It was October 6th, 1998,a crisp fall evening, when 21 year old Matthew Shepard left a Wyoming bar with two young men about his own age. Matthew was gay, and he was under the assumption that these men were as well. In fact, that was not true.
Instead, Matthew was driven to a remote area, beaten horrifically and tied to a fence. At that time the two men left in their truck .
Several days later after Matthew was found, he died of his severe injuries.
Matthew never regained consciousnesses from the time he was tied to the fence to die.
At this time, Gay Awareness week was just beginning for Wyoming University and the keynote speaker Leslea Newman was scheduled to be in town days after Matthew’s beating. The crowd in light on the resent tragedy was much bigger than expected.
October Mourning is Leslea’s novel in verse of her thoughts of what happened that night…
Why did I want to read this book?
The Matthew Shepard story is one that has always touched me deeply. Hate crimes boils my blood but they also break my heart. When I see this book on Shelf Awareness and that the anniversary date was coming up, I knew I wanted to read it.
First of all I have to admit when I ordered this book after seeing that above video, I did not pick up on the fact (my error) that this was a book of free verse poetry. In my haste, I thought it was a book being told from Leslea Newman’s perspective of the happe.nings of that tragic event and about the speaking engagement she had shortly after. I am not a big fan of free verse books
I did read October Mourning and I have to say many of the poems were touching. Her first poem in the book, Outnumbered (which she also reads in the video clip, is breathtaking. I honestly can not even imagine…
I truly can not imagine.
This book will remain on my shelf and while it was not what I thought I was getting, it did inspire me to pick up another book I own called The Meaning Of Matthew written by Matthew’s mom, Judy Shepard.
I would like to say the world has grown since that tragic day in 1998, but sadly I am not sure if that is true. There are still people out there hating people. Please take a moment today to think about and or pray for Matthew Shepard and his family. And if you want to know more about Matthew’s story, I have just mentioned two books here that may be of interest to you.
In the event that you are sad that is the last day of banned books week for 2012 and you either have not had time to read a banned book this week or you wish there was time to read one more – no fear! There is time! 😀
The LORAX is 72 pages of glorious pictures and short sentences. AND if you are more the audio type… the audio book was 30 minutes long AND that included another Dr. Suess book on it as well.
Narrated by a nameless, faceless “Oceler”, The Lorax is a tale of mass marketing before mass marketing was cool. In this case, our Onceer discovers this beautiful area filled with Truffala Trees that make lovely hats and shirts, socks and gloves. The Onceler starts to chop down the trees and selling his wears against the Lorax’s wishes.
The Lorax is a fuzzy yellow creature (bigger that the Travelocity Gnome, but not my much) and he speaks for the trees, for as he points out, the trees can not speak for themselves. Despite the Lorax’s repeated warnings the Onceler is making money selling his product he does not care. As time passes, the wildlife that lived with the trees disappear and even the Lorax himself sadly goes away leaving only a rock behind that says “Unless”.
What will become of the forest of Truffala trees as one by one and then two by two they disappear to be made into products that are sold? What will become of the fish and the ponds, and the Onceler, once all the trees…
are gone?
Why did I want to read this book? There are many banned books out there that deal with subjects that some may find too bold, or too mature or too out of their own personal comfort zone…. The Lorax has always been my go to “laugh out loud” at banned book, and I love sharing with people who, when you think banned books… you also need to add in The LORAX.
I love The LORAX and its messages about handling our earths resources wisely is as timely now as then it written in 1971. It’s a fun read and an easy red – and apparently s I recited memorized line, a book for all ages.
So Sheila…. ummm… why was The Lorax Banned?
In a nut shell (or in this case, in a wood chip) The Lorax was banned because it portrays the foresting industry in an arguable negative way. Some people felt that this book was persuading children to be against logging.
Yup, that’s it. 😛
With this final banned book post for banned book week 2012 I want to thank you for reading the banned book posts this week as well as a huge thank you to all of you who have commented, contributed posts, and giveaways. May you always feel at liberty to read the books you choose to read – the books that make you think, care, love, hate, cry, shout, dream and put on the shelf.
