Banned Books Week - Say What?

It's Banned Books Week on Books, Boys, Buzz... and as I perused the ALA lists of books most frequently cited for complaint over the years (you can find the lists here) I was shocked to find one of my childhood favorites - ok, not so shocked, just disappointed.

Bridge to Terebithia?

People actually brought forth complaints of "the occult and satanism" about this lovely, award-winning book by Katherine Patterson. I'm sure they didn't like the idea of Jess and Leslie creating their own world in the book, but what is more troubling is that they probably didn't like the questions that Jess asks when Leslie passes away.

Jess is a Christian in the book, and Leslie's family does not believe. When Leslie is killed in the flood, Jess knowing that Leslie is not a Christian, wonders what will happen to her. Will Leslie go to Heaven or Hell if she is not saved as he understands it?

What a great question! I think that when you believe in something, it is imperative to keep asking questions, to understand the tenets and feel comfortable discussing the hard topics. More than challenging your faith, questions refine your faith. Books like this bring up the hard questions, create discussions, and foster learning and growth.

And this book is just a great coming-of-age story -- a young boy choosing between hanging out with his friend Leslie or going to the museum with his art teacher, who he's crushing on.

I hope if you haven't read Bridge to Terebithia, you will check it out. It's one of the books that made me want to become a storyteller - and it's a book that deserves to be read by people everywhere.

What is the most surprising title you found on the Banned Books List? Seriously, I can't believe these people.... ;)

Happy BB Week!

Heather
www.heatherdavisbooks.com
Never Cry Werewolf - HarperTeen
The Clearing - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Wherever You Go - Harcourt Fall 2011

Banned Books and Censorship: Not on my watch!

As a reader and an author, I am in total support of Banned Book Week. I'm proud of the Buzz Girls for bringing this topic to the forefront for our readers and I hope you agree with us. Banning books and censorship are just NOT cool.



We've all seen the list of banned books over the years...a list that contains one classic after the next. Well, I just read this news article on Yahoo.com with ten (10) banned books that will really surprise you!

I'm horrified to see not just one, but two dictionaries included on the list. All because they define words that some find offensive. You know what? Don't look those words up! And to see Lord of the Rings considered as "Satanic?" Did they read the same book I did in middle school? And good old Harry Potter...not just one of the books is banned, but the whole series. An entire series! They say it's "Satanic" and "occultist" and...get this..."anti-family." Are you kidding me? After losing his real family, Harry finds solace and comfort in his Hogwart's family. It's anything BUT anti-family. And the last one that knocked me off my seat is Grimm's Fairy Tales. In particular...Red Riding Hood. Why? Because she had a bottle of wine in the basket for her grandmother. Honestly people!

Which brings me to censorship. A topic very near and dear to my heart. I'm totally against it. Big time! I'll let this e-mail exchange that I had with a librarian recently explain my views exactly:

Subject: A wish....
Comment: Dear Marley: I saw you on TV on "My Ghost Story" and when I heard you write teen ghost hunting novels I went straight and looked you up. I am an elementary school librarian and my kids love supernatural reading. I was soarly [sic] disappointed to see that I had already checked out your book to purchase and then realized you had so much fowl [sic] language. I have never written to anyone before, I am not a stodgy person, but I am so tired of books that I think would be great for my kids, being filled with language that I don't want encouraged. I go through all these books (because I like the topic too) and then I have to mark out bad words just so my kids can still read the book. I know 12-14 year olds are not angels... not by a long shot... but I don't want to encourage this behavior until they are old enough to REALLY know what is right or wrong. Is it so hard to write a book that I don't have to sit with a marker in my hand just so my kids can have a good supernatural book to read? Sorry for the venting... I would so like to get your books for my kids, I know they would love them... I just wish you had not gone down the language, etc. path.

And my response to her...not attacking her horrid misspellings...

Hi NAME WITHHELD...

I appreciate the time you took to write to me voicing your concerns.

I am, however, appalled to think that you go through books—by any author—with a marker to “mark out bad words” and "language that [you] do not want encouraged." I’m sure your intentions are good, but the reality is that you are censoring books, a practice that most Americans would agree is horrific at best, and one we rightly vilify as a society.

My books are not geared for elementary school-aged children. They are written for "young adults," kids older than 12 (they’re clearly marked as such), and I write them in common vernacular to better connect and identify with my teen audience. I have never had a teacher, librarian, parent, or student object to the language in my books - nor mark out words before letting others read it.

As a librarian, I assume it is your responsibility to select which books are included in the SCHOOL WITHHELD Elementary library. If you choose not to include mine, I understand. I’ll just hope that the kids who would enjoy them find them from another source. I am curious to know if the school administration, WITHHELD County School Board, or the PTA condone your practice of editing the books that you *do* choose to put in the library?

