Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop

Thanks to Kathy from I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Jen at I Read Banned Books for hosting this blog hop giveaway.  Don't forget to check the Mr. Linky below to connect to the other blogs that are participating in the Giveaway Hop.

My thoughts on Banned and Challenged Books:
Since 1982, the American Library Association has joined in with various booksellers, publishers, and library associations to celebrate the freedom to read.   If you have never looked at some of the lists for banned or challenged books, you may be surprised to find out what is on it.

Go check them out...this post isn't going anywhere.

Banned and Challenged Classics

100 Most Frequently Challenged Books by Decade

Were you surprised that some of your favorites were on that list?  Two of my favorite children's authors - Judy Blume and Katherine Paterson are on the list numerous times.  It almost seems that every book I loved has made it to the Banned or Challenged list at some point.

As part of the Giveaway Hop, I am giving away a Banned or Challenged Book to a lucky reader.  Pick a book under $15 on Amazon, and if your name is selected (remember to fill out the form below), I will send it to you.

Join in on 30 years of celebrating the freedom to read and consider joining in on Banned Books Virtual Read-Out.

Check out this video created by the Association of American Publishers asking acclaimed authors about what Banned Books they are reading:



Rules for the Giveaway:
1. Though comments are very much appreciated, please do not enter any personal information in the comments section (including your email, website, etc.). If you do enter personal information, your comment will not be posted.
2. You must complete the entry form to official enter the giveaway.
3. The Contest runs from 12:00 a.m. Pacific Time on September 28th to 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on October 6th.
4. You must be 13 years or older to participate.
5. If you are selected as the winner, you will be notified by email. If you do not respond within 48 hours, I will select a new winner.
6. US participants only.

Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop

"Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment." - American Library Association  

To kick off, Banned Books Week, I am participating in a Giveaway Hop.  Thanks to Jen from I Read Banned Books and Kathy from I am a Reader. Not A Writer for hosting a Banned Books Giveaway Hop. The hop runs from Saturday, September 24th to Saturday, October 1st.

Though I recognize that in the United States, we do not usually have banned books, many amazing books are challenged or restricted on a regular basis.  What also shocks me is that books are frequently challenged by individuals or groups based on what they have heard about the book.  Some committees have even elected to remove a book from a school's librarian when they haven't even read the book in question.  In situations like that, I am always glad that there are librarians, teachers, parents and individuals who speak out on behalf of books.  Often times, loudly, and very passionately. 

Recently, I was in the situation where I was giving a group of people some examples of books that would fit in certain categories.  As I held up a book (Coraline, The Graphic Novel by Neil Gaiman), a woman in the audience exclaimed that the book I was holding was not for children.  I was a bit taken a back and tried to move on by stating that maybe it wasn't for very young children but that it was considered a Middle Grade novel.  The woman in the audience became more adamant that this was not a book for children and automatically assumed that I would agree with her.  While this exchange was happening, I could see several of the children's librarians in the room nearly jump out of their seats to defend this book. I was so proud of those librarians.

I bring this real life situation up because it is one example where an individual, if given the power, would have sought to take away from others their right to determine what book is appropriate for themselves or for their children.  This is really the key for me with Banned Books Week.  No one individual or group of individuals should take away the rights of many to have access to a book or a story just because they feel it has questionable material or a controversial topic.

I do; however, support parents' rights to decide which books their child is ready for or not ready for.  I would hope that even with more than one child at home that the criteria would reflect the individual personality differences of each child (one child at 9 might be ready for a book and another child at 9 is not ready).  Additionally, I would hope that parents respect their child as a reader and talk with their child about different books and decisions to read a book or not read a book at a particular time. 

Finally here are two resources for how you may learn more about Banned Books Week and even see how many challenged books you have already read. 
American Library Association
www.ala.org

Banned Books Week
http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/resources


To kick off Banned Books Week, you have a chance to enter to win a Banned or Challenged book of your choice from Amazon - $15 or less. 

