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गुरु पूर्णिमा का मौका ऐसा होता है जब हम अपने गुरु जिनसे भी हम कुछ सीखते हैं उन्हे जताते हैं उनका आशीर्वाद लेते हैं पर ये गुरु …. के नाम पर परेशान से क्यो है …
Chennai, Rajasthan suspended from IPL for two years
The Indian Supreme Court committee, led by Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha, has proposed a two-year ban on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) from the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament. Read more…
Thanks to Amy, my counterpart at Fort Erie Public Library, who forwarded a link for The First Banned Books Video Calendar. Says Amy, "For years and years Finland had the highest literacy rate in the world, largely due to the fact that 99+ % of Finns were Lutherans, and the Lutherans made sure all children could read, so they could read Luther's catechism."
The Entresse Library in Espoo, Finland and FAIFE (IFLA Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression) have partnered to create this resource.
Following the tradition of the Advent calendar, each day between December 1st and December 24th a new window will open and a new book will be presented on several sites throughout the world.
The Uprise Books Project wants to give teens access to banned and challenged books. The organization hopes to raise $10,000 on Kickstarter to fund the design and development costs of their website.
Here’s more about the project: “When we’re through, kids throughout the country will be able to use the site to browse through a selection of books that have been banned and/or challenged somewhere in the United States and add the ones that interest them to their personal Wish Lists. As long as they’re between the ages of 13 and 18 and meet the income requirements, we’ll do our best to fulfill their requests. At the same time, folks concerned about little things like poverty, literacy and censorship will be able to search through some basic demographic data to find books they’d like to sponsor.”
The organizers have created several different rewards packages for supporters. Backers who donate at least $5 will be recognized on the finished site. Above, we’ve embedded a video about the project.
Today's Daily Does of WTF is big enough to last a lifetime.
So... remember Republic, MO? Where they banned Slaughterhouse-Five: A Novel and Twenty Boy Summer? Where Speak was accused of being soft-core porn? (But luckily the Vonnegut Memorial Library is sending Republic students copies of Slaughterhouse Five.
Well... in 2009 a female middle school student accused a fellow student of rape. The school district made her write a letter of apology to the guy who raped her. Made her hand-deliver it, and then kicked her out for the rest of the year.
The next year, when she returned, her mother asked for special protection. Nope. She still had to take classes with the guy who raped her. So he raped her again. In the school library. And plead guilty to the charges, so was CONVICTED OF THE CRIME.
Let me repeat that-- HE ADMITTED HE RAPED HER. HE IS A CONVICTED RAPIST FOR THIS CRIME.
So, the girl sues the school. The school says the lawsuit if "frivolous".
I just... what? I mean, really, WHAT THE FUCK?
Honestly, the DA should be looking at criminal charges against the school district.
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2 Comments on Your Daily Dose of WTF?, last added: 8/20/2011
WTF!? indeed. Sadly, this doesn't seem to be an isolated case of high school v. rape victim. I saw this a couple months back (via Change.org) and had the same WTF reaction. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1176719/index.htm
The only thing I can think when I hear of these kinds of shenanigans is that the officials in charge must have a history of similar behavior. Makes you sad for all the women in their lives. :(
If you are registering for the "Banned Book Challenge" and are looking for suggestions to read, there is a wonderful resource of Books Challenged or Banned in 2009–2010 for the United States. This is an annual publication by Robert P. Doyle. Books that have been challenged, banned or otherwise restricted between May 2009 and May 2010 can be found in this list, along with information about the where and when the challenge occurred and the result. The challenges are ones that have been reported through the Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom.
This bibliography is part of a series which are available from 2003 to the present.
Take the Banned Book Challenge. Set your own goal to read any number of banned or challenged books between February 20, 2011 and June 30, 2011. Then, send us reviews, opinions, etc.
0 Comments on Challenged and Banned Book List as of 3/7/2011 2:57:00 PM
It is time once more for the Banned Book Challenge. Celebrate Canadians' freedom to read by reading a banned or challenged book. Sign up on the form below to be included in our statistics.
There are no less than 454 news stories for today alone on the intended release of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in a new edition in which the words “nigger,” "Injun," and "half-breed" are replaced with the more politically correct "slave," "Indian," and "half-blood." NewSouth Books, an Alabama Publisher, has drawn criticism from many fronts and has opened up debate that is ongoing and passionate.
