By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 4/15/2016
§ Blutch, Blutch, Blutch. French artist Christian Hincker, aka Blutch is a cartoon god in Europe, but known only to Euro comics experts here. The new New York Review of Books edition of PEPLUM is his first long work to be translated into English. It’s no easy reader; a mystical narrative that takes element from the […]
On November 3rd, KidLit TV was invited to the National Coalition Against Censorship to interview NCAC board members, artists, authors, and experts about up and coming books that celebrate diversity and free speech advocacy. NCAC’s mission is to promote freedom of thought, inquiry, and expression and oppose censorship in all its forms.
NCAC celebrated another year of free speech advocacy and saluted Lois Lowry, Larry Siems, Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, and Henry Cole as 2015 Free Speech Defenders. The evening raised funds from generous sponsors, led by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, to support NCAC’s mission, and featured performances from Fun Home, a tribute by Alison Bechdel, and inspiring words from each of our honorees. A special thanks to comedian Jena Friedman, who kept the audience laughing through the night as our master of ceremonies.
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Red Carpet
Host: Rocco Staino
Executive Producer: Julie Gribble
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The post Red Carpet | National Coalition Against Censorship 2015 appeared first on KidLit.TV.
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By: Cheryl Rainfield,
on 10/2/2012
In the video below, I talk about Scars being challenged, why I wrote Scars, and the need for “dark” books – for Banned Book Week. I read banned and challenged books, and I hope you do, too!
Here are some of my favorite quotes about banning books and censorship:
“Books and ideas are the most effective weapons against intolerance and ignorance.”
- Lyndon Baines Johnson
“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them. ”
- Joseph Brodsky
“If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.”
- Benjamin Franklin
“Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings.”
- Heinrich Heine
“Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.”
- Voltaire
Do you have a favorite quote about banned books or censorship? How about a favorite banned or challenged book? Let me know! 
By: Cheryl Rainfield,
on 11/22/2011
So…after two months of worrying about me being on a panel speaking about challenged books in front of 500 people, and then two weeks of anxiety, and then a day of absolute fear right up to (and during) the panel…I “did good”! I knew I had a lot to say–Scars has been challenged at least once formally that I know of, and informally in Meghan cox Gurden’s op-ed. My abusers tried to silence me most of my life; I don’t want to be silenced any more. But actually speaking about it all in front of 500 people live felt pretty scary. I think I spoke well, though–honestly, emotionally, passionately, and intelligently. I still can’t believe I spoke well! It took a while for me to know it–but I started taking it in afterward from the many responses and from people telling me that in so many ways.
I know public speaking is hard for many people, at least at first. It is for me, too. But for me there’s also the added layers of all the abuse training–my abusers repeatedly telling me they’d kill me if I talked (and since they’d murdered other children in front of me I knew they could), and abuse that happened on raised stages (like child porn), and all the years I learned to be silent, quiet, and not speak out, except through my writing and my art. But yesterday I learned that I CAN speak publicly, even to a large group, and it can be okay and even a good experience.
Me speaking, photo taken by Sandi Walden
Some of the time before my panel I felt alone and scared and insecure as the hours stretched on, so I took a breather, and sat in the hallway against the wall. But doing that I felt like I was socially awkward and sticking out, the way I had as a teen. And then who should come by but A.S. King (Everybody Sees the Ants, Please Ignore Vera Dietz)! She sat herself down beside me so easily, and we sat, backs against the wall, talking. Amy was reassuring and understanding, and so down-to-earth. I loved hearing about her own experiences, and just…spending time. Hearing Amy talk about ALAN so enthusiastically made me want to join.
I also got to meet C.J. Bott in person–she recognized me as I passed by, and we talked briefly, and then she sat down for a bit with A.S. King and me. C. J. Bott did a lovely review of Scars, and we’d talked back and forth via email a bit, so it was cool to meet her in person. She’ll be vice president of ALAN next year!
I also talked a bit with Professor Melanie Hundley, who was an incredibly friendly, bright spot in the day, introducing me to other authors and to teachers, pointing out my handouts to others, and just being lovely.
It helped to have such friendly, caring people around!
The whole experience was also made better by my wonderful book publicist Julie Schoerke, picking me up at the airport, taking me to dinner, and then coming the next day to be with me for my panel. I was getting more and more scared the closer it got to my panel, and thankfully Julie arrived about an hour before. She sat on the floor with me i
By: Laura,
on 9/27/2011
Like BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA yesterday, Maurice Sendak’s IN THE NIGHT KITCHEN makes the list for one of the top 100 most frequently banned books of the decade, 1990-2000. It was also made the Top 10 most challenged book of 2004. It’ll be no surprise to those of you familiar with the book that the sticking point is the illustrations of naked Mickey, the young protagonist of the story.
By: Laura,
on 9/26/2011
It’s well-known in book-ish circles that it’s Banned Books Week. This week is a wonderful celebration of the freedom to read and to raise awareness against censorship. But one thing that comes up each year – by myself, included – is that Banned Books Week needs to happen every day of the year. As book people who are passionate about the right to read whatever one chooses, we must remain vigilant in supporting that right.
With that in mind, this week we’ll be featuring booktalks of banned books by well-known librarians, school media specialists, and bloggers. That way, you can support the freedom to read year-round. (Not to mention that, should you be working on your programs, these booktalks can set you on your way!)
So stay tuned and visit here all week for the booktalks. Before I post the first one, I thought I’d share what others are doing around the interwebs to celebrate this week:
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By: Scott Laming,
on 4/12/2011
The American Library Association (ALA) once again released it's list of books which were most often challenged by the public to be banned from libraries in America. As usual most of the books are children's or YA titles and are challanged by parents who believe they are targeted to an age group too young for the content.
