It's Banned Books Week!

Banned Books Week October 1st to October 7th, 2023!

Have I mentioned that it's Banned Books Week?! What is Banned Books Week? Here's what the ALA (American Library Association) writes about it:

"Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in libraries, bookstores, and schools. Typically (but not always) held during the last week of September, the annual event highlights the value of free and open access to information and brings together the entire book community — librarians, educators, authors, publishers, booksellers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas"

It's the 21st century and still we have book burners and censorship. I think that the point here is that parents should be involved in what their children read and help them understand what they are reading, guide them in choosing appropriate material for their curious minds. BUT, let's not infringe on the reading rights of another child, whose parent may not wish to ban a certain book. Most banning and censorship takes place in the most accessible (and free) place to check out a book - a library! Let's not make reading a privilege. 

What do YOU think?!

Are you reading anything special for Banned Book Week?! I have opened the pages of Jodi Picoult's book Nineteen Minutes. Nineteen minutes is about a school shooting and its' aftermath. This was originally published in 2007. 

In 2015 Nineteen Minutes was "Challenged at the Gilford (NH) High School. Challenged but retained at the Kennett (PA) High School despite a parent’s complaint that the content in the book is not suitable for high school students. The award-winning novel depicts a school shooting in a fictional New Hampshire high school. The novel contains depictions of physical violence in public schools and a scene of graphic sexual activity."

In 2007, Ms. Picoult actually gave out books to classrooms in schools and was invited to one of the schools to discuss the research that went into the writing of Nineteen Minutes. A young man stood up and said he didn't have a question, but wanted to say "this October I was gonna bring a gun to school. Then my teacher assigned 19 Minutes, and I started reading, and I realized I wasn't the only person who felt like I do." 

Want to read more about Banned Books Week? You can read more at PEN America, The American Library Association and here's a list of the 50 most banned books in America right now from Readers Digest. It's a very interesting list.

Let's read a banned book this week!

Celebrate Your Freedom to Read!

The Sunday Salon and Banned Books Week

Welcome to the Sunday Salon! It's been a crazy week here in Connecticut, but I couldn't let the week go without saying hello and that I READ BANNED BOOKS!…

Every year the American Library Association, along with authors, bloggers, readers, book sellers and anyone who shares a love for reading, celebrate Banned Books Week. I love banned books week! I discover all sorts of interesting books AND I also learn about fear. Most banned books are banned out of fear… that book will promote sex or violence or turn my teenager/child/baby into a serial killer, drug addict, alcoholic. I get it. I understand that not every book is appropriate for every child (Is Fifty Shades of Grey really appropriate for kids? NO!) but this is where parents should be involved in their child's reading. Discuss what a book is about, TALK to your child, but don't take the privilege of reading a particular book away from everyone because you don't want your child to see it. Of course some parents are not involved with their child's reading, so they have to rely on librarians, teachers and other parents to be a guide. And speaking out either way is a right. BUT, leave the fear behind.

Barbara Jones, who directs the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom say, "People focus on a word, or a handful of words, and often lift them out of the context of the books." But this year the number of banned or challenged books is lower than usual. Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Jones said, "We'd like to think it's because people finally understand that pulling a book from their shelves isn't going to solve the problem they're worried about it."

This year Banned Books Week (Sept 21 - 27th) focused on graphic novels. Spiderman and Batman have gotten challenged, but also Maus, the Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel about the Holocaust. Here's a list of the most challenged graphic novels from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund website.

What am I reading for Banned Books Week? The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey. It's a 10 part series (I'm reading the first book) that follows the adventure's (and pranks!) of two ten-year-old boys, who create a superhero called Captain Underpants. It's banned because of offensive language (they call their teacher "that old guy" and "mean"), nudity (Captain Underpants is, well, in his underpants), and for promoting the disobeying of authority (thus the pranks). I'll fill you in on all the bad of this book in a review and hope that it does not encourage me to fly around in my underpants (we are what we read after all, right?!)... although that may amuse a few people.