Is this rewriting history, taking a revisionist approach, or is it making a great piece of American literature accessible to students who would otherwise not be able to study this book because schools are reluctant to use it?
The Rhode Show (Fox Providence) has done an excellent job of outlining what the buzz is all about.
One thing that all sides seem to agree on is that the word "nigger" makes us uncomfortable. Some scholars defend Twain's language, believing that his readers should feel uncomfortable since it shines a light on the historic treatment of blacks. People differ on whether the word should be used if it is within its historical context or whether it should be removed to soothe modern sensibilities. Professor Alan Gribben, a Twain scholar and editor of the NewSouth edition believes he is helping schools to be able to get this classic book back into the curriculum. According to Publishers Weekly, Twain himself defined a classic as "a book which people praise and don't read." Gribben believes that the offensive "n-word" is causing a generation of school children to be deprived of this important American book and that the sanitized edition would make it easier for parents and teachers to accept.
However Twain was angry even when changes in punctuation were made by an editor. Below is the forward from the original Huckleberry Finn.
IN this book a number of dialects are used, to wit: the Missouri negro dialect; the extremest form of the backwoods Southwestern dialect; the ordinary ‘Pike County’ dialect; and four modified varieties of this last. The shadings have not been done in a hap- hazard fashion, or by guesswork; but painstakingly, and with the trustworthy guidance and support of personal familiarity with these several forms of speech. I make this explanation for the reason that without it many
0 Comments on Is Mark Twain Rolling Over in His Grave? as of 1/1/1900
There is still time to sign up. The challenge goes until June 30. Set your own goal and let us know about it. I will publish any reviews, etc. as they are sent to me.
A comment today indicates that one of our participants has accomplished reading 38 challenged books to date. Great work. I set myself the modest goal of four and have completed them. I love the challenge of reading books I may not have otherwise chosen for myself.
5 Comments on Report on Banned Book Challenge, last added: 5/27/2010
Since this is the second comment you have left, I thought you were looking for a response.
While "banned" is a bit of a misnomer for our reading challenge, it is short and to the point. Otherwise it would be "Banned and Challenged Book Challenge" -- a bit of a mouthful.
While you are correct that most literature has not been banned for 50 years in the US, I imagine there are publications which would still be banned. While I cannot speak for the US, in particular, I know that many publications have not made it past Canada Customs en route to bookstores. (Check the Little Sisters' Book and Art Emporium history http://littlesisters.ca/docscc/history.html for more information.) So, books have been banned from Canada. The other thing you should understand is that this blog is read around the world and people from all over are invited to take part in the challenge.
One reason for continuing to highlight books that have been challenged is to remind people of the freedom we have to read and to speak mostly uncensored. We stand in solidarity with people around the world whose government continues to censor materials and often highlight those struggles -- Cuba, China, and Malaysia come to mind.
Books are still banned from schools, even in the US and in Canada. Vamos a Cuba was banned from Miami-Dade County schools. Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak was banned from elementary schools in by the Toronto Public School Board. Both of these books were challenged within the past five years. Do these books threaten the safety of our children? I think not!
I will defend every person's right to keep books that do not meet their value system from their own children. However, no one has the right to keep those books from other people's children. Concerned parents accompany their children to the public library and discuss anything they think is controversial with their children.
I see that you are concerned with people being able to view pornography in the library. Our particular library has set up a policy concerning Internet usage. "The Library reserves the right to ask individuals to refrain from displaying disturbing or offensive information or images." We have only had to enforce this policy twice in the eight years that I have been here. While you advocate the purchase of Internet blockers from your organization, these are tools which can be frustrating to use because of the parameters they set up for the search, locking out sites which can be used for legitimate research. They can also be circumvented very easily by anyone who is computer literate.
It seems to me that your issue with the "Banned Book Challenge" is less about the books than the Internet access which libraries provide.
By the way, schools removing books for being educationally unsuitable is not the same thing as banning a book. Perhaps you may wish to read "National Hogwash Week."
Thank you for recognizing that I try to present a balanced view on the issue of censorship.
I've read "National Hogwash Week." People are entitled to hold that opinion. I do not. In Canada, we celebrate the Freedom to Read Week. I believe it is important to continue to recognize that we have an important freedom that many people in the world do not enjoy -- so I celebrate it.