Top 10
1. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: Homosexuality, religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: Offensive language, racism, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence
3. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Reasons: Insensitivity, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit
4. Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Reasons: Drugs, offensive language, sexually explicit
5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Reasons: Sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence
6. Lush by Natasha Friend
Reasons: Drugs, offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
7. What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
Reasons: Sexism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
8. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America by Barbara Ehrenreich
Reasons: Drugs, inaccurate, offensive language, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint
9. Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology edited by Amy Sonnie
Reasons: Homosexuality, sexually explicit
10. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons: Religious viewpoint, violence
By: Scott Laming,
on 9/27/2010
The American Library Association (ALA) has issued their annual list of the 10 most frequently challenged books from US libraries. There's a number of the usual suspects on the list, and while I'm still flabbergasted that there are people out there who are so concerned about the content in these books that they are requesting that they be removed from libraries (To Kill a Mockingbird? Really?) I do take some comfort in the fact that these books are still readily available for those who want them.
What I do want to know is how you can cite nudity as a reason for banning a book? Unless these books have lift up flaps, and I am fairly certain they don't, an anatomy description shouldn't be grounds for a banning; especially when "offensive language" gets its own category.
To me the most offensive book in this list still got the top spot, just not for the reason I would have slotted it in. Lauren Myracle's TTYL series is written entirely text message shorthand (Pls no, I h8 it), and for that alone I think it should be banned.
1. The TTYL series by Lauren Myracle for Nudity, sexually explicit, drugs, offensive language,and being unsuited to the age group.
Some of my favorite authors have written banned or challenged books. J.D. Salinger, Mark Twain, Maya Angelou, Kurt Vonnegut, Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell. What’s that? You don’t recognize those last two names? That’s interesting, because they are the co-authors of the most challenged book of 2006, 2007 and 2008 and the most banned book of 2009. What kind of subject matter could possibly garner that kind of censure, you ask? Murder? Blasphemy? Corruption? War? Pornography? Racism? Impropriety of the biblical “knowing” kind? Nope, none of those. The book that parents, politicians and religious groups have most wanted off the shelves and out of the classrooms for nearly half a decade is about…drum roll, please…penguins. Yep, you read that right. The flightless, tuxedo-wearing birds. Not all of them, of course. Just three very specific ones in the Central Park Zoo who had the chutzpah to mess with some people’s view of the world, even though they were just being them. Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell’s And Tango Makes Three is the true story of two chinstrap penguins at the famous New York City landmark who spent six years together playing, loving and raising a daughter born from an adopted egg. And now you’re wondering why such a sweet (and did I mention true?) story would cause such a fuss. I’ll tell you, but you might not believ
e it. The problem is that both Roy and Silo were boy chinstrap penguins. That’s the truth. And some people just can’t handle the truth.
http://www.amazon.com/Tango-Makes-Three-Peter-Parnell/dp/0689878451
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Parnell
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Richardson
By: Scott Laming,
on 9/23/2009
It's Banned Books Week very shortly and as a ramp up I was looking at some material about which books had been banned or challenged in the past few years, which is where I came across this map. I think it's really interesting to see, partly because I thought I might see a state or region pushing ahead in the number of bans, but in reality it almost looks like the population distribution. So much for my conspiracy theories.
Strangely enough no one found anything shocking enough to challenge in Las Vegas, go figure.
By: Scott Laming,
on 4/16/2009
The American Library Association (ALA) has published its list of the most challenged books of 2008. Top spot was once again taken by "And Tango Makes Three" the award winning children's book about two male penguins who become parents however Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner (which was challenged because of the books rape scene), Philip Pullman's "Dark Materials" trilogy (for being violent and anti-religious), Stephen Chbosky's "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" (drugs, suicide, language) and a myriad of other titles were also heavily challenged.
The ALA explained that in total there were 513 challenges last year, which resulted in books being pulled from library shelves 74 times. The ALA defines a challenge as a "formal, written complaint filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness."
I think we have covered this topic on many occasions here at the BookFinder.com Journal so I will keep this brief but I am constantly amazed that complaints are being filed about books like Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, and picture books about pengins. Parents should have a keen interest in what their children read, and as such help guide them to make good decisions. But I think libraries should be free of censorship and screening and even though only 74 books were removed from the shelves of libraries that was still about 1 for every 7 complaints.
It makes me wonder if the people complaining about these books shout as loudly about the violence on TV (even in the news), sexuality in advertizements and course language in music...
By: Scott Laming,
on 4/16/2009
The American Library Association (ALA) has published its list of the most challenged books of 2008. Top spot was once again taken by "And Tango Makes Three" the award winning children's book about two male penguins who become parents however Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner (which was challenged because of the books rape scene), Philip Pullman's "Dark Materials" trilogy (for being violent and anti-religious), Stephen Chbosky's "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" (drugs, suicide, language) and a myriad of other titles were also heavily challenged.
The ALA explained that in total there were 513 challenges last year, which resulted in books being pulled from library shelves 74 times. The ALA defines a challenge as a "formal, written complaint filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness."
I think we have covered this topic on many occasions here at the BookFinder.com Journal so I will keep this brief but I am constantly amazed that complaints are being filed about books like Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, and picture books about pengins. Parents should have a keen interest in what their children read, and as such help guide them to make good decisions. But I think libraries should be free of censorship and screening and even though only 74 books were removed from the shelves of libraries that was still about 1 for every 7 complaints.
It makes me wonder if the people complaining about these books shout as loudly about the violence on TV (even in the news), sexuality in advertizements and course language in music...
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It’s also worth noting that the lettering for the NYRB English version of PEPLUM was hand lettered by the late, great Jess Johnson. He did a beautiful job of capturing Blutch’s distinct line.