Banned Books Week, what do you think?

Happy Banned Book Reading... Suzanne

The Sunday Salon and Banned Books Week Wrap-up!

Welcome to the Sunday Salon! This is the day during the week where we get together and talk books! So grab a cup of joe, find a comfy chair and relax! What bookish things have you been doing this week?

How did your Banned Books Week go? Here are the books I covered this week...

On Tuesday, I wrote about Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, the beloved children's book that had talking animals upsetting the sensibilities of some parents who thought it was blasphemous. 

Wednesday, I wrote about Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, the fictional account of a teenage girl, dealing with the realities of bullying, sex and drugs, and the pressures of growing up, which ultimately causes her to take her own life. 

Friday, I wrote about The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, the childrens book written in simple verse & simple illustrations, about the relationship between a little boy growing up and a tree. Originally banned because of sexism, there were also a whole host of other complaints of this deeply moving book. 

And this year for Banned Books Week, I opened the pages of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. I've updated you along the way, Monday & Thursday,  and finally this morning I turned over the last page. I have to say that it was not anything that I had expected. Although I knew it had to do with racial issues, I had no idea where it was going to take me. We last left our narrator beginning his stay in New York, the harsh New York during the height of segregation. He witnesses an eviction of an elderly Black couple in a high rise apartment and is moved to speak to the riotous crowd that is growing dangerous. He speaks to the crowd from his heart, and they stop and listen. In the crowd though, was a man from "The Brotherhood", a bipartisan group who recruit him as their spokesman to "the people". As our narrator is "indoctrinated" into their cause, which he feels initially is his cause, he becomes disillusioned. In reality, The Brotherhood, which is suppose to be the Communist party, is trying to control things for their own purpose and not to help the people of Harlem. A race riot eventually ensues, and barely escaping with his life he falls through a manhole into a pile of coal. It is there that he realizes he is worn out from the fight. Not just the fight for equality, but the fight to become an individual who is seen for his unique abilities, thoughts and expressions. He finally accepts his invisibility.

          " I have been hurt to the point of abysmal pain, hurt to the point of invisibility."

In the afterward to Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, it is written that Invisible Man is, "Groundbreaking in its exploration of race and identity and virtuosic in its use of language and dialect." I have to agree. The writing was great; I could hardly put it down once I got past the prologue. I empathized with the narrator and his struggles to do what was right in the face of all the opposition. I could feel the tensions, the sights and sounds of the era. The characters came alive off the page. And the story was good. Can I say great? I hesitate because of the subject matter, because you can't read the book and feel uplifted, but I would recommend the book. It is a classic, timeless in it's writing, with the ability to feel fresh even though it was published over 60 years ago.

This week Invisible Man came to the forefront of Banned Books Week because it was banned recently in school libraries in Randolph County, NC after a parent of a high school junior complained about its language and depictions of rape and incest. The board had banned the book Sept. 16 by a 5-2 vote, but rescinded that order after an amazing nationwide backlash.

Board Chairman Tommy McDonald said the torrent of emails he received was “very enlightening,’’ although a few were “downright vulgar and very hurtful.’’ The backlash made him realize, he said, that “my job is to make sure that book is there whether I want to read it or not." from LATimes.com

Before this incident of banning Invisible Man, there have been other attempts to ban it over the years...

"Excerpts banned in Butler, PA (1975); removed from the high school English reading list in St. Francis, WI (1975). Retained in the Yakima, WA schools (1994) after a five-month dispute over what advanced high school students should read in the classroom. Two parents raised concerns about profanity and images of violence and sexuality in the book and requested that it be removed from the reading list." from ALA.com

So there you have it, Banned Books Week in all its glory. Who would think that in the year 2013, there still would be the unfortunate issue of banning books. LATimes.com had an interesting article about the recent banning of Invisible Man, you can follow the link to LATimes.com to read it. The American Library Association is another great source to read more about banned books. Go to ALA.org to learn more.

