Banned Books Week day 8!

This is the end of Banned Books Week and I thought I'd give you a couple of ideas to stay on top of the situation. Visit your local library, ask them if they have any challenged/banned books, and talk to them about it, see if another solution can be found. Volunteer to host a book club for adults and children reading one of the challenged/banned books and have a discussion. Take part and stay informed, maybe run for your school board to be an active participant in the process at that level. Loads of ideas to keep those books on the shelves.

I don't think I mentioned it, but this is my favorite solutions to a challenged book is to add to a library's collection so all viewpoints are covered, don't take them away and limit the flow of information. No one can make an informed opinion without having all sides of an issue.

Okay, I'm going to close this year with one last list of books - the 10 most frequently challenged books for 2006. They are:

1. "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, for homosexuality, anti-family, and unsuited to age group.

2. "Gossip Girls" series by Cecily Von Ziegesar for homosexuality, sexual content, drugs, unsuited to age group, and offensive language.

3. "Alice" series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for sexual content and offensive language.

4. "The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things" by Carolyn Mackler for sexual content, anti-family, offensive language, and unsuited to age group.

5. "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison for sexual content, offensive language, and unsuited to age group.

6. "Scary Stories" series by Alvin Schwartz for occult/Satanism, unsuited to age group, violence, and insensitivity.

7. "Athletic Shorts" by Chris Crutcher for homosexuality and offensive language.

8. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky for homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, and unsuited to age group.

9. "Beloved" by Toni Morrison for offensive language, sexual content, and unsuited to age group.

10. "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier for sexual content, offensive language, and violence.

Next time you're stuck for something to read, try a challenged/banned book or one of these books and form your own opinion of the situation.

I always learn so much in preparing for this annual event, and this year there's been some great comments and experiences in return, thank you. The two contest winners [chosen randomly from all the commentors on Sunday] will receive $25 Amazon gift certificate and they are:

Again, thank you all for taking part, it is an important subject and one we shouldn't let pass us by without paying attention.

Happy reading everyone :-)

See you all next year September 27–October 4, 2008 for more.

Banned Books Week day 7!

Okay, here we go, the bulk of books challenged/banned are for children or to "protect" them from harm, so these are just a couple that drew my attention.

Belpre, Pura. Perez and Martina. Warne. Challenged at the Multnomah County Library in Portland, Oreg. (1988) because the death of a mouse in the story would upset children.

Blank, Joan. Laugh Lines. Grapetree Prods.; Putnam. Removed from the McKinleyville, Calif. Elementary School library (1990) for its “demeaning manner” toward individuals who read the riddles and cannot figure out the answers, rather than for its political or sexual content.

Bogart, Bonnie. Ewoks Join the Fight. Random. Challenged at the La Costa, Calif. Public Library (1987) because “every page except for three has some sort of violence - somebody gets knocked down or the Death Star is destroyed.”

Carroll, Lewis. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Ace; Bantam; Crown; Dealcorte; Dover; NAL; Norton; Penguin; Random; St. Martin. Banned in China (1931) on the ground that “Animals should not use human language, and that it was disasterous to put animals and human being on the same level.

Carroll, Jim. The Basketball Diaries. Penguin. Challenged, but retained, at he Gwinnett County, Ga. Library (1998) after the county solicitor declined to give a legal opinion on whether the book is harmful to minors. The library board had voted 2-1 to ban the book if the solicitor found the book meets the state’s legal definition of harmful to minors.

Dramer, Dan. Monsters. Jamestown Pub. Challenged at the Jefferson County school libraries in Lakewood, Colo (1986). The book is a junior high text of monster stories including several Greek myths on the Cyclops, the Minotaur, and Medusa, as well as stories of several modern monsters such as King Kong, Dracula, and Frankenstein’s monster. The Jefferson County School Board refused to ban the book

Hinton, S.E. Rumble Fish. Delacorte; Dell. Challenged at the Poca Middle School in Charleston, W. Va. (1991) because the book is “too frank.”

Miller, Jim, ed. The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll. Random. Challenged in Jefferson County, Ky. (1982) because it “will cause children to become immoral and indecent.”