Rules for the Contest:

1. Please do not enter any personal information in the comments section (including your email, website, etc.), you must complete the Entry Form to officially enter the contest.
2.  The Contest runs from 12:00 a.m. Pacific Time on September 24, 2011 to 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on October 1st.
3.  You do not need to be a follower of this blog to enter, but if you like what you see, feel free to subscribe.
4.  You must be 13 or older to participate in this contest.
5.  Comments are not required but always welcome.
6.  If you are selected as a winner, I will notify you by e-mail.  If you do not respond within 48 hours, I will select a new winner.
7.  International participants are welcome to enter the contest.

One final thought on Banned Books Week

As the sun is setting on this year's Banned Books Week Celebrations, I am reminded that challenges and bannings of books continue throughout the year and need out attention and support at all times.  I truly believe that authors who set out to write a great book did not sit around thinking about whether or not their book would be banned.  On the contrary, truly great books are challenged or banned because an author did his/her job effectively.   They were willing to write the story that needed to be told and not to worry about who might be threatened by it.  Instead, they found the courage to share in an authentic manner some aspect of real life that someone would rather not have come to people's attention. 

Vroman's Banned Books Wall

Whether it be books by Judy Blume, Roald Dahl, or Katherine Paterson on the Middle Grade level and Ellen Hopkins, or Laurie Halse Anderson on the YA level, these authors and others like them have made a significant contribution to the lives of children and teens all over.  Their candid, gritty, no holds barred writing styles are embraced by readers young and old alike. 

In conclusion, I just wanted to share a few final links with you.  For those of you who love author Katherine Paterson, I have done a Guest Post over on Mundie Kids.  I explore my thoughts as to why I think she has been one author that is frequently challenged.  To read the post, click here.

Over the past few weeks, I have been awed by the tremendous work of Paul W. Hankins (High School English Teacher) along with authors Laurie Halse Anderson, Sarah Ockler, David Macinnes Gill and many other teachers, librarians, and authors in promoting #SpeakLoudly.  Paul and David have put up a new website called Speak Loudly: Many Voices, One Community.  If you haven't had a chance to check it out, I would encourage you to take a peak.  It will keep you coming back for more.

To conclude Banned Books Week, I want to hear about challenged or banned books that you have read recently and what impact they have had on you.  I will do a random drawing from all those who have left a comment about a favorite Challenged/Banned books & how it impacted you. The winner will receive a free book of his/her choice ($15 U.S. dollars or less) from Amazon or Book Depository.  Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. PDT on October 5, 2010.  

Book Review: Speak

Very few young adult books have come under as much scrutiny and censorship as Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, yet very few books have also had the transformative power that so many readers, parents, and educators have seen after people read this book. No Banned Books Week celebration would be complete with reference to one of the most popular and controversial debut young adult novels, Speak.


Why was this book banned?
I don't really know why this book was ever banned. While it deals with heavy subject matter, it handles serious issues very tastefully and intelligently. As recently as a few weeks ago, Speak was being challenged again by a Professor Wesley Scroggins, who claims that the novel is "pornographic." For more on this recent challenge, read an extremely well-written article on the author Laurie Halse Anderson's website here: http://madwomanintheforest.com/this-guy-thinks-speak-is-pornography/

I couldn't find a concrete list on the ALA website, but some of the reasons for banning Speak include: Unsuited to Age Group, Sexually Explicit, Violence, Underage Drinking.

What is Speak about?
Speak is about Melinda Sordino, a girl who goes to a "high school party" a few weeks before she starts her freshman year, but when she calls the police to apparently bust up the party for drinking, everyone turns against her and she stops speaking.

She becomes depressed and withdrawn, skipping classes and isolating herself from making friends. Eventually, Melinda finds unlikely solace in her art class, where she can find a release for her emotions. However, there is more that happened that night at the party than what everyone thinks and it will take a lot of strength and courage for Melinda to finally speak up.