Good morning! It is Saturday and I feel like I am recovering from some extreme event. In truth, although I was gone all day yesterday it was nothing that extensive. I got up at 5 am yesterday to drive my friend Connie to the cities for her doctors appointments. We did not get back into town until 8 pm last night and all the way home traffic (on a Friday after 5) AND construction knocking it down to one lane… made our 2 hour and 15 minute drive almost 4 hours. After arriving home, I was wiped out and was in bed by 9:30 pm.
Before I get into the awesomeness of banned book week – I want to take a brief moment and add a couple pictures for Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot which I love to participate in when I have some pictures I want to share and this morning…I do. 😀
Here is what I woke up to this morning:
Front deck this morningBack deck this morning
Yes. SNOW. 😯 Now you can fall into one of two camps here:
Camp 1. Yeah Sheila, its just a little snow , it will be gone by noon! Suck it up – its pretty.
Camp 2. Oh no, that’s horrible don’t you have a bike ride tomorrow? Snow SUCKS!!!!
Ok, Camp one… you may exit the blog now… nothing here for you to see, obviously you do not know how I feel about snow. 😀
Camp two, you are my people. Thanks you for feeling my pain and yes, I do have a bike ride tomorrow with friends in Mankato on my ROAD BIKE. The snow… must go away.
Alright – that is it for the pitty party because it is the final day of Banned Books week and I am a little bummed about that. This week I had the opportunity to read some great books that are on that list: PREP, Perks Of Being A Wallflower, The Giver, The Chocolate War, The LORAX and watched the last Harry Potter movie. All of what I just mentioned has been banned or challenged somewhere in the world. AND there have been a whole ENORMOUS team of awesome bloggers who have helped out this week by also reading and reviewing banned books and posting about them and offering giveaways and seriously – a good good time. 😀
Here is today’s posts by these bloggers. I hope you can check out what they have to say, many of them are having giveaways to go with their posts:
Laurel from Rainy Days And Mondays fantastic post on The Catcher In The Rye was linked wrong yesterday so I am bringing it back today.. She is also having a book giveaway. Please check it out!
Erin from Quixotic Magpie wrote a review of The Awakening and is offering a book giveaway!
Julie from My Book Retreat shares about the banned/challenges books of the Junie B Jones series. Julie is also having a book giveaway!
Liza from Reading With ABC is talking about Forever by Judy Blume and offering up a book giveaway!
Marie from The Boston Bibliophile is discussing The Handmaids Tale (one I need to read!) and giving a book giveaway!
Rachel from Resistance Is Futile has posted some interesting titles this week and today she talks about Roll Of Thunder, Hear Me Cry by Mildred D Taylor
Kristin from My Little Heart Melodies wrote about The Things They Carried, a book that has graced my shelf a long time and I still need to get to.
Marj from In Library Paradise shares about The Perks Of Being A Wallflower and has a book giveaway!
Priya from The Faceless Author shares her thoughts on child sacrifices in the Hunger Games – she is giving away one of her custom made comic strips!
Sue also posts at Book By Book and shared about Brave New World Today. A book I am still hoping to read this year!
That is today’s line! I hope you can visit them – if your Saturday is cold and damp like mine why not grab a second (or third cup of coffee or cocoa) and check out some of these posts. You may be surprised what you learned about why these books were challenged. AND for that matter, dont forget the posts from earlier this week as well – many of them have giveaways that will end after today so get in on those deals – some of the giveaways are truly “drool-worthy” and I have been checking them out and tweeting about them all week. 😀
I am refilling my coffee now and going to check out these links and posts. Later today I will pack up the jeep for my trek to Mankato where I will stay with friends tonight, tomorrow ride my bike in the Mankato Ramble and then I am hanging out with College Son all day Sunday and staying at his place and coming home Monday morning. I will be posting throughout the weekend as Laptop will be making the journey with me.
Thank you to everyone who posted about banned books this week. Thank you to everyone who read these posts and learned something new about banned books and thank you for a great week. I have had a blast and really wish it was two weeks long… I have two more banned books checked out from the library I have not even started yet! 😀
Julie from Diary Of A Word Nerd is going to talk about The Kite Runner (AMAZING READ!) and BOOK GIVEAWAY!