The two books that I mentioned, Vamos a Cuba and Three Wishes were not removed because they were educationally unsuitable, in my opinion. They were removed due to the political pressure from particular groups. I chose those two examples particularly because of how they were banned from schools.
Vamos a Cuba is part of a series of books used by primary students for projects. No other books in the series were removed, nor was Vamos a Cuba removed in any other county. I've been to Cuba. There are, in fact, smiling children living in Cuba, whether or not parents in Miami-Dade County like it or not. It is a foolish reason to remove a book to say that smiling children on the cover give children in the US a distorted view of life in Cuba.
="http://www.fitzhenry.ca/Authors/DeborahEllis.aspx>Deborah Ellis, author of Three Wishes has received numerous awards for her many books. In fact, she has won the Governor General's Award -- the most prestigious book award in Canada. When Three Wishes was nominated for the Ontario Library Association's Red Maple Award, the Canadian Jewish Congress pressured the Toronto District School Board to remove the book from elementary schools. Once again, this was a political banning, not an educational choice. No other school board has found the book objectionable.
When people demand books like To Kill a Mockingbird or Huckleberry Finn be removed from the Canadian curriculum, I tend to agree with them because they are educationally unsuitable. They are not offensive but they do not reflect a Canadian view.
I have heard of a number of quiet bannings in my area. Books are being removed by well-meaning principals, teachers, or school librarians but not through proper channels. I think it is really important to have a process and make sure all parties have their voices heard.
I believe what Jo Godwin has said. "A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone." That includes school libraries. Let's give children a wide range of reading and give them a little credit for being developing critical thinkers.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Anne Frank House museum a special exhibit of nearly all of Anne Frank's diary went on display Wednesday April 28. 2010. According to a recent article in the Globe and Mail, this is the first time for nearly all of the diary to be displayed at the house where she wrote it during the two years the Jewish teenager was in hiding from the Nazis.
The original red plaid diary in which Anne began writing on her 13th birthday has been at the museum for several years but it covers just six months of the 25 months she hid with her family and four other Jews in a concealed canal-side apartment in Amsterdam.
Now on display, are the three parts of the diary, a book of short stories she wrote called “Tales from the Secret Annex,” and a notebook of her favourite quotations. Two other school exercise books and other pages were stored at the Netherlands War Documentation Center, the government war archives.
The diary chronicles Anne's life and coming of age from June 12, 1942, until August 1, 1944. The house was raided three days later and its occupants deported to Germany. Anne died of typhus at age 15 in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in March 1945, about two weeks before the camp was liberated.
Anne also wrote 360 loose pages written on flimsy paper, mostly revising earlier diary entries with the intention of publishing it after the war. Because of the papers' fragile state, the museum said it will display 40 sheets at a time and rotate them.
The diary and other papers have all been studied, published and in some cases reproduced in replicas. But it will be the first time visitors see nearly the full collection in Anne's own hand in one place.
“The generation of people who experienced the war and Nazi persecution of the Jews is shrinking fast,” said former Prime Minister Wim Kok at the church ceremony. “Their stories must be kept alive and passed on to new generations. The Anne Frank House is one of the places where that happens.”
The diary has been translated into dozens of languages, has been read by millions of people and is on the curriculum of many schools.
The cramped apartment, with two stories and a small attic, was restored and opened to the public on May 3, 1960, by Anne's father, Otto Frank, the only survivor among the eight Jews who hid there.
The museum now includes the front of the building, where Otto Frank once had a warehouse and office, and a new building next door. It receives about 1 million visitors a year, compared with 9,000 the first year.
In 1983, members of the Alabama State Textbook Committee called for the rejection of The Diary of Anne Frank because
0 Comments on Original Diary of Anne Frank Goes on Display as of 1/1/1900
According to MSNBC, historians in Germany are hoping to reprint Hitler's "Mein Kampf," My Struggle in English. Although it is available throughout the world, including on the Internet and at Pelham Public Library in Canada, this memoir has been banned from being republished in Germany since the end of WWII. Possession of the book is not illegal but the purchase of old copies is carefully regulated, limiting the sales except for research purposes.
The copyright will run out in 2015. Presently a government body holds the right to the memoir but once the copyright runs out, the door will be open for anyone to republish it, including neo-Nazi groups. Historians want to publish an authoritative annotated edition to thwart these groups from appropriating and glamorizing this infamous work.