Why is Speak worth reading?
I knew what Speak was about before reading it, so much of the surprise about what really happened to make Melinda stop speaking was lost on me, but I still enjoyed the novel. Although the main character, Melinda, doesn't speak, she has very original and vivid thoughts, making her a very interesting character to read about. The writing is also very beautiful and easy to follow.

Most importantly, Speak deals with important issues that aren't always addressed in young adult literature, and is a definite must-read for both teens and adults, both male and female. The author gives a very honest description of high school life and family life for someone who feels like a loner with no one who understands them, which is something most people probably feel at least once  in their lives. Speak isn't my favorite young adult book, but it is such an important novel and told with such beautiful language, that I still recommend this book to everyone.

-- Renée

Banned Books Week: Writing to Reflect Life

I grew up an only child in a house with parents who did not read books. Sometimes I think I was lucky. Books were seen as benign entertainment and indeed, they were my constant companions. I was free to read anything I wanted, first from the library and later, purchased with my allowance money from the bookstore. My view of the world, of relationships, humanity, came in large part from books.

For example, Ray Bradbury’s 1984 taught me the importance of personal freedom and that books were precious, Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange shocked me with its violence but then forced me to question the punishment given the offender. In James Leo Herlihy and William Noble’s Blue Denim, I saw how difficult it was for teenagers to deal with an unwanted pregnancy on their own and the importance of parents continually engaged in the lives of their kids. And then there was Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree...do we have the right to be selfish just because someone is willing to continually give of themselves?

Each book taught me to think, to question. What if I hadn’t been able to read any of them?

I am an author. When I began writing fiction, I spent a lot of time thinking about how – and if – I should include cuss words, violent acts and sexually romantic relationships, even if they moved the story along. It made me crazy and deadened my writing. Then I read a line in On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner: “...we measure fictional worlds against the real world.” Good books feel real. They reflect the amazingly rich life that surrounds us in all its beauty and ugliness. It may be that some profanity or a sexual encounter represents a truer example of life than if they were left out.

The thing is...no one knows what it is in a book – which passage or chapter – will provide just the right insight into life that someone wants or needs, perhaps even months or years later. So read! Read everything you can. Laugh, cry, gasp, swoon, throw the book against the wall. When you hold a book in your hand, anything is possible.

Marianne D. Wallace is a published non-fiction writer currently working on young adult and children’s fiction. You can find her on twitter as @penwallace

Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallfower

Standing on the fringes of life... offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

__________

In honor of Banned Books Week, I'm doing a guest post reviewing one of my favorite books -- and one of the most widely banned young adult books -- The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky.


Why was this book banned?
Honestly, why are any books banned? I'm not a huge fan of censorship. I think books should be available to everyone... at the right age of course. Once a child or person is emotionally and/or physically mature enough to handle the themes of a certain book, I don't think his or her school or library should make it unavailable.

Some of the reasons cited for banning The Perks of Being a Wallflower include: "Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Anti-Family, Offensive language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide."

What is The Perks of Being a Wallflower about?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a young adult novel about a boy named Charlie that follows his freshman year at high school. The novel is told in epistolary form, that is, the whole book is a series of letters Charlie writes about his life to someone he addresses as "Dear Friend." Charlie has never met this person and the reader never finds out who this Friend is.

Charlie is a wallflower. He is shy and sometimes socially awkward, but he meets these two new people, Sam and Patrick, who become his friends and introduce him to new experiences in high school, like going to parties, becoming romantically involved with someone, and driving late at night with the windows down and feeling "infinite." Charlie makes an interesting relationship with a teacher at his school, who makes him read complex literature because he sees potential in Charlie.

Through all of these new people in Charlie's life, he grows up, deals with family issues, and discovers things about himself, all while trying to "participate" more in life.

Why do I love this book?
This book is one of my favorites because of how realistically it portrays people. The book doesn't condemn Charlie and his friends for some of the riskier behaviors they partake in, but it doesn't glorify them either. The Perks of Being a Wallflower really celebrates being special and different in ways that aren't always trendy or cool.

