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The summer before my junior year at Island Trees High School, the Supreme Court ruled on the book banning case Island Trees School District v. Pico. That summer vacation, I read a lot of romance novels with the occasional Agatha Christie thrown in. But the banned books piqued my interest. What didn’t the school board want me to learn? I borrowed Down These Mean Streets from the library, and found that Piri Thomas’s memoir about growing up on the streets of Spanish Harlem was as far from ‘80s Levittown and Danielle Steel stories as you could get. But even though aspects of his life were vastly different from mine, at sixteen, I discovered truth and beauty in his words, some of which I copied into my high school journal.
“The worlds of home and school were made up of rules laid down by adults who had forgotten the feeling of what it means to be a kid but expected a kid to remember to be an adult – something he hadn’t gotten to yet.” (Piri Thomas)
The scenes that initially caused Down These Mean Streets to be banned weren’t among the many paragraphs I transcribed at sixteen. It was the honesty and power of Thomas’s language as he struggled to find his place in the world that made an impact on me. His book was the most meaningful thing I read the summer of 1982 and it cemented my belief in every student’s freedom to read.
In response to the number of books being challenged in the United States, 1982 was also the year Banned Books Week began. Unfortunately, challenging and banning books still goes on today. Between 2000-2009, over 5000 challenges were reported. (According the ALA, “a challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials.” http://www.ala.org/bbooks.) Shockingly, over 1200 instances occurred in PUBLIC LIBRARIES. Some of my favorite authors, such as Sherman Alexie, Jay Asher, and John Green, were among the most challenged in 2012.
As the ALA states in a recent press release, “Banned Books Week, Sept. 22 – 28, stresses the importance of preventing censorship and ensuring everyone’s freedom to read any book, no matter how unorthodox or unpopular.” For more information on Banned Books Week and supporting the freedom to read, visit www.bannedbooksweek.org .
Yvonne Ventresca (www.YvonneVentresca.com) is a young adult author whose debut novel, Pandemic, will be available from Sky Pony Press in May 2014.
Thank you Yvonne for sharing this article with us. This is the first time we have talked about banned books on this blog.
Excellent post. Nothing makes a book more interesting than someone telling us we can’t read it
Leandra said, on 9/26/2013 3:02:00 PM
So nice to get to read about your experience. The whole concept of book banning just seems so ridiculous. Banning books? I think it should be more like banning certain TV shows!
Susan Brody said, on 9/26/2013 3:42:00 PM
Great post, Yvonne! Very informative. Thanks!
Yvonne said, on 9/26/2013 5:42:00 PM
Thanks Susan!
Yvonne said, on 9/27/2013 4:56:00 AM
I’m glad you enjoyed the post, Leandra!
Yvonne said, on 9/27/2013 4:57:00 AM
Thank you, Ken.
susandilldetwiler said, on 9/28/2013 7:49:00 AM
Love your work, Jade! So inventive and whimsical — it takes me into another world.
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.
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.
In Canada, we are in the middle of Freedom to Read Week. Find out more on the Freedom to Read website. Let us know what you have been doing to recognize this week in the comments. The Freedom to Read kit is available for free download. It features an in-depth history of the censorship of comic books and many other interesting articles.
Don't forget to sign up for the Banned Book Challenge, running from now until June 30.
The Baltimore City Paper has published a tribute to Judith Krug.
You may not know this librarian's name but in the US, she fought for free speech and the freedom to read. According to the article by Anna Ditkoff, Krug's mother found her young daughter reading a book about sex with a flashlight one night. Her mother reacted by asking her to turn on the light so she didn't hurt her eyes.
Krug adopted her parents' philosophy with her own children.
In 1967, she became the founding director of the ALA's (American Library Association)Office for Intellectual Freedom and two years later helped create the Freedom to Read Foundation, a group that provides funding for legal aid in First Amendment cases. In 1982, Krug founded Banned Books Week to promote awareness. In 1996, she battled an attempt to censor the internet in libraries, taking the legal fight all the way to the Supreme Court. In 2001, Krug and other librarians led a vocal fight against the Patriot Act which endangered the privacy of patrons' library records.
She lost her fight to stomach cancer this past April at the age of 69.
0 Comments on The Legacy of Judith Krug as of 1/1/1900
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
Author Derek Finkle has received the Freedom to Read Award for 2008. He has been honoured by the Writers' Union of Canada for defending writers' rights. In his book, No Claim to Mercy, Finkle raised questions about the conviction of Robert Baltovich, who was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend Elizabeth Bain. When a new trial was ordered for Baltovich, Finkle's research into the book was subpoenaed by the Ontario Crown. Finkle, supported by five writer's organizations, successfully challenged the subpoena.
Stated Susan Swan, chair of the Writers' Union, Derek Finkle showed considerable courage and determination in standing up to the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General and all its resources. Had the Crown succeeded in obtaining that material, it would have cast a chill on writers who are determined to unearth wrongful convictions in the justice system.
Each year, during Canada's Freedom to Read Week, the Union presents its Freedom to Read Award to an individual who has publicly defended freedom to read in this country.
Take the "Banned Book Challenge" which began during Freedom to Read Week and runs until June 30, 2008.
0 Comments on Freedom to Read Award Winner as of 1/1/1900
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Excellent post. Nothing makes a book more interesting than someone telling us we can’t read it
So nice to get to read about your experience. The whole concept of book banning just seems so ridiculous. Banning books? I think it should be more like banning certain TV shows!
Great post, Yvonne! Very informative. Thanks!
Thanks Susan!
I’m glad you enjoyed the post, Leandra!
Thank you, Ken.
Love your work, Jade! So inventive and whimsical — it takes me into another world.