Guest Post by Author Mike Mullin: The Censorship Game

Today we have a guest post from YA author Mike Mullin, whose debut, "Ashfall", will be released on October 11th (my review will be up on Oct. 10th). Mike’s first job was scraping the gum off the undersides of desks at his high school. From there, things went steadily downhill. He almost got fired by the owner of a bookstore due to his poor taste in earrings. He worked at a place that showed slides of poopy diapers during lunch (it did cut down on the cafeteria budget). The hazing process at the next company included eating live termites raised by the resident entomologist, so that didn’t last long either. For a while Mike juggled bottles at a wine shop, sometimes to disastrous effect. Oh, and then there was the job where swarms of wasps occasionally tried to chase him off ladders. So he’s really hoping this writing thing works out.

 

Mike holds a black belt in Songahm Taekwondo. He lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife and her three cats. ASHFALL is his first novel.

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The Censorship Game

On the 28^th of August, I spoke at the Children and Young People’s Division of the Indiana Library Federation (CYPD). My topic: How Censorship Hurts Kids.

Since I don’t particularly love the sound of my own voice (and always suspect my audience doesn’t either), I decided to design a game that I’m creatively calling The Censorship Game. Every librarian got a card assigning a role as they came in the door. The cards sorted them into three broad categories: librarians, kids who were struggling with various issues, and censors. All the librarians got a few books with their cards. The books were almost all titles that have been banned or challenged—titles that deal with homosexuality, suicide, rape, and abuse. Titles that an unfortunately large group of children desperately need. The idea was for all the participants to mingle, talk to each other, and exchange books. 

It worked out fairly well. Next time I run the game I’ll explain it a little better and plant a ringer in the audience to get the game off to a fast start. Once they got going, though, the librarians really got into it. There were dozens of book discussions going on at once as the players bartered over the books they had, needed, or wanted to take off the shelves.
 
To make it more interesting, I created two types of librarian roles. Type 1 had an established selection and reconsideration policy in place and therefore was allowed to refuse to remove a book from the shelves. Type 2 had no selection or reconsideration policy in place, and had to surrender their books immediately in response to any challenge.

Both types of librarians were about equally effective at distributing books. In the 15 minutes we played the game, the two groups distributed an average of 2.3 and 2.6 books respectively. As you might expect, the group with a selection policy did substantially better in resisting the efforts of censors. The librarians with a selection policy had an average of 0.8 books banned, while the ones without a policy lost 1.4 books on average.

The other interesting thing I noticed about the game is what kind of “kids” had trouble obtaining books. The librarians roleplaying gay teens had no problems at all, probably because Alex Sanchez was speaking at the conference, and I had a lot of his books on hand. In fact, none of those roleplaying teens had much trouble getting books—it was the few librarians I’d asked to roleplay younger kids who couldn’t find the books they needed. Perhaps the selection of books I supplied was at fault, but I think it reflects a deeper problem. Edgy books for teens have become generally accepted, but it’s much rarer to see difficult subjects tackled in works for younger children.

Do younger children need edgy literature, you might ask. I wish they didn’t. But the sad fact is that many of the difficult topics tackled by courageous YA authors are equally a problem for younger children. Child abuse is not confined to teens. Sexual abuse in particular is more common among 8-12 year-olds than among teens. But brilliant works like Lyga’s Boy Toy or Rainfield’s Scars have no analogue I’m aware of for the middle grade set.

Overall, I’d say my censorship game was an interesting experience, both for me and the participants. I’ll post the materials I created for the game on my website—feel free to download it and try playing it at your library or school. And thank you Bea for inviting me to guest post at your banned book week celebration!

Guest Post by Blogger Drosdelnoch: Should We Change Books to Fit Modern Attitudes?

Today's guest, Drosdelnoch, has been here before. When I started planning my events for this week, I couldn't resist asking him for his thoughts on banning books. Dros reviews books and games at his site, Falcata Times, and reviews childrens books at his other site, Tatty's Treasure Chest. Today he is talking about whether we should older or historical books to suit modern attitudes.

