Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Additional Banned Book Resources

The other day, I wrote about three recent banned book victories and promised some additional banned book reading suggestions, so here they are! If you've heard about any other book that has been censored (or attempted to be censored), please do share in the comments. I'm always looking to expand the choices of books to read for my Banned Books Challenge.


1. The ALA has posted their 2013 list of 10 most frequently challenged books. Quite a few have been on previous years' lists, but some are new.

2. The ALA also has more comprehensive, extended yearly lists (as opposed to just their "most frequently challenged" lists). There are 9 different PDFs available for download going back to 2004. I find these very interesting because there is also background information provided about why each book was challenged. I somehow missed these all the other times I've browsed that site!

3. Since I've started reading graphic novels recently, I was wondering which ones may have been banned or challenged. I couldn't find any on the ALA lists, but given their popularity among teenagers and their visual nature, I was certain some titles would have been challenged over the years. Turns out I was right! This GoodReads forum thread has a great list and the gentleman who started the conversation seems to have done his research on the subject, including consulting with the ALA.

4. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel was recently in the news because it was being challenged as a book for COLLEGE students. Yes, you heard that right. Jeepers.

5. Turns out Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis has been challenged and is on this list from GeekSugar. (Adding that to my completed list for the year!)

6. There's a lot of overlap on these graphic novel lists, but The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund website also has a list.

7. I found a great UK site that lists a lot of the same books as the ALA, but there are some additional ones worth noting, including One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, may he rest in peace. (I am WAY overdue to read that one.)

8. I recently ordered a copy of The House on Mango Street because I realized it is a book I read for a school assignment that I really enjoyed, but don't have a copy of. In the process, I stumbled across this CNN article that discusses its banning from Tucson schools a few years ago that truly baffles me.

9. I've also been reading The Joy Luck Club (another high school re-read) and discovered that one appears on this list from the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression.

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Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if there are any books that haven't been challenged at some point! For anyone not interested in banned books, I promise this is my last post on the subject for a while :) But I do have a project in the works related to #8 and #9, so stay tuned for that!

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Banned Book Victories!

Whenever I hear news of yet another case of a book being challenged in a school or library, it really gets my hackles up (as I'm sure many of you know!) It truly boggles my mind when this happens because most of the "offending" books are well-respected and oftentimes have won literary honors. More often than not, when a book is challenged, people are missing the big picture and instead focus on small snippets of a book that portray something they don't like -- curse words, sexual references, etc. -- that are just one small part of a much larger whole. So you can imagine how happy I was to hear these three stories:


Victory #1: When I heard the reading list for a proposed YA elective course in a Colorado high school was challenged, it inspired me to write this post. Some of John Green's books were in the curriculum and he called on readers to support the teacher and protest the challenge. Well, according to an update on John Green's original post, the school board voted 3-2 to approve the book list for the class which will be offered as planned. In my opinion, any course that might get kids more interested in reading is a good thing and I think this class will do just that.


Victory #2: After The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie was banned from the 10th grade curriculum of an Idaho school, two women organized a fundraiser so they could buy 350 copies of the book for the students who protested the ban. The books were given out during World Book Night and someone even called the police, afraid that the kids were being given the book without their parent's permission. Seriously? Seriously?! Calling the cops to report a party with underage drinking I get, but reporting the distribution of award-winning literature? Goodness gracious, I don't even know what to say about that. As expected, the police found nothing wrong with the event and left after asking a few questions.

For the record, Alexie's book won the 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature as well as the ALA's 2009 Odyssey Award for best new audiobook for youth. Clearly, this is very dangerous stuff. According to several of the articles I read, after hearing about the grassroots effort to protest the ban, the publisher donated another 350 copies of the book. The incredible response to this incident by ordinary people as well as the publisher most definitely restores my faith in humanity.


Victory #3: A complaint was filed by a parent regarding the inclusion of Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan in a Virginia high school's library. A panel was convened, testimony was given, and after deliberating, the panel voted unanimously to keep the book in the library's collection. The fact that the vote was unanimous makes this victory even sweeter. The commentary in the article is really interesting and worth a read if you're interested. I've been meaning to read this book since it came out and this just makes me want to read it more!