Okay, so most of these were just bloody ridiculous...the mouse and riddles, please, don't waste a tree on such rubbish. I was saddened by the monster book challenge. A child's imagination is something that shouldn't be wasted and taking that book away would have allowed some kids to miss out on discovering these characters and taking them somewhere in their own thoughts.

Tomorrow is the last day of Banned Books Week and we'll look at a few different things - including a few ideas to ensure your local libraries shelves aren't being emptied book-by-book.

Banned Books Week day 4!

What are two things we aren’t supposed to talk about in public? Religion and politics - so I’ll kill two birds with one stone and give you a few examples from “Banned Books” by Robert P. Doyle in these two categories J

Bailey, Thomas A., and David M. Kennedy. The American Pageant: A History of the Republic. Heath. The John Birch Society’s chapter in Glen Burnie, Md., condemned the textbook and demanded it be banned in the Anne Arundel County, Md., public schools (1966). Removed (1981) from the Mississippi state-approved textbook list. Returned to the Racine, Wis. Unified School District (1984) curriculum just one week after the school board voted to ban it. Opponents of the books on the board charged that the social studies volumes contained “judgmental writing” and, in the words of the board member, “a lot more funny pictures of Republican’s and nicer pictures of Democrats.” Opponents also said that one text did not present an adequate analysis of the Vietnam War.

Clinton, Cathryn. A Stone in My Hand. Candlewick Pr. Challenged, but retained in the Marion County Public Library System in Ocala, Fla. (2003) despite a complaint that the subject matter wastoo mature and the book “was written on-sidedly, specifically showing one party to be fully wrong.” Reviewers noted that the book is told from a Muslim perspective and that it can be taken to be anti-Israel. An Ocala resident noted that, “this book will help further hatred of Jews, anti-Semitism, and hated of Israel, on the part of children, that target audience.”

Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. Metropolitan Bks. Criticized as the book chosen for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, N.C. summer reading program (2003) by Republican state lawmakers, citing a “pattern” of the university being anti-Christian. In 2002, three freshmen sued the university over its choice of Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations, by Michael A. Sells. The Family Policy Network, a Christian group based in Virginia, filed a federal lawsuit on the students’ behalf. Court later rejected the argument that the reading requirement violated the U.S. Constitution.

Feelings, Muriel. Jambo Means Hello: The Swahili Alphabet. Dial; Puffin. Challenged by a school board member in the Queens, N.Y. school libraries (1994) because it “denigrate[s] white American culture, ‘promotes racial separation, and discourages assimilation.’” The rest of the school board voted to retain the book.

Hewitt, Kathryn. Two by Two: The Untold Story. Harcourt. Challenged at the Hubbard, Ohio Public Library (1991) because the book alters the story of Noah’s Ark, making it secular and confusing to children.

Hoobler, Dorothy, and Thomas Hoobler. Nelson and Winnie Mandela. Watts. Challenged at the Hillsboro, Oreg. Public Library (1988) by a patron who charged that the Mandelas and the African National Congress are Communist-backed and advocate violence. After being reviewed, the book was retained in the library’s collection.

Kellerman, Faye. Milk and Honey. Morrow. Challenged at the Rogers-Hough, Ark. Memorial Library (1991) because of “sacrilegious language.”

Lionni, Leo. In the Rabbit’s Garden. Pantheon. Challenged at the Naas Elementary School library in Boring, Oreg. (1986) because the story about two rabbits living in a lush garden paradise made a mockery of the Bible’s tale of Adam and Eve. Unlike the Story of Adam and Eve, Lionni rewards his bunnies for eating the forbidden fruit by allowing them to live happily ever after.

Stewart, Jon, Ben Karlin, and David Javerbaum. America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction. Warner. Returned to circulation at the Jackson-George Regional Library System in Pascagoula, Miss. (2004). The library board banned the best-selling satirical book because the book contained an image of the Supreme Court judges’ faces superimposed on naked bodies. The book was named a Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, the industry trade magazine.