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People that know me are aware that I’m what you could term as a voracious reader, so when I was asked to write a piece for Bea about Banned Books I was pretty much lost for what I could say.  Yes you can talk about the unfairness of what is seen by some to be prejudices against classics (such as the recent cases against Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes Study in Scarlet as it was unfair to Mormons) or test cases in legal history (such as the DH Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover 1959 Obscene Publication Act legal battle)  or even about the reworking of some due to unfavourable use words that are seen as against modern sensibilities such as Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn where people have wanted parts changed to remove racist slurs (although Twain was a friend of Booker T Washington.)

Yet for all this and the arguments should we change books to fit modern attitudes when the title has already been in print for a large number of years?  Surely by doing so we’re acknowledging that there is something wrong with it and in Twain’s case it was an accurate depiction of the area and time to which it was written.  Yes it can scandalise or offend a minority of people but the point is if we start doing this to books are we going to end up having to nit-pick everything out there.  Would people have felt that Mississippi Burning would be stronger for heavy editing of the script or should we rewrite history so that it’s politically correct?  And if we do that are we opening the doors for fringe minorities to take a firmer grip on society in order to further their own goals?

Personally I think the literature that we have defines the culture to which it pertains, it allows readers to make up their own minds, to follow their own beliefs and thoughts and to change a piece because it doesn’t fit in with modern interpretation destroys a part of ourselves as well as dishonouring what people have fought and died for, our freedoms, and to not learn from it or to accept the historical documents would mean that as George Santayana said “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to fulfil it.”

Guest Review of a Banned Book: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Genre: YA

Publisher (this edition): Pocket Books
Release date (this edition): February 2, 2009
Reasons given for banning: anti-family, drugs, homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited to age group
Buy Links:  Amazon     The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

What is most notable about this funny, touching, memorable first novel from Stephen Chbosky is the resounding accuracy with which the author captures the voice of a boy teetering on the brink of adulthood. Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. He's a wallflower--shy and introspective, and intelligent beyond his years, if not very savvy in the social arts. We learn about Charlie through the letters he writes to someone of undisclosed name, age and gender; a stylistic technique that adds to the heart-wrenching earnestness saturating this teen's story. Charlie encounters the same struggles many face in high school--how to make friends, the intensity of a crush, family tensions, a first relationship, exploring sexuality, experimenting with drugs--but he must also deal with the devastating fact of his best friend's recent suicide. Charlie's letters take on the intimate feel of a journal as he shares his day-to-day thoughts and feelings: 

"I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at the teachers and wonder why they're here. If they like their jobs. Or us. And I wonder how smart they were when they were fifteen. Not in a mean way. In a curious way. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's had their heart broken that day, and how they are able to cope with having three quizzes and a book report due on top of that. Or wondering who did the heart breaking. And wondering why."

With the help of a teacher who recognises his wisdom and intuition, and his two friends, seniors Samantha and Patrick, Charlie mostly manages to avoid the depression he feels creeping up like ivy. When it all becomes too much, after a shocking realisation about his beloved late Aunt Helen, Charlie checks out for awhile. But he makes it back to reality in due time, ready to face his sophomore year and all that it may bring. Charlie, sincerely searching for that feeling of "being infinite" is a kindred spirit to the generation that's been slapped with the label X. 

Our Guest Reviewer:

Every day is Halloween for paranormal romance author Angela Addams. Enthralled by the paranormal at an early age, Angela spends most of her time thinking up new story ideas that involve supernatural creatures in everyday situations. She believes that the written word is an amazing tool for crafting the most erotic of scenarios.  

 
She lives in Ontario, Canada with her loving husband and children.

When I approached Angela about participating this week, she immediately jumped on the idea of reviewing a banned book and chose this one. I have not read this one but I've read others that dealt with the same content and like Angie, I believe that books like these allow teens a safe avenue for dealing with these matters and can be a lead in to many conversations between the reader and others in their life. 



Angie's Thoughts: 

The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, is one of those books that appeals to readers of all ages. It’s the kind of book that speaks to the very real trials and tribulations that teenagers are faced with in today’s society.  