According to the article, "Edith Raim, a historian at the Munich institute, envisions a thorough, academic presentation that places Hitler's work in historical context. She says that would be the best defense against those who might want to use the book to advance racist or anti-Semitic agendas."
The Bavarain Finance Ministry which had opposed a similar proposal two years ago believes it can keep the publication of "Mein Kampf" banned under laws against incitement to hatred beyond 2015.
The issues to balance out are respect for Jewish victims of Hitler's regime vs. the opportunity to demystify the work. Some concerns have been raised about who will annotate the volume and whether this is really necessary.
It is time once more for our Banned Book Challenge. Choose a goal for the number of challenged or banned books you can read between Feb. and June. Let us know about your goal on our form, so we can keep track. Not sure what to read? Check out our suggested reading and the many links on the right side bar.
0 Comments on Mein Kampf Allowed in Germany? as of 1/1/1900
It is time once more for our Banned Book Challenge. Choose a goal for the number of challenged or banned books you can read between Feb. and June. Let us know about your goal on our form, so we can keep track. Not sure what to read? Check out our suggested reading and the many links on the right side bar.
I was challenged by John Mutford, a regular reader of the blog to come up with some Canadian titles which have been banned or challenged. Here are some titles which you can use as part of the Canadian Book Challenge.
Margaret Lawrence Stone Angel, Diviners Margaret Atwood Handmaid's Tale Mordecai Richler Apprenticeship of Duddy Cravitz W. O. Mitchell Who Has Seen the Wind Alie Munro Lives of Girls and Women, Runaway Barbara Smucker Underground to Canada Deborah Ellis Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak Timothy Findley The Wars W. P. Kinsella Dance Me Outside Yvon Deschamps Tout Deschamps Mike Pearson Waging War from Canada Michelle Marineau L'ete des Baleines Derek O'Brien Suffer Little Children
For a list of books which have been banned or challenged in Canada (but not necessarily written by Canadian authors), check Freedom to Read resources.
Happy reading John.
1 Comments on Challenged Canadian Authors, last added: 8/11/2009
Ok, first things first. All the editions of this book I've seen feature a white guy, running. WHY?! The book is about a swim team, and narrated by a black/Japanese/white guy.
Anyway, TJ is adopted and has some anger issues and goes to a school where athletics are everything and the letter jacket is the holy grail. Various coaches are always on him to use his full potential to help bring glory to the school and join a team, but TJ's having none of it. Then, he decides to form a swim team, which gives all the misfits he can find a chance to earn their own letter jacket and stick it to the system that's been making their school lives hell.
I did not love this one nearly as much as I was told I would. I mean, it was good, but I just didn't click with it. Mainly, I wasn't a huge fan of TJ, and the story is entirely in his voice. He's just... too good. His main problem is that he doesn't like jerks in authority positions (which makes him even better to a teen audience!) and his anger issues (but he only gets mad at the bad guys, and only lashes out at people we see are bad people and deserve it, so it's totally ok!) His self-righteousness annoyed me.
But, I lettered in academics and choir (yes, seriously) so what do I know?
My mother has been trying to get me to read this one since I was 10. I've been resisting for a number of years now for two main reasons.
I really, really disliked the other Jean Craighead George book I've read, My Side of the Mountain.
I don't like survival stories in general. They're just not my thing.
But, I like my mom, and it's only of Silvey's 100 Best, so I thought I'd read it. Plus, it's often banned, so it fit with the challenge.
Miyax is 13 and has run away from her husband in Barrow, Alaska and is trying to get to Point Hope, where she can get a ship to San Fransisco, where she can go live with her penpal. She quickly gets lost on the North Slope and observes, then is adopted by, a wolf pack in order to survive. Along the way there's lots of information about wolf behavior (George spent lots of time observing wolves) and Miyax is torn between her traditional Native culture and the more modern, culture of the cities and lower 48 states.
First off, after reading this, I Google Maps'ed these cities to see where they are. HOLY CRAP! I mean, Barrow's up on the top of Alaska. Her journey is insane.
Anyway, I'm always wary of books written by outsiders to the culture they're writing about. George seems to have done a good job (but uses the word Eskimo instead of Inuit.) The issues of being torn between two cultures is good, but Miyax's view by the end of the book is very black-and-white. There's no gray areas, which bug me, but does match with a 13-year-old view's of the world. Although, the title is a blend of the cultures, as Julie is Miyax's English name, but her time with the wolves is spent in traditional clothing and living the traditional lifestyle she learned from her father.