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If you've joined my 2014 Banned Books Challenge and have already read any of these books this year, make sure to link-up your review. If you'd still like to join, it's not too late! And check back later this week for some additional banned book resources, lists, and reading suggestions I've been compiling.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Children's Poetry Books for National Poetry Month

In honor of National Poetry Month, I'd like to share some of the children's poetry books I've read so far this year. Most of these may not be "serious" poetry, but I don't think that is really the point. These books are great for adults and children alike, if you ask me. A Light in the Attic made the ALA's most frequently banned & challenged list, so that was a must-read for me to see what all the fuss is about. Shel Silverstein is also one of those writers I never read as a kid, but always wished I had, so his books were perfect for the "walking down memory lane" category of my Lucky No. 14 challenge. Did you read any Shel Silverstein as a kid? Am I the only one who was missing out? Do you have a favorite poet? I'd love to know!

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Wicked Poems edited by Roger McGough & illustrated by Neal Layton
Series? no
Publisher: Bloomsbury UK
Date: 2004
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

This book collects poems from a wide variety of writers, some famous and some not-so-famous. It wasn't as funny as I was hoping judging by the blurbs on the cover, but it was still a very interesting collection and a worthwhile read. The poems run the gamut from mild mischief-making and make-believe to true evil, so it includes all different kinds of "wicked."

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Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson edited by Frances Schoonmaker Bolin & illustrated by Chi Chung
Series? no
Publisher: Sterling
Date: 1994
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

I enjoyed lessons on Dickinson in high school and have been meaning to read more of her poems for a very long time. When I heard about this introductory series to poetry, I was interested to see which of her poems were selected as a starting point for a younger audience. As a book-lover, I was very happy to see one of my favorite poems included, "There is no frigate like a book." There are many other books featuring other renowned poets in this series if you are looking for a something more literary to read with the kids in your life. Since each book has a carefully curated selection of poems, they are more accessible without dumbing anything down -- a great way to dip a toe into the world of poetry.

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BookSpeak! written by Laura Purdie Salas & illustrated by Josée Bisaillon
Series? no
Publisher: Clarion
Date: 2011
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

The poems and illustrations in this book are a wonderful homage to the written word. It is aimed at children, but can be enjoyed and appreciated by readers of all ages. I absolutely loved this book and will probably purchase a copy for my collection at some point.

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A Light in the Attic written & illustrated by Shel Silverstein
Series? no
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date: 1981; special edition published in 2009
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
GoodReads | AuthorPublisher

This one is a modern classic I never read as a child. Finding out it made the ALA's most frequently banned & challenged list intrigued me all the more. It's imaginative and fun all the way through. As an adult reader, I can see how wonderful this collection would have been if read for the first time through younger eyes. Does it contain a few poems about mischief, misbehaving, and not listening to your parents? Yes, it definitely does, but there is nothing dangerous in this book, if you ask me. It is fun and silly and deserving of all the acclaim it has received.

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Where the Sidewalk Ends written & illustrated by Shel Silverstein
Series? no
Publisher: Scholastic
Date: 1974; special edition published in 2005
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

This is another book I never got the chance to read as a child. I don't quite give this one 5 stars because I enjoyed the poems in A Light in the Attic better -- it is still an excellent read though. When I have kids someday, Silverstein's books will definitely be added to the permanent collection.

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Falling Up written & illustrated by Shel Silverstein
Series? no
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date: 1974; special edition published in 2003
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

My thoughts on this one are pretty much the same as Where the Sidewalk Ends. I enjoyed A Light in the Attic most, but am extremely glad I took the opportunity to read most of Silverstein's poetry books -- even though I'm about two decades behind most people! The next time I go to the library, I will be checking out Everything On It, which is the only remaining poetry collection of his I haven't read yet.