The main character, Charlie, tells his story through a series of cathartic letters to an anonymous person. Although it seems like Charlie runs into an unbelievable heap of trouble: drugs, sex, a friend’s suicide and a horrible family secret, it is not an unrealistic coming of age tale. In fact, the reason why I think this novel is so wonderful is that it confronts these issues with full disclosure and doesn’t sugar coat the influences, pressures and realities that a teen in today’s world can face.

I’ve been asked to write this review because The Perks of Being a Wallflower has been flagged as inappropriate. It has been banned for containing content that is considered anti-family, is said to exploit the use of drugs and touch on issues of homosexuality and suicide. It is also criticized for the use of offensive language, expressing a religious viewpoint and containing sexually explicit content. It has been deemed to be unsuited to the age group for which it was written.  

All of the above mentioned “issues” related to this novel are in fact accurate; The Perks of Being A Wallflower does indeed contain a lot of sensitive content. In fact, the entire book is brimming with the musings of a conflicted, troubled teen. But does that mean it is unsuitable for its intended audience and should be censored or worse, banned? I say, emphatically, no and here’s why: 

Banning books like this one eliminates the possibility of opening up discussion with our youth on the very real issues that they are plagued with. The reason why this novel speaks to teenagers and is so widely read is because there is always an element of connection to the content. If the reader hasn’t experienced these things themselves then they have known someone who has. What better way to prepare our youth through open discussion and exploration of sensitive topics? And it’s not like these very real, issues are going to go away.

All censorship does is clean up a perceived mess by brushing it under the proverbial carpet. Unfortunately, just because you can’t see the dust and dirt, doesn’t mean the problems go away.  

Buy the book, give it a read, and then pass it along to your teen – it’s time we opened the communication valve with our youth instead of assuming that everything will always be sunshine and roses. 

5/5 Stars

The reviewer owns this book.

Guest Review of a Banned Book: SlaughterHouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Genre: Fiction
Publisher (this edition):  Dial Press Trade Paperback; Reissue edition 
Publication Date (this edition):  January 12, 1999
Reasons given for banning: depictions of sex, profanity
Buy Links: Amazon     The Book Depository
 
Book Blurb (from Amazon): 

Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden. 

Don't let the ease of reading fool you--Vonnegut's isn't a conventional, or simple, novel. He writes, "There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick, and so much the listless playthings of enormous forces. One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters..." Slaughterhouse-Five (taken from the name of the building where the POWs were held) is not only Vonnegut's most powerful book, it is as important as any written since 1945. Like Catch- 22, it fashions the author's experiences in the Second World War into an eloquent and deeply funny plea against butchery in the service of authority. Slaughterhouse-Five boasts the same imagination, humanity, and gleeful appreciation of the absurd found in Vonnegut's other works, but the book's basis in rock-hard, tragic fact gives it a unique poignancy--and humor. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

 Our Guest Reviewer:

Author and performer Jillian Lauren grew up in suburban New Jersey and fled across the water to New York City. She attended New York University for three minutes before dropping out to work in downtown theater, where she performed with Richard Foreman’s Ontological Hysteric Theater, among others.

She is the author of the novel, PRETTY, and of the New York Times bestselling memoir, SOME GIRLS: My Life in a Harem, both published by Plume/Penguin. SOME GIRLS has since been translated into fourteen different languages.

Jillian has an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University. Her writing has appeared in The Paris Review, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Flaunt Magazine, Opium Magazine, Society, Pale House: A Collective and in the anthologies My First Time: A Collection of First Punk Show Stories and Tarnished: True Tales of Innocence Lost.

She has performed at spoken word and storytelling events across the country and has been interviewed on such television programs as The View, Good Morning America and Howard Stern. She was a featured dancer with the infamous Velvet Hammer Burlesque. As a performer, she has recently worked with directors as diverse as Robert Cucuzza, Steve Balderson, Lynne Breedlove, Austin Young, Michelle Carr and Margaret Cho. 

Jillian recently premiered her solo performance piece, Mother Tongue, at the Steve Allen Theater in Los Angeles.

She regularly blogs at TODAY Moms and at her site. Jillian is married to musician Scott Shriner. They live in Los Angeles with their son.