But, when it boils down to it, Jennie doesn't like survival stories. I loved the descriptions of the landscape of the North Slope, but it was the flashback scenes of Miyax's life up until she ran away that I enjoyed.
2 Comments on Filling in the Gaps with Banned Books, last added: 7/23/2009
Ack! I just read this! Jennie, HOW COULD YOU NOT LOVE WHALE TALK??? It's the novel that changed my entire perception of what teen literature could look like. And TJ isn't too perfect -- he's like Harry Potter in his incessant need to save people, sometimes to his detriment. The deer thing? And the girl thing? And then the ENDING? Where it gets all super intense and scary and sad and wrenching and beautiful? HOW COULD YOU NOT LOVE IT SO MUCH????
Anyway, this doesn't really change my idea of what Teen Lit can look like, because I've read so much other current teen lit, you know?
Also, I know TJ has issues, but all of his issues are "good" and justifiable, to the point where they're not really issues, because they become TJ's selling points.
Parts were heart breaking, but TJ just annoyed the crap out of me, in the same way Nancy Drew does.
Story of my life: Last night, I finally broke down and purchased Thriller so I could dance around in my kitchen to real music instead of me just singing the bits and pieces I remembered. (Also, that album is AWESOME. It was the best "time to mop the store" music EVER when I worked at the co-op grocery store.) Anyway, I was going back and forth because it's the end of the month and so I had already spent all of my "fun money" budget with a few too many trips to the bookstore this month. And, of course, today I get a gift certificate to Amazon. Face, meet palm.
In other news, I have AWESOME "problems." Really, life is pretty good right now. The sun's even out. Now all I have to do is decide what to eat for dinner tonight.
So, tomorrow I'm finishing up the Banned Book Challenge. Hopefully. There is some mad-dash-to-the-finish-line reading going on over here.
Anyway, in light of that, I thought I'd review some of the banned books I've read for the challenge this week. Sound good? Good.
I already reviewed Speak which is banned because apparently we can't talk about rape in books, even when it never gets described.
Also, for this challenge, I reread Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, because I haven't really been getting into anything I've read lately, so I thought I'd go to something I knew I'd love. Also, this time, I actually read Harry Potter in the Philosopher's Stone. Anyway, it's banned, because Harry and his friends do magic, which is considered by some to be Satanic.
This book is told entirely in Instant Message, entirely in chat speak. If you're not used to talking to teenage girls online, gird your loins.
Maddie, Angela, and Zoe are best friends as they head into their sophomore year of high school. Maddie's preoccupied with getting the popular girls to like her, Angela falls too hard and too fast for the wrong guy, and something is just not right with Zoe's relationship to her English teacher.
This one gets banned because there is talk about sex, drinking, and shaving your pubes when wearing a bathing suit. Also, I suspect there is issue with the fact that the icky teacher uses church as an excuse to get icky with Zoe. I have also seen a few complaints (mainly in online reviews) that the chat speak is destroying the English language.
Chat speak annoys the hell out of me, but it did lend authenticity to the character's voices. Although, I kinda got the feeling that Zoe was the type of girl to spell her words out and use capitalization, but she didn't.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book. The friendship of the three girls is real and zapped me right back to high school. Many of the decisions they make were STOOOOOOOPID, but guess what kids-- teens aren't know for their awesome decision making skills. It was funny and a quick read. I don't have an overwhelming desire to read the rest of the series (mainly because of the chat speak) but I can see why teens love this one. They should.
Also, at one point, Zoe (I think) mentions thumbprint cookies. I thought about those for the rest of the book (I read it in one sitting) and then had to go make some. But now they're gone.
0 Comments on Banned Books! as of 6/29/2009 6:51:00 PM
Author Cory Doctoro shares a story in Boing Boing of a teen (who shall remain anonymous) who has a lending library of banned books which he runs out of his locker. While there has been some discussion over whether this is a hoax or a true story, it is provocative. According to the original question at ask.com, the idea began when a friend asked him to lend him The Catcher in the Rye. The idea grew until his locker was so full of books that he decided to organize them in the empty locker next to his. At last count, he had 62 books which had been banned from students. He keeps a log and gives out due dates. He is at a private school which has banned certain titles. He speculates about what kind of trouble he could get into if he is caught but believes a lot of his friends are reading more because of his idea. In case you were wondering why the teens just don't go to a public library, he suggests that most of the kids are too chicken or their parents won't let them.