The AWESOME Laurel from An Interior Journey is chatting up The Catcher In The Rye and offering up a book giveaway!
Erin from In Real Life is going to talk about how banned books have impacted her life with a bookmark giveaway!
Rachel from Resistance Is Futile is going with a FAVORITE of mine, Harry Potter and The Sorcerers Stone (SSQQUUEEE!!!)
I am out of town today, doing a little research in the cities but as I get time I will be popping in throughout the day 😀
In a quick recap – here are the past weeks posts and giveaways that you will not want to miss…. each comment on one of these posts (including mine) enters you into the grand prize banned book drawing!
Jerry Renault ponders this question from the Private Catholic School he newly attends. Each year the school partakes in a chocolate sale which help funds programming. While the sale is said to be optional for students to participate in , they are strongly, STRONGLY encouraged to do so.This year the students are encouraged to sell double what they did last year, and the cost has doubled as well.
A group of bad-boy “secret society” types called the Vigils find Jerry to be a target for their latest prank and tell him that he is not to sell the chocolates for the first 11 days. Each week as the students are tallied for the number of boxes they have sold, Jerry announces he has sold none. The head master is furious much to the Vigils delight, but after day eleven, Jerry decides to take a stand and not sell the chocolates as all, thus making the head of the Vigils a laughing stock amongst his peers, and this does not go over well. Jerry’s stand turns into a war witht he Vigils, with some of the students, and with the school.
As Jerry’s fellow students admire Jerry for his courage, the headmaster as well as the head of the Vigils have other plans for making Jerry comply…
The Chocolate Wars is also a movie
Why did I want to read this book? It is a banned book and looked like one I wanted to give a try to.
Wowza. Can say we have a winner? The Chocolate War is the portrayal of a dystopian type world where you just need to fall in line with what you are told to do… (think Pink Floyd, The Wall video). When Jerry comes on the scene and at first is bullied into not selling the chocolates like everyone else and then decided to not sell at all.. things get pretty crazy in this book.
Bullying is a strong theme throughout the book, and not just the physical kind – and not just from the students…. really the book is powerful and sad but really made an impact on me. I am so glad I read it.
The audio is a 5 1/2 hours and was perfect with my current crazy schedule. Narrated by Frank Muller the book read well and kept me engaged. Recommended!
Why Was The Chocolate War Banned?
2010
Challenged and/or banned for nudity, offensive language, being sexually explicit and unsuited for age group.
2008
Initially removed from Harford County (MD) High School curriculum due to vulgar language overshadowing anti-bullying message, but in November 2007, the school superintendent reversed the ban to allow the use of the book in classes dealing with harassment for which all parents have signed permission slips. Challenged as optional reading in a bullying unit at the Lake Oswego (OR) Junior High School because the novel is “peppered with profanities, ranging from derogatory slang terms to sexual encounters and violence.” Challenged in the Coeur d’Alene (ID) School district where parents say the book, along with 5 other, should require parental permission for students to read them. Challenged as required reading for 7th-grade students at the John H. Kinzie Elementary School in Chicago (IL). Challenged at the Northridge School District in Johnstown (OH) because “if these books were a movie, they would be rated R, why should we encourage them to read these books.”
2007
Challenged, but retained in the West Hartford (CN) schools. Parents of a King Philip Middle School eighth grader thought the language, sexual content, and violence made the book PG-13. Challenged in the Wake County (NC) schools because the book has “vulgar and sexually explicit language.” Parents are getting help from Called2Action, a Christian group that says its mission is to “promote and defend our shared family and social values.”
2006
Challenged for sexual content and offensive language.
2005
Challenged for sexual content, offensive language, religious viewpoint, being unsuited to age group and violence.
2003
Challenged in Fairfax (VA) school libraries by a group called Parents Against Bad Books in Schools for “profanity and descriptions of drug abuse, sexually explicit conduct and torture”.
2002
Challenged for profanity, scenes of masturbation and sexual fantasy along with segments denigrating to girls.