Jillian's Thoughts: 

I have rarely been quite so tickled as when I learned that my memoir, Some Girls: My Life in a Harem, had been banned. It seemed glamorous to me, placing me in the illustrious company of the likes of Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Some Girls has been banned in at lease two countries- Brunei and Dubai. I only know this because of the emails I’ve received from readers who live there and managed to get their hands on a copy anyway. 

Reading those emails filled me with a sense of gratitude. I wrote my sometimes-scandalous book without a second thought because we live in a country that has freedom of the press. But perhaps that sense of gratitude is misplaced. I escape censorship because my book flies under the radar by dealing with such obviously taboo subjects as teenage prostitution. No one is suggesting that my memoir go on the shelf of a school library. But if the recent publication of the altered version of Huckleberry Finn is any indicator, censorship is still very much a relevant issue in this country, First Amendment or no. 

This week is Banned Books Week. Here’s an excerpt of what the American Library Association website has to say about it.
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.

Intellectual freedom—the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular—provides the foundation for Banned Books Week. BBW stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them.

In celebration, I decided to revisit an old fave of mine from this list of the Banned and/or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century.

Because so many of the challenges happen through the public school system, I chose an author who was deeply influential to me in high school. I was rather surprised to learn that Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five has been challenged as recently as 2007, because from my recollection, Slaughterhouse Five wasn’t exactly Naked Lunch or Story of the Eye. 

I reread the book and STILL couldn’t figure out what was so controversial about it. So I looked it up. Slaughterhouse Five has been repeatedly challenged, banned and even burned for such crimes as irreverence (which is apparently inherently offensive), profanity and the depiction of sex.


Slaughterhouse Five is about the life of a man named Billy Pilgrim, whose defining experience is surviving the WW2 bombing of Dresden. The structure of the book is organized around the idea of time travel. The non-linear juxtaposition of moments creates a sense of absurdity and fatalism that form the book’s central themes.

As I watch my three-year-old son begin to sort through the complexities of what makes up a joke, I’m reminded of the essential place of humor in organizing the human experience. Vonnegut was perhaps my first real exposure to the use of satire in addressing complex existential quandries. Satire was an important tool for me in learning to think about otherwise unthinkable atrocities. 

After 20-odd years, it was a pleasure to revisit Vonnegut. His unique voice was transformative for me as a young reader and has remained influential to me as a writer.
 

The 2011 Banned Books List by Charlotte Bennardo

Today's guest post is courtesy of YA author Charlotte Bennardo. She and Natalie Zaman wrote their first book, Sirenz, which was released this summer.

Charlotte spends a lot of her time putting her characters into horrendous circumstances, and likes to watch them squiggle to get out. She writes for kids, middle graders, young adults and grownups. She's kinder to her family, pet, friends and the area wildlife (even though they eat her gardens). Sirenz is her first series, and other books are in that torturous publishing queue. Stay tuned!

Natalie likes pointy things.  Pencils. Pens. Needles (the knitting and sewing variety). Arrows. And sparkly things. They keep her busy. She's currently busy plotting disasters for the characters of Sirenz and working on a Victorian steampunk fantasy for teens. Natalie lives in central New Jersey with her family and several fine looking chickens.

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     Have you read through the 2011 Banned Books List? Give us a moment to recover from the shock. The major question on our minds is: Who the hell is so mentally deficient to ban these books? The next question is: WHY are we listening to these people?

     Take Huckleberry Finn. That classic tale has been around for over a hundred years, and we’re still getting pissy about it?? Yes, it uses the “N” word. A) It was in popular use at the time. B) Anyone with a teaspoon of brain matter realizes that it’s racist and will refrain from using it. C) Noted writers like Walter Dean Howell, an African-American, has defended its use in the literary format. D) Reading it opens opportunity for discussion on its meaning, its relevance and its impact from when Twain wrote it until today.  E) Can we all move on?

     Another on the list to shake your head at: Twilight. Really? The Couple Who Wait For Marriage, the cornerstone of Conservative thinking (and we have no problem with it), is banned? Why? What possible reason; lying to parents to save their lives? Not wanting to go to the prom? And The Lord of the Rings?  Seriously? Quick, someone do something because we’re being mind controlled if we’re allowing The Diary of Anne Frank to be vilified.

