Sunday. COFFEE. The first day of life beginning to simmer again. With today being the first day of Banned Book Week (YAY!) and tomorrow starts the fall book sale set up leading to the book sale later in the week and then a big board meeting a week from Monday and Tuesday a meeting and Thursday of that week the Minnesota Library Association meeting and a day out-of-town….
lets just say things are about to get bookish.
And really – they have. Welcome to Banned Book Week a week I LOVE being a part of and try to read books during that week that have been banned or challenged.
So today I am still listening to…
Not only is this our October classic read for book club… it is also a Banned Book.
The Civil War epic which is often cited as one of the most beloved novels of all time was banned by a California school district for the book’s portrayal of slaves in the antebellum South and for the immoral behavior of its heroine, Scarlett O’Hara.
Just Google “Gone With The Wind Banned” and you will find a plethora of information on potential Gone With The Wind bannings – in book form AND in movie format as well.
But what does it say about us as a nation if we continue to embrace a movie that, in the final analysis, stands for many of the same things as the Confederate flag that flutters so dramatically over the dead and wounded soldiers at the Atlanta train station just before the “GWTW’’ intermission? ~ New York Post June 24th 2015
Yes – Gone With The Wind DOES use many words and references to African Americans that is not correct – not b a long shot. Even I admit to cringing at parts – HOWEVER, while this is by no means acceptable now. It was at the time. AND like it or not… we can not change history.
So… I continue to read/listen to Gone With The Wind and I will watch the movie afterwards to get the fully rounded effect of a bucket list book – AND look forward to our book discussion.
Each year I offer other book reviewers, authors, etc to join me in reading a banned book during Banned Book Week. I love the surprise that people have when they realize a beloved childhood read, or a favorite classic, or even a modern-day YA is on this list. Banning is flatly – censorship. And while I do not choose to read all banned books *cough cough 50 Shades of Gray cough cough* I do not have any right to say that YOU can not read it.
See how that works?
So today – I have a few bloggers joining me to chat up Banned Books. I do hope you will check out their posts as someone this week will have a picture within their post and if you find that post and email me (journeythroughbooks@gmail.com) to tell me who’s post you found it on you will go into a special drawing for…
This mug will be shipped directly to one of our commenters on the Banned Book Post you find THIS picture on:
A second mug will be given away from all the comments on banned book post participants posts this week including mine.
SO enough said…
Here are today’s participants. Stop by. check them out. LEARN about banned books and READ them.
Brooke from Brooke Blogs: The Right To Think For Ourselves and a Giveaway!
(There are a couple more but I do not see their posts up yet so will add them if they put them up) 🙂
A quote from a banned book page on Gone With The Wind:
To the book burners; to those who hide from the truth of history; to those who oppress out of ignorance and fear I can only say this: Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.
Enjoy your Sunday. I am linking this to the Sunday Post as this is what I am up to today. Listening to Gone With The Wind, canning a little bit, and maybe mowing this afternoon. Here is a list to other banned classic reads. I bet you cant read just one.
Book Journey 