I also love Charlie as a narrator. He's so earnest and genuinely concerned about putting everyone else's problems first that he often overlooks himself and doesn't give himself a chance to live his own life. He's not passive in an annoying speak-up-for-yourself-already! kind of way, but instead he makes it really easy to like him and root for him. I'm so used to reading about characters who act impulsively and don't think about their actions first, so Charlie was a bid departure from that.

The writing is also beautiful. I have a quote underlined or highlighted on almost every other page. Although there is some material suited for older young adults, and the novel explores some sensitive and deep issues, I highly recommend it. If you enjoyed The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger or any of John Green's books, I think you'll love this one. And now I'll leave you with the last lines of the book (which I love, and won't spoil anything for you):

     I'm not sure if I will have time to write any more letters because I might be too busy trying to "participate."
     So, if this does end up being my last letter, please believe that things are good with me, and even when they're not, they will be soon enough.
     And I will believe the same about you.

Love always,

Charlie

-- Renée

Banned Books Week: Celebrate YOUR Freedom To Read

Do you have a favorite children's book?  What about an adult book that you love? The other day I was standing in Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena facing a wall display with hundred of books that have been either challenged or banned.  You might be surprised at what was up there.  Did you love the Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder?  Yep, that was challenged.  How about Charlie & the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl or maybe any Roald Dahl book?  Yep, those have been challenged and banned too.  What about The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein?  You may be scratching your head and saying who would ban the Giving Tree?!  Well someone out there has and did.

According to the ALA website: Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights 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.

When I first heard of Banned Books Week, I was amazed.  Having grown up in a home where my reading was never censored the concept of preventing a child or even an adult from choosing what they could or couldn't read stymied me.  I can understand electing not to read a book that you don't feel comfortable with but trying to prevent others from reading that same book angered me.  As a child, I learned some important and valuable lessons from books that have frequently been challenged or banned.  And some of my all time favorite authors appear to repeatedly make the list of challenged books.  Katherine Paterson, Judy Blume, Laurie Halse Anderson are talented and insightful authors who have chosen to take on the task of writing stories that address powerful and sometimes unpleasant topics. However, I can not imagine a world without powerful books that make us sit up and think.

Below is a list of some of the books (in no particular order) that I have read that have been challenged or banned. I have shared my list.  Now what would be on your list? 

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Anne Frank: The Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank

Vroman's Banned Books Wall

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Jacob, I have Loved by Katherine Paterson
Girl With a Peal Earring by Tracy Chevalier
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Black Boy by Richard Wright
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou
Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyers
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
Harry Potter (series) - J.K. Rowling
Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
The Giver - Lois Lowry
The Color Purple - Alice Walker
The Great Gilly Hopkins - Katherine Paterson
A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
Go Ask Alice - Anonymous
Blubber - Judy Blume
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton
Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes
A Light in the Attic - Shel Silverstein
James and the Giant Peach - Roald Dahl
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret - Judy Blume
Native Son - Richard Wright
Where's Waldo? - Martin Hanford
Little Black Sambo - Helen Bannerman
How to Eat Fried Worms - Thomas Rockwell

What's your favorite book? Chances are good that someone has tried to ban it. Celebrate YOUR freedom to read during Banned Books Week, September 25 to October 2. For more information, visit http://www.ala.org/bbooks.

Banned Book Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read!

Every year, the American Library Association along with several other sponsors host Banned Books Week (BBW) to help raise awareness about censorship issues surrounding challenged books.  To read more about ALA's Banned Books Week or to access their promotional materials and free downloads, please click here.

From September 25th to October 2nd, I will be posting several topics related to challenged and banned books.  There will even be a giveaway this week.  Earlier this week, I did a guest post for Mundie Moms.  If you don't know about Mundie Moms, you should check out their great website (blog, forum, author chats, book reviews and more).  During the month of September, they have been doing a variety of guest posts on different topics around challenged and banned books.  If you are interested in reading my thoughts as an educator on the topic of banned books, you can click here.

Celebrate your freedom to read and pick up a banned book.  For a downloadable PDF file of the 2009-2010 challenged books go here.