     Sure, some books have a mature content: Lady Chatterly’s Lover is NOT suitable for high school or lower, but don’t BAN it, just leave it off the curriculum. (Let’s face it, by the time kids go to college, they’ll be doing what’s in the book.) Go Ask Alice is the quintessential book about drug addiction and its consequences, there is no glorification of addiction. Instead of inane slogans like “Just Say No” hand a kid this book. It’s guaranteed to have a bigger impact.

     Some other books on the list: The Chronicles of Narnia, Alice in Wonderland, Jaws, ttyl series, Madame Bovary, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, The Grapes of Wrath, The Scarlett Letter. There are too many more. It’s not just disheartening to writers, but to readers. And it’s hypocritical. Parents who won’t allow their children to read The Lovely Bones because it addresses the horrific rape and murder of a 14 year old girl will allow these same children to watch and play video games where the ultimate win is to see how many soldiers, either foreign or our own, they can brutally decimate with weapons or hand-to-hand combat.  ???

     In our own school district, Julie of the Wolves has been removed from the fifth grade curriculum because of a violent scene. We both have a sixth grader who may be reading it. As responsible parents, professional writers, and reasonable people, it is up to us to read the book and discuss the scene in question with our sons. A good teacher/school board will make sure that the students understand the context of the violence.

     And isn’t that what reading is about? Understanding the context of events, situations and relationships in not only our own narrow, prejudiced lives, but in the world around us? Isn’t school the place to expose our children to new concepts in a rational, logical, non-judgmental environment so they can formulate their own beliefs and opinions? If not in school, then where? And wouldn’t you prefer to work with your children’s teachers then leave it to a video game maker or TV shows to educate and season their minds? And who are these people that we give them credence and power over our children’s education and lives?

     Overheard: (Char’s college-aged son) But I read these books! Who do I slap? Are they f&*^% nuts? {Bea here - I love his response. Keep reading Char's son!} [Note: this article will probably be banned by some because of inappropriate language, violent content and critical thinking.]

     Rise up! Protest! Let’s ALL read a banned book.

 

(Source: www.mchsmedia.com/uploads/2/7/2/7/2727950/banned_books_list2011.pdf)

Banned Book Week Giveaway Blog Hop

 

This hop was organized by Kathy from  I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Jen from I Read Banned Books.

Every year, the American Library Association, in conjunction with other organizations, sponsors Banned Book Week, a week for highlighting books that have been banned or challenged and encouraging discussion about banning and censorship. For more info, see this post.

Over 200 participating blogs are offering a banned book related giveaway and we are all linked up together so you can easily hop from one giveaway to another. (See links at bottom of post.) The hop runs from Saturday, September 24th through Saturday, October 1st.

As part of the hop and in celebration of Banned Books Week, I have organized a series of guest posts and a couple of guest reviews of banned books by various authors. Additionally, many have generously donated books or gift cards. Please take a minute to stop by their sites or send them an email and thank them for participating this week. Of course, you can also buy their books. :P

Giveaway Details:

To enter the giveaways please 1) follow this blog, then 2) comment below. One comment will enter you in all of the giveaways for which you are eligible. Please note that some giveaways are international and some are limited to the US or Canada. All of the gift card giveaways are international. Please note in your comment what country you live in so I know which giveaways to enter you in, AND leave a way for me to contact you if you win.

ETA: Please DO NOT USE Kontactr to enter. You need to comment on the post. You should only use Kontactr if you do not want your contact info posted publicly. ALL other entry info MUST be in your post comment. I have many people who have incorrectly entered via Kontactr and whose entries will not count.

Each giveaway has one winner unless otherwise specified.

The Last Day to Enter is 10/1/11, 11:59PM EST.

See my Giveaway Policy. 

Optional Extra Entries:

+1 Be or become my friend on Goodreads.  (if you'd rather, you can just follow my reviews, it will still count)
+1 Follow on Twitter
+1 Have a confirmed email subscription

If you choose to do any of the optional extra entries, please note them in your comment and include a link to your profile. You only need to comment ONCE - put all of your entry info in your comment. Thanks :)
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Giveaway #1 International

From the blog, one winner can choose any one of the banned books listed below and I will order it from The Book Depository. As long as you live in a country that they ship to, you can enter this giveaway. 

1. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (Hard to read but gripping)
2. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (I like this series)
3. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
4. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (I love this series)
5. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (one of my all time favorite books)
6. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George 
7. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
8. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
9.  Scars by Cheryl Rainfield
10. Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Giveaway #2 US & CA

Paranormal Author Kelley Armstrong, author of "Women of the Otherworld" and "The Darkest Powers", has generously donated 5 books from the ALA's 2010 "most frequently challenged" list. There will be one winner for each book, so five winners total. This one is open to US residents only.

1. The Absolutely True Story of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie, paperback 
2. Twilight: The Twilight Saga Book 1 by Stephenie Meyer, mass market paperback 
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, paperback
4. Lush by Natasha Friend, paperback
5. Crank by Ellen Hopkins, hardcover

Giveaway #3 International

PNR & UF author, Keri Arthur, is kindly donating an Amazon gift card in the amount of $20 US, 20 UK or 20 Aust. (winners choice)  :)

Giveaway #4 International

Erotic romance author Morgan Ashbury has generously donated a $30 gift card to Amazon. 

Giveaway #5 International

YA authors Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman, are donating a $25US Amazon gift card. 

Giveaway #6 US

PNR Author Yasmine Galenorn is donating a copy of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Giveaway #7 International

Speculative Fiction author Laura Anne Gilman is donating a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card.

Giveaway #8 International 

UF author Nicole Peeler is donating a banned book of the winner's choice, up to $15US, shipped from Amazon.                    

Giveaway #9 US & CA 

Urban Fantasty author Linda Poitevin, whose debut novel Sins of the Angels, releases on the 27th, is donating "And Tango Makes Three". 



Giveaway #10 International 

PNR author D.B. Reynolds is donating a banned or challenged book - winner's choice, shipped directly from Amazon.  

Giveaway #11 US

Simon & Schuster is donating a copy of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"

Giveaway #12 International

Mystery and YA author Kari Lee Townsend is donating a $25US Amazon gift card.

I'm Getting Excited About Banned Books Week.

Banned Book Week is a month away and I've been busy planning events for the week long celebration. The 8 day celebration and blog hop are going to be busy days here. I've lined up guest posts by authors and bloggers, there are a couple of reviews of banned or challenged books, and giveaways! The giveaways are a mix of book and gift cards; some are US only and others are international.

I've been pestering asking authors and publicists to participate and have gotten a very good response. Only one author so far has turned me down, I'm waiting to hear back from a few people and the following people have generously agreed to donate their time, banned or challenged books, or gift cards. In no particular order, participants currently confirmed are:

Authors

Kelley Armstrong
Angela Addams
D.B. Reynolds
J.A. Campbell
Morgan Ashbury
Nicole Peeler
Laura Anne Gilman
Kari Lee Townsend
Charlotte Bennardo
Keri Arthur
Mike Mullin
Linda Poitevin
Krista D Ball
Chris Redding

Bloggers

Drosdelnoch from The Falcata Times
Ceilidh from Book Lantern

Don't forget that you can get out and do your part too - attend meetings when a book is challenged at your local school or library, help organize or run a local event in honor of our right to choose our own reading material, donate time or money to organizations that support literacy and reading. Get involved, and don't forget to read!

Banned Book Week 2011 - What Are YOU Doing To Celebrate?

Last year, I did a week long giveaway and several posts for Banned Book Week, a week here in the US that celebrates and honors books that have been banned somewhere in the US at one time or another, or that someone has tried to ban. I don't believe in banning a book (or movie or cd, etc). I think an individual should gather as much information as they can about that item and then make an informed decision. If they choose not to read it, fine. If they choose not to let their child read it or to read it with them, fine. But do not take away another person's right to make those same choices and decisions.This year, Banned Book Week is from September 24th to October 1st.

Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, the American American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the American Library Association(ALA), the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the National Association of College Stores. The Library of Congress Center for the Book endorses it.

I'll be advocating for banned books again this year, but this year there is an organized blog hop relating to Banned Book Week and I happily signed up to participate. Details will come later, but there will be a giveaway of some sort, involving one or more banned books OR a gift card to a book vendor, either Amazon or The Book Depository. I haven't decided yet, but it will be smaller than my event last year.