What did you do for Banned Books Week? Read any good banned books?! I really missed being able to get around (in a leg brace unable to walk, a long story) because I really would have enjoyed reading at a Banned Book Read-Out, BUT there's always next year!

P.S. World Book Night book announcements coming soon, AND next we'll talk about the Man Booker Prize, which has new criteria and a big uproar because of it!

Happy Reading... Suzanne

Banned Book Week 2013: Sept. 22 - 28th!

It's Banned Book Week! (Really it starts tomorrow) How am I celebrating?! This years choice for reading is Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, which has been banned from school libraries in Randolph County, N.C. recently. Invisible Man won the National Book Award in 1953 and has been called the greatest American novel written since World War II. I don't know why I never read this before, but Banned Book Week gives me a chance to finally crack the spine on this one!

From the The American Library Association...

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.     

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. As such, they are a threat to freedom of speech and choice

It's that time of year, again, when we celebrate our freedom to read and our freedom to express ourselves. The freedom to read what WE would like to read. The freedom to write what we'd like to write.

It still amazes me that books are still being challenged in the 21st century. Parents have the right to monitor and guide what their child reads, but that right shouldn't extend to another child whose parents don't object to the reading material. If every book that has been challenged or banned were not available any longer we would not have books such as Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, Charlottes Webb and even a 1965 Dictionary!

I was a voracious reader when I was growing up. I was never limited to what I could read. I learned from these books. I did not learn hatred; I learned tolerance, acceptance, empathy. I learned about history. If I had questions, I asked my parents or a teacher. Reading opens the mind; Banning books takes away that opportunity. Fantasy did not turn me towards "the dark side", and sex in books did not make me turn into a sex fiend. In fact, reading Sherlock Holmes didn't even make me take up smoking a pipe. I love that parents are involved with what their children are reading! Just don't police what my child can read, or even what I can read.

Banning of books happens in schools, libraries and places that books are available. Protect your rights and the rights of others! Read a banned book this week! We'll be talking about Banned Books this week on Chick with Books, so stop by and see what books are highlighted during the week.

*Curious as to what books have been banned or challenged recently? Here is the 2012 - 2013 list of books challenged or banned as reported in the Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom.

The American Library Association Announces the Winners for The Newbery Medal, Caldecott Medal & Printz Award...

The American Library Association announced this week the winners of the prestigious Newbery Medal, Caldecott Medal, & Printz Award...

The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. It was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. Together with the Newbery Medal, it is the most prestigious American children's book award....

The 2010 Caldecott Medal Winner is...

The Lion & the Mouse, illustrated and written by Jerry Pinkney, published by Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers. Artist Jerry Pinkney's wordless adaptation of one of Aesop's most beloved fables, an unlikely pair learn that no act of kindness is ever wasted. After a ferocious lion spares a cowering mouse that he'd planned to eat, the mouse later comes to his rescue, freeing him from a poacher's trap. With vivid depictions of the landscape of the African Serengeti and expressively-drawn characters, Pinkney makes this a truly special retelling, and his stunning pictures speak volume

The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. It was the first children's literary award in the world...

The 2010 Newbery Medal Winner is...

When You Reach Me, written by Rebecca Stead, published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books. Miranda lives in 1978 New York City with her mother, and her life compass is Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. When she receives a series of enigmatic notes that claim to want to save her life, she comes to believe that they are from someone who knows the future. It's a mystery, a puzzle, a great historical look at New York during the late 70's, and has a bit of time traveling...

The Michael L. Printz Award is an annual award in the United States for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a school librarian from Topeka, Kansas, who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). The national award is sponsored by Booklist magazine and administered by YALSA, a division of the American Library Association...

The 2010 Michael L. Printz Award Winner is...

