Yay! It’s Banned Book Week and this is still a country where you can read what you want…. most of the time.
Why should you care about this?
Because these people are organized, well-funded, and trying to take over your school and library. And there are many more where they come from.
Are you going to let them?
My quick weekend update:
Saturday – ran the Mexico Cider Run 5k, in my best time of the year. Maybe I was especially motivated because the run is a fundraiser for our town’s library. I love the village of Mexico, NY. Our volunteer firefighters made sure we were safe was we ran up hill and down dale across town, and a bunch of high school and middle school kids volunteered to keep us hydrated and on course. I ran most of the race behind a little girl who cracked me up because, in addition to almost beating me, she deliberately jumped in every puddle we came across. I saw The Dog again, too. The Dog and his owner have been in almost every race I’ve run this summer. The Dog is a great animal, he’s really fun to watch. But I must admit, it irks me a little that he keeps beating me. My next running goal is to finish within a tail wag of The Dog. Oh, and the shirts that we got at race. Best. Shirts. Ever!!!
Then we watched NOS play soccer. BH played ball boy. I was the wiped out mom sprawled in a lawn chair on the sidelines.
Sunday I spent straining my eyes to read 18th-century newspapers on microfilm at the library of Syracuse University. And last night I had one of the most intense, most horrifying, absolutely freak-out quality nightmares I have ever had in my life. Woke up screaming. And no, I will NOT be writing a book about this one. If I tried, I’d wind up in a padded cell.
the school i’m student teaching at has banned books all over the library and a big bulletin board devoted to this week. I’ll be sporting my “everything i need to know about life i’ve learned by reading banned books” pin all week! =]
You can, BTW, get a lot of these newspapers via interlibrary loan (it may take some digging before you know what library will loan them, but some do) and then scan the microfilm at high DPI, if you have a scanner. This not only puts the newspaper up on your computer screen and allows you to save your eyes by zooming in, but allows you to save free copies of the pages you want for your own reference.
I had no idea that was possible. Thank you so much for the excellent suggestion!
De rien, bien sur.
mandopout – I love your pin! =D I never really thought about it, but it’s so true!
“Are you going to let them?”
Not a chance. Right, everyone?
I can’t beleive that Go Ask Alice is on that list. It’s a cautionary tale! Also, it was written as part of a series of “THISISWHATHAPPENS” by (I think) Beatrice Sparks to BE a cautionary tale, one of MANY teenagers-gone-bad cautionary tales.
What is wrong with Sophie’s World? Oh, weak. WEAK.
Gasp! And The Power of One!
Tobias Wolff! MAYA ANGELOU! Margaret Atwood!
I still think it funny/tragic that Speak is sooo objectionable. Yes. Let’s tell all the kids out there who have been raped that no, you’re too young to understand what that means and that it didn’t happen.
This is depressing.
I’m sorry; nightmares suck. This summer I had one so bad that when I woke up I just screamed into my pillow for awhile. And last week I woke myself up whimpering in my sleep. I think worst part was that I wasn’t fully awake, so I was kicking and trying to get away for a bit. Like even after I started to wake up, I didn’t know it was just a dream.
Thanks for the PABBIS link. I wrote them a lovely, genteel letter expressing my lovely, genteel thoughts about their crusade.
Looking forward to seeing you and hearing your keynote speech at the Rutgers ONE ON ONE in October. {}
-Pamela Ross
(wondering if the nightmare had anything to do with the Banners; could the timing be a coincidence?) :{
When I see you at Rutgers, be sure to tell me if they wrote back!
The next time you’re in the SU area, definitely let me know cuz I live right off campus – literally! It would be awesome to run into you again!
Little Quirk’s Big Sister
I thought you’d be happy to hear this. =) Today when the announcements came on, our school’s reading coach announced that it was Banded Book Week. She basically said what you posted here in your entry, about how these adults are trying to control our libraries and such. Anyways, she went on to tell us how fortunate we were to live in a country that places no restrictions on what you read, and how we have to make sure that we always fight for this right. =)
Tell your reading coach that I adore her and she is a very good American.
I was actually walking around town during the Cider race in Mexico and some lady thought I was one of the runners. I laughed, I can’t run at all.
I was actually in town during the race, some lady thought I was one of the runners. I laughed, I can’t run at all.
Hi!
Hi, Laurie! My name is Mel, and I have read every one of your novels and am looking forward to the release of Twisted! I love your books, especially Speak. I didn’t go through what Melinda did, but I went through a very similar social withdrawal in my freshman year. Speak was very easy for me to relate to. Anyway, when I found your LJ, I was surprised; I didn’t know there was such a thing as Banned Book Week. I know it’s now over, but oddly enough, my Pre-AP English teacher is having us do a banned book project. I was going to do Lord of the Flies but wondered if any of your books have ever been banned because that would be much more fun and easy to do an oral report on. LOL! If any of your books were banned, why were they banned (she wants proof)?
Thanks so much!
Mel