It is my sincere hope you will reconsider your censorship practices. I realize I'm in good company with the likes of Judy Blume, Lois, Lowry, Steven King, J.D. Salinger, and others, but it still doesn't make it right in my opinion. As an author, I will do everything in my power to see that censorship is stopped, wherever and whenever I become aware of it.

Sincerely,
Marley Gibson

Now, I shared this with a PR friend of mine who told a friend of hers at The Washington Post about it and she wanted to do a story on it. She contacted the librarian and didn't get a response. She then contacted the school and was told, "She will not be marking out any passages in books anymore."



Well...score one victory against censorship.

Pick up a "banned" book this week and see what you think. And if you feel so inclined, read the GHOST HUNTRESS books and judge them for yourself.

What do you think? Should librarians (whom I love!) be able to mark out passages of books they personally feel are inappropriate? Would you speak up at your local school or library if you ran across such markings in a book?

Thanks for your support!
Marley = )

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Book Banning: Coming To A Town Near You

I'm starting to think it's me.

First, a school visit from Ellen Hopkins got cancelled in Norman, OK, just a few miles from where my parents lived at the time. Then, Ellen got disinvited from the Humble ISD Teen Lit Fest, to which I had also been invited and in a district just a few miles from where I used to live in Houston, TX. Now it's Laurie Halse Anderson and Sarah Ockler getting trashed in the News-Leader in Springfield, MO, the town where I went to high school.

Seriously, maybe I'm the Banned Book Fairy and I don't even know it.

What bothers me most about these, and all censorship situations, is that a very narrow minority is trying to decide what others can/cannot or should/should not read because they know better. They believe teens are incapable of thinking for themselves, incapable of discerning the difference between rape and sex, between smart choices and dumb ones, between right and wrong. If a parent hasn't raised their kid to know the difference between right and wrong, then stopping them from reading a book isn't going to prevent the train wreck.

The good news is that every time one of these small minded, book banning, brainwashing, goosestepping goobers steps out into the public spotlight, there are hundreds of us open-minded, banned book reading, intellectual freedom loving, think for yourself advocates to raise our voices in protest.

And thanks to the internet and the real-time news distribution that happens on Twitter and Facebook, we can spread the word fast and wide.

When Ellen's event got cancelled in Norman, she went anyway and held an alternative event, speaking to a huge crowd at Hillsdale Baptist College. When Ellen got disinvited from Humble, several of the other authors involved, including me, withdrew from the festival rather than show any level of support for this kind of censorship. And when the Springfield newspaper posted the book banning opinion piece, they got almost 500 comments and posted a response from Laurie a few days later.

As readers, writers, and consumers, we have two weapons in our arsenal against censorship: the power of the dollar and the power of the word. Next time you hear about a book or an author getting banned, break out your power tools. Buy the banned book and read it or give it away. Write a blog post or an email or a Tweet, and spread the word. Speak loudly.

Because, in the end, when one of us loses intellectual freedom, we all do.

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com
@teralynnchilds

Buzz Girls Support Banned Books Week!

The Buzz Girls are proud to be supporters of Banned Books Week, the national celebration of the freedom to read. I kicking things off our theme week with some background information.


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, their targets ranging from books that explore contemporary issues and controversies to classic and beloved works of American literature.

Topping the 2009 list of the American Library Association’s Top Ten list of the Most Frequently Challenged Books is Lauren Myracle’s best-selling young adult novel series TTYL, the first-ever novels written entirely in the style of instant messaging. MY SISTER'S KEEPER by Jodi Picoult, CATCHER IN THE RYE by J. D. Salinger--and one of my favorite books for its humor, grit and heartwarming realism, THE EARTH, MY BUTT, and OTHER BIG, ROUND THINGS by Carolyn Mackler, also appear.

“Even though not every book will be right for every reader, the ability to read, speak, think and express ourselves freely are core American values,” says Barbara Jones, the director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. “Protecting one of our most fundamental rights – the freedom to read – means respecting each other’s differences and the right of all people to choose for themselves what they and their families read.”

For more information on book challenges and censorship, please visit the ALA Office website.

And please leave a comment, offering up your supportof Banned Books Week, and naming any favorite books that you know of that have been challenged.

Tina

Tina Ferraro
The ABC's of Kissing Boys
How to Hook a Hottie
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress
www.tinaferraro.com

It's Banned Books Week

In case you haven't noticed all over the internet or in your local school or library ... it's Banned Books Week! Before anyone goes getting all funny, no, this is not a celebration of banning books. It's a celebration of our first amendment right to freedom of expression.


My mom, a fairly politically vocal person and one with extremely strong beliefs, always says:

I may not agree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.

I think that sums up the essence of Banned Books Week pretty well. It's not about what the books say or why they say them or who the authors are, it's about the right to say and write and read whatever we want. It's about the choice.

So why not check out the Banned Books Week website or ask your favorite librarian how you can get involved. Because even one book banned is one too many.

Hugs,
TLC

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