2001
Challenged in York County (VA) for sexually explicit language. Retained as optional reading for eighth graders in Girard (PA) despite a grandmother finding the book offensive and not wanting her grand-daughter reading it. Challenged for being on the eighth grade reading list of Lancaster (MA) school district for language and content. Challenged at a Lisbon (OH) board of education meeting as a “pornographic” book that should be removed from high school English classes.
So… you want some chocolates? 😛
My friend Florinda at The 3 T’s Blog also wrote a post on the Chocolate Wars today (book version) and we thought it would be fun to a little “sweetness” to our reviews. I will be giving away Ghiradelli chocolates to one of the lucky commenters using both out blog posts to enter. Just leave a comment on either my or Florindas post for an entry – comment on both and you will get three entries because math… is not my strength :D.
Day five! I hope you have been enjoying these posts and finding them informative. I am having a blast working with all these awesome bloggers who have put forth their thoughts on banned books and many with giveaways too! Before I list today’s participants remember at the bottom this post I am listing the four previous days participants as well and these are DNM (Do Not Miss) posts! There has been a lot of great banned book reviews and I have entered some of the awesome giveaways as well! 😀
But first…
Ok lets see who is up today and what they have to say…
The AWESOME Natalie from Coffee and a Book Chick is sharing today about The Chocolate War and hosting a book giveaway!
Sweet Florinda from The 3 R’s Blog (and I as well!) will be reviewing The Chocolate War, she read it and I listened to it on audio. Check out my post later because oh yes, there will be chocolate!
The amazing Cass from Bonjour Cass will be sharing her thoughts about banning children’s books and she will host a book giveaway as well!
** so I am going to break in here to share a fun fact about these 3 above bloggers. I have all three of them in person in New York. I had dinner with Natalie and Florinda and I have went to the broadway play, Mary Poppins with Cass. 😀
Kendal from Kinx Book Nook is sharing thoughts on The Color Of The Earth, a fantastic looking book!
Shannon from I Run, Teach, Read is posting about an old favorite of mine, Little House On The Prairie. Yup. A banned book. Check out her post to find out why it was banned. She is also hosting a giveaway.
Tara at Finding Wonderland is reviewing Catcher In The Rye with a book giveaway!
Johnathon Of The Rogue Scholar has taken on Brave New World along with a book giveaway. (Oh and I am loving his style for his giveaway… just saying 😀 )
Dont forget I am offering up a Banned Book Package with a gift card! By commenting on any (or all) of the posts on banned books I have linked this week – including my own, you are entered… that means one entry per comment so go, learn about these great books – and have some fun!
SO that’s todays offerings. 😀 I am working today but an going ot the library to help with their E Book launch this morning which may be fun. 😀 I know I have a banned book ot two to pick up as well, so double duty. 😀 Out weather has turned MUCH COOLER this week which is not making me too thrilled as I have a 50 mile bike ride this coming Sunday in Mankato, MN.
Alex Lyons loves her job as a writer for Chick Habit ‘s website. After all who wouldn’t love a job where you get to sit at home on your couch scouring the web for hours looking for the next big story. Celebrity mishaps is Alex’s bread and butter, and she knows she is only as good as her last story.
When a juicy tip comes in about a squeaky clean Ivy League daughter, Alex in on that like white on rice. This tip is too hot and way to good to pass on… but will Alex’s “tell all” be worth the pain and destruction it will cause in the girl’s life? And what will it do to Alex’s own life?
Why did I want to read this book? Helloooooo… look at that fun title! Right away I was curious about this and had to (had to!) know more!
Sad Desk Salad is a fun read for anyone who enjoys on-line blog reading (like me!) Alex is witty and clever, and hey – so is author Jessica Grose who sprinkled the magic dust that made Alex come to life in this “snort out loud” tale of the blogging world from a tabloid like atmosphere. (And really – why not? As author Jessica Grosse happens to be editor of a site called Jezebel and Slate. )
The title refers to the fact that the fictional Chick Habit’s website in the book gets the most hits over the work day lunch hour when the women are at their desks eating their sad salads and scanning the internet for their favorite gossip.
While Alex is not always awesome – clearly her “work from home” hygiene habits need some literal “cleaning up”, she was surrounded by enough secondary characters that leveled her out so I was able to take her faults in stride. Mostly I enjoyed the way the book held my attention and whenever I had to sit it down (darn life stuff like work and errands!) I found myself thinking about how it would all play out.
A good debut novel about online blogging and where to draw a line when it comes to privacy in today’s highly social networking world. Worthy of taking a look at and maybe enjoying this lite read over a few or your own lunch breaks.
Day four of banned book week already! Are we having fun? Have you learned anything about banned books this week? (Hang on to that question – I am going to ask again at the end of this post. 😀
So… let me dig through the videos… what can we show today. Hang on, I need to pull some footage off the top shelf….. there. Ok, here we go:
And there are the amazing bloggers who have banned book posts and giveaways to celebrate today:
Gina At Book Dragon’s Lair comes today with her thoughts on The Absolute True Diary Of A Part Time Indian
Suey from Its All About Books is going to talk to us about Slaughterhouse Five (I haven’t read this one yet!) and a book giveaway!
My buddy Ryan from Reading In Taiwan wrote a great post of Fahrenheit 451 and a discussion on the ban.
Kristi from Kristi Loves Books is going to chat about The Lord Of The Flies (creepy title!) and a book giveaway!
Also, if you are enjoying banned book week, make sure that anytime you stop and check out Bonnie’s Banned Book Blog . Bonnie posts reviews about banned books all tear long and when I am organized (ummmm…. not currently) I post my banned book reviews there as well. 😀
Ok, I need to get ready for work but I will be back this afternoon to posy another banned book review and… some fun 😀
Have you learned anything about banned books this week?
Jonas lives in a world where there is no poverty, no sickness, and no thought or dream that is left unturned by his elders. In Jonas futuristic world, children are given privileges and assignments by age. At 9, you earn your bike… your transportation. At 12, which is where Jonas is at, you are assigned your life career bu the elders of the community. While Jonas anxiously wonders what he will be – and hopes he likes what is chosen for him…
Jonas is assigned a position that was considered an honor position, he would be The Receiver Of Memories. At first, this seems pretty cool. Jonas is given rights that others (even the elders) have never been given. While being trained by the elderly man “The Giver” who has maintained the position for years, Jonas is allowed to ask questions that in other places would be rude, but as the Receiver, he had privileges and rights. He is given the right to see and posses all the memories through the history of his world and he soon learns he can go back in this new memory and see birthday parties (something he had never seen!) and scents, and families, and the word love… but he also sees war, and learns the truth about his world, a truth he does not wish to know…
and now he has to decide if he can live with knowing…
Reminds me a bit of the Hunger Games
Why did I want to read this book? This is another book that has graced my shelves for years…. I knew this was a book that I must read, but I had not. Now, during Banned Book Week, the title came up on the list and I knew it was time. I chose the audio version as it is a little over 4 hours long and worked well into my schedule – I could listen while cooking and cleaning.
I admit, I am always a little nervous on older titles that deal with “futuristic” scenarios. I never have enjoyed sci-fi, but let me stand before you.. corrected. The Giver is dystopian before dystopia novels were cool. Or, more accurately, before we knew dystopia novels were cool. I picked up themes of The Hunger Games, and Divergent…. two books I really enjoyed.
And another thing. The Giver, although the cover is a picture of this God-like old man… is indeed a YA novel. Seriously, I am blown away.
The Giver is one of those books that I would say need to be on everyone’s book bucket list. Filled with wisdom and thought provoking dialogue, The Giver is one that will remain on my keeper shelf.
Why was The Giver Banned?
* The Giver was challenged in 1995 by a parent in Franklin County, Kansas, on the grounds that it is “concerned with murder, suicide, and the degradation of motherhood and adolescence.” The book was removed from elementary libraries but remained available for classroom use at teachers’ discretion.
* In Wrenshall, Minnesota, a school board member and two parents objected to the inclusion of The Giver on a list of books to be purchased for a high school, on the grounds of offensive language and objectionable themes. The school board approved the book but stipulated that parents would receive a list of books to be studied during the year.
* In Johnson County, Missouri, complainants charged that The Giver desensitized children to euthanasia and asked that the book “not be read in class to children under high school age.” The book remains in the high school section of the K-12 library.
* A parent in Sidney, New York, publicly objected to the novel’s “usage of mind control, selective breeding, and the elimination of the old and young alike when they are weak, feeble and of no more use…” but did not file a formal complaint.
* A review committee in Brecksville, Ohio, recommended the removal of The Giver from an elementary library. Objections referred to infanticide and adult themes in the novel. The book was removed.
* Somewhere in Oklahoma, a parent objected to the novel’s use of terms such as “clairvoyance,” “transcendent,” and “guided imagery,” because these are “all occult New Age practices the Bible tells us to avoid.” The review committee voted unanimously to retain the book but prohibited it from being read aloud in fourth grade. The committee also recommended that immature readers be discouraged from trying it, and that the librarian should make fewer copies available.
* Medford, Oregon: In the absence of a formal review policy, language arts teachers decided not to use the book in seventh grade classrooms after a parent complained of graphic descriptions of euthanasia.
* In 1994, The Giver was temporarily banned from classes by the Bonita Unified School District in LaVerne and San Dimas, California, after four parents complained that violent and sexual passages were inappropriate for children.
* The book was restricted to students with parental permission at the Columbia Falls, Mont. school system in 1995 because of its treatment of themes of infanticide and euthanasia.
I am giving away a copy of this book!
To enter this giveaway – share with me in a comment, using the book you are currently reading (banned or not) and tell me why that book should be banned. Just make something up! Have fun with it! 😀 Winner will be chosen on Sunday using random.org 🙂
Day three! Are we having fun yet? I sure am! I hope you had a chance to check out the Day 1 posts and giveaways and the day 2 posts and giveaways. There is a lot of great information in the posts and a lot of wonderful books and gift cards being given away. I hope you can take some time to visit these great blogs and bloggers. 😀 Here’s a little Banned book Video to get you in the mood:
Now that you are warmed up! Here are todays wonderful bloggers that are going to share with you some of their thoughts on banned books:
Laura from A Library Of Clean Reads is going to share with us her thoughts on The Great Gatsby with a gift card giveaway!
Daenel from Living Outside The Stacks is also going to chat up To Kill A Mockingbird today and she is also giving away a gift card! NICE!!!
Charity from The Bookworm Fairy returns with her trilogy watp up as she shares about Mockingjay (yes that is a mocking bird above and now we have added a mocking jay…) Charity’s giveaway of the trilogy and the movie is a do not miss!
Lisa from Lit and Life is going to talk banned books today – have you seen her incredible blog layout? Go take a peek!
The Brunette Librariankeeps things going with The Glass Castle and a gift card giveaway!
And here comes Jennifer from The Relentless Reader covering an old favorite of mine, Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret.
Stephanie at On Page And Screen is talking about one I am really curious about, American Psycho and offering a gift card giveaway!
Joy from Joystory is going to discuss Judy Blume (SSSSQQQUUUEEE!) and will be having a crocheted book mark giveaway!
Sue also has a post at Book by Book which if her adult blog!
Suko’s Notebook talks banned books and what she is reading this week.
Jennifer from Book Den is going to discuss A Wrinkle In Time – one I have yet to read but want to!!!
Wendy from Musings Of A Bookish Kitty is going to discuss The Absolute True Diary Of A Part Time Indian (LOVE this one!)
*Remember all comments on all posts this week that are linked here (including my own) will go into a drawing for a prize package of banned books and a gift card!
How is that for an amazing line up?
and this great link about banned books will give you a chance to win 30 e-books! Apparently people are backing up Banned book Week and I am loving it!
If you have missed the last two days posts and giveaways do not fear – they are active and could use a visit from you:
Are you reading banned books this week? How about movies off of banned books – there are some great ones out there… Hunger Games, Harry Potter, The Lorax, Charlotte’s Web…
Book Journey 