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Reading Challenges:
Poetry
New Author (Shel Silverstein)
Banned Books (A Light in the Attic)
Lucky No. 14: Walking Down Memory Lane (Shel Silverstein)

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Best Friends Book Club: The Divergent Trilogy

Let me start off with a little bit about my best friend Christy. We've been friends since we were 6 years old -- that's more than two decades! To think about it that way, we sometimes feel kinda old, but it really is pretty incredible to be friends with someone for almost your entire life. We went to school together for K-8th grade, but then went to different high schools and colleges and now live three hours away from each other :( Though it would be nice to live closer, we crack ourselves up on a regular basis that despite the distance we still "share a brain." We'll meet up somewhere and show up wearing nearly identical outfits. She'll recommend a recipe to me only to discover I've already made it. We're writing these posts separately, but I wouldn't be one bit surprised if we end up saying some of the same things.

We also tend to read a lot of the same books (though she reads waaaaay faster than I do -- jealous!), but not always around the same time. Since we happened to read Divergent within days of each other, we thought we would team up and review them at the same time. It was so much fun to message each other and discuss our likes (Four!) and dislikes (all the lies!) and comment on all the crazy twists and turns with the books so fresh in both of our minds. So without further ado, I give you the first edition of our Best Friends Book Club. Make sure to check out her review over on To Do: Life!

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**WARNING** I've tried very hard to avoid spoilers, but my hinting and vague descriptions *might* give something away if you haven't read the whole series yet. You may want to proceed with caution, especially when it comes to my Allegiant review.

Divergent
Series? yes; Divergent #1
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Date: April 2011
How did I get this book? purchased
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

I found this one a bit slow-going at first, but about halfway through it really started grabbing me and I flew through the rest, eager to find out what would happen next. So many things to love about this book:

  • The concept of a society divided by different virtues which is very thought-provoking and bound to lead to conflict.
  • The idea of rebelling against being just one thing for the rest of your life. 
  • How the characters are faced with really hard decisions and situations and have to live with the consequences. 
  • Tris and Four and their mix of both strength and vulnerability. 
  • The fact that it's not always him saving her, but she saves him sometimes, too. 
  • No love triangle!

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Insurgent
Series? yes; Divergent #2
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Date: May 2012
How did I get this book? purchased
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

I dove right into this one after finishing Divergent. I was planning to start a completely different book first, but I just couldn't resist continuing. This one took me a bit longer to read because my real-life schedule got in the way (what are these plan things that interfere with my reading time?!) I didn't like it quite as much as Divergent, but it was a solid sequel. Tris's character was starting to irritate me because so much of the major conflict hinged on her either lying or withholding the truth. I hated how Tris and Four who seemed to be such a good match and such a good team in the first book, couldn't manage to work together most of the time -- it may be more realistic (to a point), but it was getting tiresome. I loved the ending though and it left me completely intrigued about how this trilogy will end.

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Allegiant
Series? yes; Divergent #3
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Date: October 2013
How did I get this book? purchased
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

Well, there continued to be some issues with Tris & Four not working together, but thankfully they eventually got their shit together. I totally get why some people hate how this series ends, but I have to give Veronica Roth some major props for having the guts to write an ending she must have known a lot of fans would not be happy with. The ending makes sense. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that if the ending were different, it would have been totally wrong for the storyline. It does the story justice, even if it's not the happy ending we might have wanted. Cryptic enough? I hope so, because I'm not trying to give anything away just in case Christy and I are, in fact, not the last people on earth to have read this series.

In my opinion, the greatest weakness of Allegiant is the sheer volume of new information (and alterations to information I thought I already knew) in the first half. It felt like Roth saved way to much for the final book and it honestly made me wonder if this was always intended as a series or not. To me, it felt like she was frantically cobbling together elaborate explanations for the world outside Chicago that could have been more slowly introduced throughout the earlier books. It felt like it took me forever to "get" what the end goal was -- what the "good guys" were going to try to do to fix the problems of their society (as all #3's in dystopian trilogies tend to do...) Once I hit that stride, I couldn't put it down. For better or worse, the second half of this book was by far its greatest strength.