What can you do? Well, you can also participate in the book blog hop, co-hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and I Read Banned Books. You can work with your local libraries, book stores and schools to set up an event, help publicize both Banned Book Week and any and all local events relating to it, donate a copy of a banned book to your library or school, etc. There are many ways to participate. One way, though, is to video yourself reading from a banned book. Publisher's Weekly Daily had an article about this and I think I may do it.

From the PW Daily article -

For Banned Books Week (Sept. 24-Oct. 1) this year, booksellers and their customers can proclaim their support for free speech on the Internet by joining a worldwide read-out of banned and challenged books. For many years, Banned Books Week has featured readings from challenged titles in bookstores and libraries. This year people can participate no matter where they are–in bookstores, libraries and their own homes–by posting a video of themselves reading their favorite banned book on a special YouTube channel.

Readers can select any banned or challenged book, and excerpts can be up to two minutes in length. Alternatively, people who have worked to defend banned or challenged titles can describe their battles in videos of up to three minutes in length. Booksellers will send the videos to the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE), which will edit them, add the names and logos of the bookstores where the filming occurred and then post them on YouTube. The videos will also be tagged to make it easy for bookstores to feature them on their websites, blogs, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts.

For further information, e-mail info@abffe.org.

 So spread the word and come back during Banned Book Week to talk about what you are doing for BBW and see what I will be giving away.

Saturday's Winner for BANNED BOOK WEEK CELEBRATION

Banned Book Week is over now, here on the East Coast anyway, and I have one final winner. Thanks to everyone who entered and who has supported the freedom to choose what they read.

The last winner is:  -Melissa-

Send me an email within 48 hours with your choice of a book, and your mailing addy and name.

Congratulations!!!!!

SPEAK Winners!!!!

Ok, Banned Book Week is officially over here on the East Coast, and winners have been chosen. As promised, there are 2 winners. Each one wins a copy of "Speak" and any one book from the ALA's list of banned books. The latter can't cost more than $10US. Look around on The Book Depository and send me an email with a link to your choice, and your mailing address and name. If I don't hear from you within 48 hours, then I draw a new winner.

And now, the winners:

Ashley

Maddie M



CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! Thanks to everyone who entered and posted. You're the best. :)

A Giveaway in Celebration of Banned Book Week

The American Library Association keeps track of books throughout the US that have been banned or challenged from public libraries and schools. The ALA supports freedom of speech and the right to read and battles censorship. Every year they devote a week to celebrating and promoting banned books. They help organize events and encourage libraries and book stores to have events and/or  displays involving banned books. For more information, click here.

This year Banned Book Week is Saturday September 25th through Saturday October 2nd. The ALA has a page just for BBW. My effort to encourage reading in general and support for all books will be to do giveaways. I have chosen books from the ALA's list of banned and challenged books and each day of BBW,  I will giveaway one of those books. A total of eight books will be given away, one for each day of BBW. To enter, just reply to this post.

I will be ordering the Hbooks from Book Depository so as long as you live in a country where they ship, you can enter this giveaway. Each day I will use random.org to pick the previous day's winner and post their name here on my blog. Once the winner's name is announced, they have 48 hours to contact me with their name, mailing address and the book they want. All books are paperback only. You can enter every day but only win once. If the winner fails to contact me within 48 hours, I will choose a new winner. I am not responsible for any books that are lost or damaged in shipping. Email me at baconnorsATgmailDOTcom with your info and put "BBW Giveaway" in the subject line so your email doesn't get deleted as spam.

LIST OF BOOKS FOR GIVEAWAY:  Paperback editions only

Any book from the Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey

Any book from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Any book from the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman

Any book from the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer

Any book from the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

"A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle

"Beloved" by Toni Morrison

"Blood and Chocolate" by Annette Curtis Klause

"Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson

"The Call of the Wild" by Jack London

"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger

"The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier

"The Color Purple" by Alice Walker

"The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

"Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley

"Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell

"Hamlet" by William Shakespeare

"Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou 

"In the Night Kitchen" by Maurice Sendak

"Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George

"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

"My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult

"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

"Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee