, page 1, and conclusion, page 344.

3. "I'm skimming across the surface of my own history, moving fast, riding the melt beneath the blades, doing loops and spins, and when I take a high leap into the dark and come down thirty years later, I realize it is as Tim trying to save Timmy's life with a story." ---The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, pg. 246.

4. "Remembering is a word I use for praying. Sometimes it's like waiting for music to come out of silence." ---Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork, pg. 147.

5. "...even after fifty years it retains its aura of brimstone and taboo...what people remember isn't the book itself, so much as the furor. Ministers in church denounced it as obscene...the library was forced to remove it from the shelves...There's nothing like a shovelful of dirt to encourage literacy." ---The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, p. 39.

6. "The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." ---Henry Tilney in Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen.

7. "...until Ammu shook her and told her to stoppit and she stoppited. Around them the hustling-jostling crowd. Scurrying hurrying buying selling luggage trundling porter paying children shitting people spitting coming going begging." ---The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.

8. "Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering."---The History of Love by Nicole Krauss, pg. 11.

9. "His question caught her off-guard, and she didn't know what to do with it. The part of her that was open to the universe was facing in another direction just then."---Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins, p. 327.

10. "Shall we go to Bethlehem, boys, or shall we dance?"---The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog by Dave Barry.

11. "I try to fend off the oceanic sadness, but I can't. It's such a colossal effort not to be haunted by what is lost, but to be enchanted by what was."---The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson, p.275.

12. "We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to totally suck."---Feed by M.T. Anderson, p. 1.

What are your top ten favorite literary couples?

(In no particular order.)

1.  Leo and Stargirl …Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli... They had the kind of relationship I always wanted in high school.
2. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy…Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen...Every girl wants a Mr. Darcy, right?
3. Lennie and Joe …The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson...Such a tender and young love.
4. Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth…Persuasion by Jane Austen...I can totally relate to Anne Elliott and think of a line from Captain Wentworth's Diary here" Anne, always Anne."
5. Katsa and Po…Graceling by Kristin Cashore...Love that has grown out of mutual admiration and common purpose.
6. Elinor Dashwood and Edward Ferrars…Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen...It was a toss up between this couple or Marianne and Col. Brandon.  I love both couples.
7. Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley/Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger...Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling...'nuff said.  I'm a fan.
8. Kathy and Mike Flannigan…Mrs. Mike: The Story of Katherine Mary Flannigan by Benedict Freedman...This a true life love affair.  So tender and nourishing.
9. Laila and Tariq…A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini...A tragic love story with a bit of a happy ending.
10. Katniss and Peeta...Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins...I wasn't going to put this one on because I was conflicted about the whole Gale/Peeta thing but I had a conversation with another teacher after school and she talked me through the whole true-love thing with Peeta.  I'm there now.  Ready to accept them as a favorite couple.
11. Todd and Viola…The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking series) by Patrick Ness...Don't know if they are a couple or just best friends.  But I love their devotion to each other.
12. Henry and Clare...Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger...A late addition after seeing other lists.  They had a love which transcended time.
13. Beatrice and Benedict...Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare...Another late addition. Their banter makes for all kinds of sexual tension.

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."

Mock Printz 2011

Our Mock Printz 2011 reading list.

1. Bacigalupi, Paolo...Ship Breaker...(Sci-Fi)

2. Nelson, Jandy...The Sky is Everywhere...(Romance/Realism)

3. Teller, Janne... Nothing...(Realism)

4. Stork, Francisco X....The Last Summer of the Death Warriors...(Realism)

5. Bartoletti, Susan Campbell...They Called Themselves the KKK: the Birth of An American Terrorist Group...(Nonfiction)

6. Gill, David Macinnis...Black Hole Sun...(Sci-Fi)

7. Sachar, Louis...The Card Turner...(Realism)

8. Emond, Stephen...Happy Face...(Partially graphic novel/realism/illustrated-journal style)

9. Marchetta, Melina...Finnikin of the Rock...(Fantasy)

10. Richards, Jame...Three Rivers Rising: a Novel of the Johnstown Flood...)Historical fiction; in verse)

11. Oppel, Kenneth...Half Brother...(Realism)

Here is a list of possible "others" that we may add to the list...

-Green, John and David Levithan...Will Grayson, Will Grayson...Realism

-Molnar, Haya...Under a Red Sky: a Memoir of Childhood in Communist Romania...biography/memoir

-Benoit, Charles...You...Realism

-Sedgwick, Marcus...Revolver...Adventure

-Fisher, Catherine...Incarceron...Fantasy

-Hemphill, Stephanie...Wicked Girls: a Novel of the Salem Witch Trials...Historical Fiction; in verse

-Neri, G... Yummy: the Last Days of Southside Shorty...graphic biography

-Griffen, Adele...Picture the Dead...Historical Fiction

-?...books not yet published

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......

Friday Blog Hop...Share the Blog Love

The Friday Blog Hop this week asks us to highlight blogs that we enjoy and why..in other words..share the love.

http://www.crazy-for-books.com/

So here are a few blogs that I enjoy:

1.  A Book a Week...Becky over at A Book A Week writes crisp, concise book reviews without a bunch of fluff and distracting other tags.  I can read her reviews without having to scroll past long sections of text that don't help me decide to/not to read the book.  Simplicity reigns and I love it.


2.The Elliott Review... Jessi over at Elliott Review is always so kind and helpful, always answering questions I pose and encouraging me as a blogger and as a teacher-librarian (kindred spirits)

3. Roof Beam Reader...Adam over at Roof Beam Reader is a blog I enjoy because Adam brings the male voice to books and book reviews...he says he is in the 5% minority.  He always give thoughtful comments.  I appreciate that.  Plus Adam is a fellow teacher.  Yeah!