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Four: The Transfer
Series? yes; Divergent #0.1, novella
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Date: September 2013
How did I get this book? purchased
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

I absolutely love Four, especially in the first book, so I was super excited to read this novella in between the main books of the series. I loved learning more about his life before Dauntless since it really helped flesh out what I already knew about his character. You definitely don't have to read this novella, but if you like Four, I think you would enjoy it. There are three more coming out The Initiate, The Son, and The Traitor, but we have to wait until July for those :( Though at that time, they will all be collected in a print edition I can add to my collection :)

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Free Four: Tobias Tells the Divergent Knife-Throwing Scene
Series? yes; Divergent #1.5, short story
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Date: August 2012
How did I get this book? purchased
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

This was super-short and definitely worth reading for another perspective on a pivotal scene in the first book. At that point in Divergent, we don't know a whole lot about Four, so it was nice to get inside his head a bit. Again, if you're a fan of Four, I'd recommend checking it out -- you can read it in no time flat (says the slow reader!)

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Reading Challenges:
Rewind
New Author
Book to Movie
Chunkster
Prequel & Sequel: 16 points
Lucky No. 14: Blame it on the Bloggers & Chunky Brick

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Happy Happy

Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy Spring, Happy Sunday (or as my husband calls it, Game of Thrones Day)...whatever you celebrate, I wish you a wonderful day!

I hadn't realized how long it's been since I last posted, oops! But I've been reading quite a lot in my brief absence, so you'll be seeing reviews again very soon. Thanks for sticking around friends :)

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Trying Something New, Part II: More Marjane Satrapi Graphic Novels

After reading Persepolis I & II, I couldn't resist continuing to read everything by Marjane Satrapi I could get my hands on. She has also written children's books and been a contributor on other compilations, but I'm pretty sure I have now read all of her graphic novels.


Embroideries, written & illustrated by Marjane Satrapi
Series? yes; companion to Persepolis
Publisher: Pantheon
Date: 2003
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

Marjane and the ladies of her family swap stories about their love lives in this companion to Persepolis. It was so interesting to see their perspective as part of a different culture than my own. There is so much we all have in common, and yet there are also challenges many of them face that may seem foreign to a Western reader. Going in, I had no idea what the significance of this book's title was other than a vague thought that embroidery is a typically female activity, but it turns out that is not what it is referring to at all. I won't tell though, you'll have to read it to find out!

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Chicken and Plums, written & illustrated by Marjane Satrapi
Series? no
Publisher: Pantheon
Date: 2004
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

This wasn't my favorite of all the stories involving Satrapi and/or her family, but it was still well worth reading. This time we went further back in history and learned the story of her musician uncle. An interesting read, but also quite sad. If you enjoyed Persepolis, I would recommend giving it a try. This one was also made into a movie that I will be watching as soon as I can track down a copy from Netflix or my library.

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The Sigh, written & illustrated by Marjane Satrapi
Series? no
Publisher: Pantheon
Date: 2004
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

This was more like a picture book than a graphic novel. The story is a retelling of an old Iranian fairy tale and unfortunately was just OK for me. I've read in other reviews that a lot was lost in translation, and I am inclined to believe that is a big part of the issue.

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Reading Challenges:
Diversity on the Shelf
In Translation
Book to Movie

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Trying Something New: Outlander & Persepolis Graphic Novels

The Exile, written by Diana Gabaldon & illustrated by Hoang Nguyen
Series? yes; a companion/adaptation of Outlander
Publisher: Del Ray
Date: 2010
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

Nothing will ever replace the original Outlander for me, but this was a fun introduction to a whole new genre and format of storytelling. I thought it would be a good idea for my first graphic novel to be one that was adapted from a book I've already read and I'm glad I made that decision. I really enjoyed the artwork, even if the characters weren't exactly how I'd pictured them -- but honestly, how could they be? I didn't picture them illustrated in my mind, after all. I thought the introduction where Gabaldon shared her history with reading and writing Disney comics was fascinating. It also made me realize exactly why she would be so interested in adapting her novel in this way. I do think if I had not read Outlander first, I might have been a little lost, but for a fan of the series, I think this was very well done. It only covers up until Jamie's decision to return to Lallybroch, which I think was the perfect stopping point. If you've toyed with trying graphic novels and have read Outlander, I would definitely recommend giving this one a go.