Suzuki, D.T. Zen Buddhism: Selected Writings. Doubleday. Challenged at the Plymouth Canton school system in Canton, Mich. (1987) because “this book details the teachings of the religion of Buddhism in such a way that the reader could very likely embrace its teachings and choose this as his religion.”

I think what struck me about all these challenges is in how self-serving they sound. These are two very important subjects, both have been the reason behind many a war, and someone wants to pull a book off the shelf because the judges of the Supreme Court are depicted nude. Since when is the human body so vile?

And on that note, I’ll be back tomorrow with more - sex and women I think.

Banned Books Week day 5!

SEX and WOMEN!

That’s right, it’s hump day so let’s look at challenges involving sex and women :-)

Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. Our Bodies, Ourselves. Simon & Schuster. Removed from high school libraries in Townshend, Vt. (1975); Pinellas County, Fla. (1975); Morgantown, W.V. (1977), and Helena Mont. (1978). Challenged in Amherst, Wis. (1982) due to its “pornographic” nature; Three Rivbers, Mich. Public Library (1982) because it “promotes homosexuality and perversion.” Challenged at the William Chrisman High School in Independence, Mo. (1984) because the book is “filthy.” The controversial feminist health manual was in the classroom and was the personal property of the teacher.

Day, Doris. Doris Day: Her Own Story. Morrow. Removed from two Anniston, Ala. High school libraries (1982) due to the book’s “shocking” contents particularly “in light of Miss Day’s All-American image,” but later reinstated on a restricted basis.

Duong, Thu Huong. Paradise of the Blind. Morrow. Banned in Vietnam (1988). The novel outraged Vietnamese leaders, particularly the sections describing the 1953-56 land reform campaign - its excesses and its management, its destructive effects. Party Secretary Nguyen Van Linh publicly denounced Duong as “a whore”; he issued a second banning order. The depictions of these situations and their repercussions established her leadership of the dissident movement, leading to her arrest and the banning of her work.

Eliot, George. Adam Bede. Houghton; NAL; Penguin. Attached as “the vile outpourings of a lewd woman’s mind” and withdrawn from the British circulating libraries (1859).

Gray, Heather M., and Samantha Phillips. Real Girl/Real World: Tools for Finding Your True Self. Seal Pr. Challenged, but retained at the Cape May County, N.J. library (2006). The book explores issues such as body image, emerging sexuality, and feminism.

Hite, Shere. The Hite Report on Male Sexuality. Knopf. Challenged at the Southern Pine, N.C. Public Library (1983) because it is inappropriate “for the development and moral character in children or anyone for that matter.”

Isben, Henrik. A Doll’s House. Penguin. Four members of the Alabama State Textbook Committee (1983) called for the rejection of Ibsen’s work because it propagates feminist views.

Kinsey, Alfred. Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. Banned in South Africa (1953), Ireland (1953), and in U.S. Army post exchanges in Europe as having “no worthwhile interest for soldiers.”

I don't know about you, but I wonder what Doris Day could have done that was so shocking - oh, wait a minute, she a real person challengers, not an image! And to call a woman a "whore" because she wrote something shows exactly who stupid that person is. But I had to laugh about the Kinsey one [same book for the Human Male was also banned, and for the same reason]. When someone signs up for the Armed Services, do they also sign away their sexual desire?

Although we've seen some weird things this week, tomorrow are the ones that will make you think and some will make you gasp.

Thursday 13 - #20!

Banned Books Week day 6!





I've spent this week celebrating Banned Books Week - so I'm carrying it over to my Thursday 13. Let's see I've talked about the books that were challenged/banned for 2006-07, weird challenges, self-appointed censors, religion and politics, women and sex...how about we look at 13 challenges that make you go hmmm. Personally, I like to keep it positive so I promise to make sure some of them were retain :-)

1. Abernathy, Rev. Ralph D. And the Walls Came Tumbling Down. Harper. Burned in protest in Denver, Colo. (1989) because it alleges that Martin Luther King, Jr. was involved with three women. E. Napolean Walton, publisher of the Denver Cosmopolitan Advertiser, stated: “[Abernathy] has his freedom of speech, and we have our freedom to burn it.”

2. Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. Ballantine. Expurgated at the Venado Middle School in Irvine, Calif. (1992). Students received copies of the book with scores of words - mostly “hells” and “damns” - blacked out. The novel is about book-burning and censorship. After receiving complaints from parents and being contacted by reporters, school officials said the censored copies would no longer be used. Challenged at the Conroe, Tex. Independent School District (2006) because of the following: “discussion of being drunk, smoking cigarettes, violence, ‘dirty talk’, reference to the Bible, and using God’s name in vain.” The novel went against the complainants’ “religious beliefs.”

3. Carter, Judy. The Homo Handbook: Getting in Touch with Your Inner Homo. Fireside. Challenged in the Fayetteville, Ark. High School library (2005). The complainant also submitted a list of more than fifty books, citing the books as too sexually explicit and promoting homosexuality.

4. Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de. Don Quixote. Methuen; NAL; Norton; Random. Placed on the Index in Madrid for one sentence: “Works of charity negligently performed are of no worth.” In 1981 the Chilean military junta banned the novel for supporting individual freedom and attacking authority.

5. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner. Challenged at the Baptist College in Charleston, S.C. (1987) because of “language and sexual references in the book.”

6. Frank, Anne. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Modern Library. Challenged in Wise County, Va. (1982) due to protests of several parents who complained the book contains sexually offensive passages. Four members of the Alabama State Textbook Committee (1983) called for the rejection of this title because it is a “real downer.” Removed for two months from the Baker Middle School in Corpus Christi, Tex. (1998) after two parents charged that the book was pornographic. The book was returned after students waged a letter-writing campaign to keep it, and a review committee recommended the books retension.

7. Homer. The Odyssey. Airmont; Doubleday; Harper; Macmillan; NAL; Oxford Univ. Pr; Penguin. Plato suggested expurgating Homer for immature readers (387 B.C.) and Calligula tried to suppress it because it expressed Greek ideals of freedom.

8. Keefer, Edward C., ed. Foreign Relations of the United States 1964-68, Volume XXVI, Indonesia, Malaysia-Singapore, Philippines. U.S. State Department. The U.S. government recalled all copies of the U.S. State Department history book from hundreds of libraries in the U.S. and abroad (2001) because it details the U.S. role in Indonesia’s deadly purge of communists in the 1960’s. The prestigious series, which began in 1861, is often embattled. For example, the history dealing with Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey was printed in February 2000, but is locked up at the Government Printing Office under the label: “Embargo: This publication cannot be released.” Officials declined to say why.

9. Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Lippincot/Harper; Popular Library. [The challenges started in 1977 but I’ll limit this to the last challenge.] Challenged at the Brentwood, Tenn. Middle School (2006) because the book contains “profanity” and “contains adult themes such as sexual intercourse, rape, and incest.” The complainants also contend that the book’s use of racial slurs promotes “racial hatred, racial division, racial separation, and promotes white supremacy.”

10. Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. Penguin. Challenged at the Cumberland Valley High School, Harrisburg, Pa. (1982) because the play contains “sick words from the mouths of demon-possessed people. It should be wiped out of the schools or the school board should use them to fuel the fire of hell.” Challenged as a required reading assignment at the Pulaski County High School in Somerset, Ky. (1987) because it is “junk.” Challenged, but retained in the sophomore curriculum at West Middlesex, Pa. High School (1999).

11. The Treasury of American Poetry. Doubleday. Challenged at the Grenta, Va. High School library (1981) because it contained eight objectionable words. The review committee recommended to cut out pages or ink over the offending words.

12. Tolkien, J.R.R. (John Ronald Reuel). Lord of the Rings. Ballentine; Houghton. Burned in Alamagordo, N. Mex. (2001) outside Christ Community Church along with other Tolkien novels as satanic.