Thanks for that comment Tara. I thought it might have been a very unconscious conclusion that I jumped to. I went back to the original posts and found that Cory Doctorow had put the thought in my subconcious. His title: Kid keeping a lending library of banned books in his her locker Posted by Cory Doctorow, May 24, 2009 6:32 AM. "His" was crossed out and "her" replaced it. I think you are right!
Toni Morrison's books have been challenged on a consistent basis. Hear what she has to say about censorship. According to an Associated Press article by Hillel Italie,
Morrison, 78, has long experience with censorship. Her novels "Beloved," "Song of Solomon" and "The Bluest Eye" have frequently been threatened with removal from library shelves — and sometimes pulled — because of sexual, racial or violent content.
Burn This Book is a collection of essays on censorship, edited by Toni Morrison and published in May 2009. Read a review at "Travels of a Bookworm" and check out the links, including one to an excerpt of Burn This Book.
Join us in reading banned and challenged books. The Banned Book Challenge continues until June 30. Set your own goal.
2 Comments on Toni Morrison Burn This Book, last added: 6/20/2009
Hi, this is Hannah from the National Coalition Against Censorship. We hosted this event with Toni Morrison, so it's great to read here about how important it is to read banned books!
We hope you can help us publicize a disturbing call for book challenges in public libraries. In yesterday’s morning news segment “Unfit to Print?” [http://www.foxnews.com/search-results/m/22577720/unfit-to-print.htm#q="gossip+girls"], Fox News interviewed two parents calling for removal of Gossip Girl and other young adult fiction from the youth section of the Leesburg, Florida public library. While the public library has voted to keep the contested books on the shelves, parents argue that the books should be pulled from the 12+ young adult section. In the video, parent Dianne Venetta states, “This is not about censorship” but calls upon “parents to go and see what’s in the youth section of your public library.”
We've written a letter supporting the Leesburg library in its effort to retain the books where they are in the youth section, noting that the Constitution “prohibits the public library from censoring material because some people find it offensive or distasteful. The public library’s role is to serve the entire community, not to reflect or cater to any specific viewpoint.” [http://ncac.org/Kids-Right-to-Read-Project-Opposes-Book-Challenges-in-Leesburg-FL-Public-Library]
We hope you can use this Freedom to Read blog (great idea, by the way!) to make a statement upholding young adults’ right to read (even young adult fiction!).
George Orwell's 1984 was challenged in Jackson County, FL in 1981, because Orwell's novel was "pro-communist and contained explicit sexual matter," according to the American Library Association.
Now a recent Guardian article by Robert McCrum tells "the compelling story of Orwell's torturous stay on the island where the author, close to death and beset by creative demons, was engaged in a feverish race to finish the book."
According to the article, Orwell was very ill, as he grappled with the "demons of his imagination" in a borrowed cottage in Scotland. The idea for the story had been percolating in Orwell's head since the Spanish War but he claimed that he was inspired by the Tehran Conference of 1944 where he believed, "Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt consciously plotted to divide the world," according to a colleague at "The Observer" Isaac Deutscher. 1984 is a much darker novel than Animal Farm, a novel which brought him much fame but also unwelcome attention.
A random act of violence in his flat and later, the death of his wife during a routine operation and his own poor health, as well as the bleak period that was post-war Britain, were circumstances which he faced prior to the writing of 1984. The publisher of "The Observer" offered Orwell a holiday at his cottage which Orwell agreed to with enthusiasm, craving the isolation so that he could concentrate on writing.
He struggled from 1947 until his death in 1950, explaining to his publisher in May 1947 that he was in "wretched health." By October he had completed a rough draft when Owell, his son Richard, and others who were returning from exploring the coast in a small boat almost drowned in a whirlpool. Orwell, a heavy smoker whose cough worried his friends, became seriously ill. He began to write at a feverish pace until November 1947 when he was hospitalized with TB, a condition for which there was no cure at that time. The publisher of "The Observer" arrange for an experimental drug -- streptomycin -- to be sent from the US. While the TB symptoms disappeared, Orwell suffered horrible side effects like throat ulcers, blisters in the mouth, hair loss, peeling skin and the disintegration of toe and fingernails.