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Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, written & illustrated by Marjane Satrapi
Series? yes; Persepolis #1 & #2
Publisher: Pantheon
Date: 2004
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

This was my first original graphic novel, meaning that it was not based on another story like The Exile was. I had heard this one is highly acclaimed and respected in the genre, so I thought it would be a good one to start with (and it was also turned into an Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated movie, so bonus points for the Book-to-Movie challenge!) I had read about halfway when I realized I was very confused about the Iranian history behind the story. This is not the author's fault, she actually did a very good job of providing background information, but it was my own ignorance about the implications of what was happening that led to my confusion. So I stopped, read up a bit on the Islamic Revolution, and then re-started from the beginning. This really helped my understanding, and I read the second half with no trouble. I do think this historical event was covered in of my global history class, but not very thoroughly and whatever I may have learned had gone completely out of my memory. This was also a great book for the Diversity on the Shelf challenge because it really educated me about a part of the world and a culture I was not familiar with. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to give graphic novels a try.

* * * * *

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return, written & illustrated by Marjane Satrapi
Series? yes; Persepolis #3 & #4
Publisher: Pantheon
Date: 2005
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

This one is more focused on Marjane's coming of age and her struggles to establish her identity as she tries to find a balance between Western freedoms and the traditions of her homeland. She lives in Europe for several years and then later returns to Iran where she faces new challenges after being away for so long. Especially as a Western reader, the extent of the repression of women seemed absolutely incredible, and I'm not surprised that some of my favorite scenes were the ones where Marjane rebels and speaks her mind -- quite a dangerous thing to do!

Both Persepolis books have really convinced me that graphic novels are well worth reading when I take the time to seek out topics and stories that interest me. And while I would never choose a book solely based on its length, they definitely are fast reads for those days or weeks I'm feeling time-crunched.

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Reading Challenges:
New Author
Diversity on the Shelf
In Translation
Book to Movie
Prequel & Sequel
Lucky No. 14: Not My Cup of Tea + Books vs. Movies

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday (#23): My Gateway Books

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I consider myself a pretty eclectic reader, so for this week's list I've chosen my gateway books to some of my favorite genres...


Fantasy: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, by JK Rowling

While this may not literally have been the first fantasy book I ever read, it was the first that made me a fan of the genre. Before HP, I read a lot of mysteries and other realistic fiction, but this series changed all that.

Dystopias: Tomorrow When the War Began, by John Marsden

I don't think I fully understood what a dystopia was or that this series was indeed dystopian at the time I read first read it, but it was my first foray into the genre and I enjoyed it immensely. I loved how thought-provoking this series was and I continue to be attracted to that aspect of dystopias.




I had certainly read historical fiction before this one, but this book made me love historical fiction. Which leads into the more specific sub-category I later discovered...

Gothic Historical Fiction: The House at Riverton, by Kate Morton

Ahhh, I love a Kate Morton's writing so much and this debut of hers is all it took to seal the deal. I now compare all gothic-y books to hers and it's because of her I now seek out more like it.



Genre-bending books: Outlander series, by Diana Gabaldon

This was the first series I read that defied categorization. To this day, I describe it as "a little bit of everything" -- there's romance, time travel, family, history, intrigue, politics, war -- you name it, and it's probably in one of these books. It is truly expansive in scope and I think of this saga every time I hear about a new book that doesn't fit neatly into a specific category.

Foodie Books: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver

I was reading this book while working a very stressful and emotionally draining job and can vividly remember coming home at the end of the day and immersing myself in its pages. There was something about the simpler, slower lifestyle and the focus on nutritious local food that appealed to me very strongly and still does.



The Classics: Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

This is an area I still am working on, but the first classic I remember reading and actually enjoying (even as a highschooler!) was Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. It made me realize not all classics are boring and they come in all different varieties & genres -- it doesn't have to be all Shakespeare and Dickens (not that there's anything wrong with those!)


I had always liked the idea of a book about books, but this was one of the first I actually read introducing me to a new favorite genre. I didn't read it all that long ago actually and can't wait to dive into more!



Humorous memoirs (& audiobooks): Sh*t My Dad Says, by Justin Halpern

This one was a completely hysterical double-whammy -- it made me realize not only how much I love this type of book, but also how a performance or narration in the audio format can sometimes make a good story even better.