Going Bovine, written by Libba Bray, published by Delacorte. Cameron, a 16-year-old slacker whose somewhat dysfunctional family has just about given up on him, is diagnosed with "mad cow" disease. He goes on a quest with a punk rock angel named Dulcie and accompanied by a hypochondriac dwarf named Gonzo, who have told him there is a doctor with a cure.

One more award I thought I would mention...

The Robert F. Sibert Award, which is awarded for the most distinguished informational book. The award was established by The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), and is a division of the American Library Association...

The 2010 Robert F. Sibert Award Winner is...

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone (Candlewick). This book is about about the 13 women who are known as the Mercury 13, had all passed the initial tests to go into space on that first mission, were all accomplished women, pilots, but never got the chance to take that flight.

You can see the whole list of winners, runners up, and other awards presented and for what books at the American Library Association, or a total recap of all the awards at Publishers Weekly Online. Congratulations to all the winners!

I Read Banned Books! Join Banned Book Week to Celebrating Your Freedom to Read!

"Reading Revolutionary" cartoon created by the talented Stephanie Piro and used with her permission just for this occasion! All copyrights Stephanie Piro. Cartoons may not be used without written permission". You can find Stephanie at www.stephaniepiro.com and at her other hang-out (and business), www.thesixchix.com .

Hey Everyone! It's Banned Books Week! This is the week we celebrate the Freedom to Read!

Over the past eight years, American libraries were faced with 3,736 challenges

"Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. This years event is September 26−October 3, and is meant to highlight the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States." The art of the banned book is not just happening in The United States, censorship is a worldwide! Here at Chick with Books, we are going to celebrate our Freedom to Read by highlighting some great books this week that were either banned or challenged, in The U.S or outside the U.S. So stop by this coming week to see what challenged or banned books are featured! The Sunday Salon will be a little different this week too because I'm going to feature some great books, all from the 'censorship' list. And follow my progress as I crack open the spine of Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger!

There are some other places to check out Banned Book Week at... First I'm involved in the Banned Book Challenge at The Biblio Blogazine! It's a fantastic blog and is hosting a whole bunch of people who are reading and reviewing banned books this week! There are links to everyone involved! And my friend Lisa, who has a great blog called Book Blab, is also doing her share of celebrating the freedom of choice at her blog! Stop by her blog to see what she's reviewing! Also check out the ALA (The American Library Association) website and their list of the top 100 Banned or Challenged books! Anyone else doing something special for Banned Books Week?! Share your info here so we can check it out! And share with us some great books you've read that are on "the list"!

Here are some other Wonderful Bloggers celebrating the Freedom to Read this week...

* Cait is celebrating Banned Book Week on her blog, escape through the pages ! She's having a giveaway for The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier to celebrate, as well as reviewing all sorts of books! Check her blog out by clicking on her blog's name!

* Salamandergrey is also celebrating BBW on her blog, Pencil-Pushers and Ink Splotches.

Check out her take on BBW by clicking on her blog's name!

*Jennifer is celebrating at her blog NY Book Cafe ! Check out her cool blog by clicking on her blog's name!

*Icedream is celebrating on her blog Reading in Appalachia ! Her first recommendation & review is for Looking For Alaska by John Green. Click on her blog's name to read all about it!

* Lexie is also celebrating with an amazing list of discussions! Her blog is Poisoned Rationality! Click on her blog's name to visit her events!

*Mary is celebrating on her blog The Sweet Bookshelf! She says "we are discussing some of my favorite banned books this week. At the end of the week we will be discussing ways we can get involved and how to protect our favorite books from being banned!"

*Tracie is celebrating on her blog Yule Time Reading! First post is a a list of 10 banned books and why they are banned! Click on her blog to read the list!

A Special Thanks goes to Stephanie Piro, who is the talented artist who drew the cartoon above for Banned Book Week! Thanks Stephanie! I think it encourages us all to be reading revolutionaries!