As he was completing his hospital stay, he received a letter from his publisher, urging him to complete the novel by the end of the year, if not earlier, so he promised to deliver the manuscript in early December 1948. He ended up writing from his bed. When it came to retyping the completed but almost unreadable manuscript, it fell to Orwell, despite being too weak to walk in mid-November. According to the writer of the article, Orwell, "Sustained by endless roll-ups, pots of coffee, strong tea and the warmth of his paraffin heater, with gales buffeting Barnhill, night and day, he struggled on."
Once he had forwarded the manuscript, he checked into a sanatorium saying, ""I ought to have done this two months ago but I wanted to get that bloody book finished."
Nineteen Eighty-Four was published on June 8, 1949 in Britain.
According to the Toronto Star, a book-reading application created for the iPhone by James Montgomerie was rejected by Apple. "Eucalyptus: the library to go" would have allowed users to read free classic literature available at Project Gutenberg. Montgomerie was told that his application was rejected because of a policy which prohibits applications that include "inappropriate sexual content."
Apparently the approval team at Apple had managed to view an unillustrated translation of the Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana, an ancient text which explains love and sexuality.
According to MacWorld, Apple has changed its mind.
Below is a listing of Special Events @ the Brock Library:
Special Lecture Forbidden Knowledge: Censorship and the Arts Thursday, February 26 1-2pm Classroom B, Matheson Learning Commons
Join Dr. Linda Steer, Assistant Professor in the Department of Visual Arts, for a discussion on works of art and literature that have been banned for religious, moral, or political reasons. This lecture will explore questions and issues around censorship. Why are creative works banned? Is censorship ever of value? Do morals change over time?
Free a Challenged Book!
During Freedom to Read week, banned books (e.g. To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye) will be released across campus... If you discover a book with the “Free a Challenged Book” label, be sure to visit www.bookcrossing.com and add your thoughts and comments. To see a list of over 100 books and magazines that have been challenged in Canada, please visit: http://www.freedomtoread.ca/censorship_in_canada/challenged_books.asp
Special Display Challenged Books February 23-March 2
Visit the display cases across from the Library Help Desk and discover books that have been challenged or banned in Canadian schools and libraries.
A Week of Prizes! February 23-27
Sign up to follow the Brock Library on Twitter before the end of Reading Week. During Freedom to Read week, we will be announcing a secret word each afternoon through our Twitter account. The first person to reach the Library Help Desk and say the secret word will receive a prize! Sign up for Twitter. Be sure to visit the Brock Library Twitter account and “Follow” our updates.
I'm giving away the banned book of your choice--see the bottom of this post for details.
I figured that this week all my reviews will be related to Banned Books Week.
I was never interested in reading Gossip Girl, but when it appeared on ALA's Top Ten Most Banned Books list, I had to see what all the fuss was about. I immediately fell in love with the series. (It's banned because there is sex, drinking, and lots of swearing. These books are populated with not-nice people.)
WARNING: I'm reviewing series books so there will be spoilers for the previous books in the series--it's the nature of the beast.
I really really enjoyed the first 6 books in this series. I did not like the last 6. Well, I guess I didn't like the last 5 and kinda liked the prequel. Sadly, I was too attached to the characters, so I had to keep reading to find out how everything would eventually go down.
There is a marked decline in quality of the books in later half of the series, which spend a lot of time setting up the spin-off series, and then things really get bad in the last two titles, when the ghost writer takes over.
Blair and Nate spend all their time having sex. Randomly, Blair moves in with Vanessa (WTF?!) Jenny's about to get kicked out of Constance Billiard for hanging out with rockstars and is talking Rufus into boarding school (Hello, we have a new series, The It Girl please buy it!).
Jenny's turned into this major bad girl, which I don't like, because she doesn't even do it well. Dan's gone completely off the deep end in a way I don't understand and... I mean, really? Such a decline! I really thought this was the book where the ghost writer takes over.
Graduation Day! Blair's moved into the Yale Club and on with her love life. Nate's just always weeping and Dan just gets weirder. And, OF COURSE they're doing a remake of Breakfast at Tiffany's. Uh-huh. But it is the graduation party to end all graduation parties.
Also, you know things are bad when even I know that your brand-name dropping is messed up. There's a scene where Jenny and Elise are in the lower school bathroom and everything is Hello Kitty, because one of the parents happens to own Hello Kitty. Except, where you could own Sanrio, I don't think you can actually own Hello Kitty.
Also, all anyone ever talks about is how big Jenny's boobs are. As such, there is no way she would be able to wear tops from Anthropologie. Trust me--those clothes are not made for the well-endowed.
Blair's off to London, where she shops like a fiend. Serena's filming her movie and living Audrey Hepburn's life, all the while hoping to seduce her costar. Meanwhile, Dan has discovered yoga and Vanessa is homeless... and a nanny? And Nate's picked up some skanky town girl in the Hamptons. Hello Summer Vacation!
Everyone's in the Hamptons for the summer, including some sketchy Eastern European Blair and Serena look-alikes. Ok, Dan's not in the Hamptons, but he got drunk and made out with a guy, so he's obviously gay. Yes, obviously. Um...
This is the book where the ghost writer picks up and all the characters get even more weird. Dan, especially, gets really out of character. Also, general quality has gone down as well--typos all over the place!
This is the final goodbye. But Serena loves Nate! And Nate loves Blair! And Serena! And given that he ran away, he's not going to Yale because coach is withholding his diploma. And Blair's parents are wackier than ever which leads to the perfect set-up for a brand-new series they want you to read, The Carlyles. But... there's a going away party to end all going away parties... and the curtain falls as our characters scatter across the Ivy League.
Cecily von Ziegesar came back to write this prequel and the writing quality is definitely back up there with the earlier volumes of the series but... I still had some problems with it. This takes place the winter, spring, and summer before Serena goes off to boarding school.
Parts are really puke-inducing--oh look! Here's Nate getting stoned for the first time, here's Blair watching Breakfast at Tiffany's for the first time, here's Serena doing her first shot, Dan smoking his first cigarette, Jenny wishing she had boobs, Vanessa shaving her head...
You knew all that was coming BUT here's the big thing...
Serena loves Nate. And almost gets with Nate, but Blair also likes Nate and her life is falling apart (did you know her dad was gay? Because Blair didn't!) and so Serena lets Blair have him and selflessly sits in silent anguish...
First off, if Serena knows she loves Nate NOW, then why is it such a huge revelation when she realizes it two years later? Also, this changes everything in the regular series. Knowing Serena has been consciously lusting after Nate all this time? Really? I feel like I almost have to go back and reread the series with that lens. UGH.
Also, while the book takes place two years before the first Gossip Girl, they forgot to actually set it in that time. The first book came out in 2002, so this book should be taking place in 2000. But... they're watching Marie Antoinette, which came out in 2006.
Usually the series was much better about these details. sigh
Ok, Book Give Away Details:
To celebrate our right to read, I'm giving away banned books. All you have to do is check out the banned book lists on my sidebar and email me (kidsilkhaze at yahoo dot com) with your choice of book (if it's a series, you can choose any volume in the series). If you blog about the contest and email me the link, I'll give you an extra entry. Multiple winners will be selected. The contest ends on midnight on Sunday and is open world wide. GO READ!
Forbidden Fruit: Banned, Censored, and Challenged Books from Dante to Harry Potter, is a wonderful new resource that gives readers the background and history on the banning of specific titles. Author Pearce J. Carefoote is a staff archivist at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto. In 2002, Carefoote won the OLA (Ontario Library Association) Anniversary Prize, the Rare Books and Manuscripts Award, and the Toronto Area Archivists Group Award.
Research for an exhibition of banned and challenged books in 2005 culminated in this book.
Its Canadian focus makes it a valuable resource for all schools and libraries.
The Topeka Shawnee County Public Library, Topeka, Kansas has been holding a Banned Books Walking Tour to raise awareness about books that have been banned or challenged and to teach people about the role libraries play in the freedom to read. This 10 minute self-guided tour runs until June 17. Watch the video which highlights the Banned Books Walking Tour.
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I just read that, too.
TOTALLY HORRIFIED.
WTF!? indeed. Sadly, this doesn't seem to be an isolated case of high school v. rape victim. I saw this a couple months back (via Change.org) and had the same WTF reaction. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1176719/index.htm
The only thing I can think when I hear of these kinds of shenanigans is that the officials in charge must have a history of similar behavior. Makes you sad for all the women in their lives. :(