13. Solzhenitsyn, Alexsandr Isayevich. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. Dutton; Farrar; NAL. Barred from publication in the USSR; the author was stripped of Soviet citizenship and deported (1974). Removed from the Milton, N.H. high school library (1976) due to objectionable language. Challenged in Mahwah, N.J. (1976); Omak, Wash. (1979) and at the Mohawk Trail Regional High School in Buckland, Mass. (1981) because of profanity in the book. Removed from the Lincoln County, Wyo. high school curriculum (1995) because of “considerable obscenities.” Retained at the Storm Lake, Iowa High School, despite objections to the novel’s profanity.

The Anne Frank and Solzhenitsyn books stunned and upset me. With the right guidance and information, kids can learn so much from both these books about people and history [and if you're thinking of sex when reading Anne Frank then you need help]. An interesting day of books to say the least, many of which still make me think. Yes, the challenger was technically right about To Kill a Mockingbird, but weighed against it is what a reader comes away with when they finish, and I can't help but think this book is a must read.

Sigh, like I said, they make you think. Tomorrow were going to look at children's books and see what's happening in that area.

Also, if you comment this week - you're up for a couple of prizes [gift certificates to Amazon being one :-)] so make sure I can reach you by email.

Banned Books Week Day 3!

Ahhh, are you ready for those random few folks who decide to bypass the paperwork and do the censoring themselves? I’m not sure anyone can ever be prepared for that type of person, but here we go, the challenges found in “Banned Books” by Robert P. Doyle that reflect a bad form of censorship.

Boswell, Robert. Mystery Ride. Harper; Knopf; Thorndike Pr. Expurgated by an apparent self-appointed censor at the Coquille, Oreg. Public Library (1994) along with several other books. Most were mysteries and romances in which single words and sexually explicit passages were whited out by a vandal who left either dots or solid ink pen lines where the words had been.

Ellis, Bret Easton. American Psycho. Random; Simon. The Carthage, Mo public librarian (1991) was directed first “to take the book of the shelf and keep it under the circulation desk” and then “lose it.” The incident involving the novel “snowballed” and was one of the reasons why, under protest, the librarian submitted her resignation.

Hastings, Selina. Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady. Lothrop; Macmillan. Challenged at the public libraries of Saginaw, Mich. (1989). The complainant requested the library to “white out the swearing” which appears on page 16 of the book. The objectionable words were “God Damn You.” Challenged at the elementary school libraries in Antigo, Wis. (1992) because a parent objected to a reference to the Loathly Lady as a “hell-hag” and to another passage in which the Black Knight suggests that King Arthur “roast in hell.”

Jaivin, Linda. Eat Me. Broadway Bks. Removed from the Marion County Public Library in Ocala, Fla. (2003). The library directed noted that the Australian bestseller was removed because the library lacks a designated erotica collection, and the novel met only three of seventeen criteria used to evaluate books for acquisition. The Marion County Public Library Advisory Board recommended that the library director retain the novel. The board’s vote was only a suggestion and the final decision went back to the library director. In Feb. 2004, the director reversed her earlier decision, reinstated the novel, and stated that her personal dislike for the book overshadowed her objectivity and adherence to policy.

Kroll, Ken. Enabling Romance: A Guide to Love, Sex and Relationships for the Disabled. First Woodline House. Removed from the Clifton, N.J. Public Library (1996) and replaced with a dummy book made of styrofoam. The library’s new policy restricts to adults any material containing “patently offensive graphic illustrations or photographs of sexual or excretory activities or contact as measured by contemporary community standards for minors.”

Silverstein, Shelf. The Giving Tree. Harper. Removed from a locked reference collection at the Boulder, Colo. Public Library (1988). The book was locked away originally because the librarian considered it sexist.

I bet you’re wondering about that book you keep going back for and the librarian says, “It’s not available.” Hmmm. Well, tomorrow we’re going to look at a couple of taboo subjects and see how they fare under the challengers hand.

Banned Books Week Day 2!

Today I’m at a festival, talking books, enjoying the nice autumn day and thought I’d give you some good one’s to ponder. What category do these from “Banned Books” by Robert P. Doyle fall under - well they are the challenges that were so bloody stupid and weird, I had to laugh, otherwise I might cry at the sheer idiocy demonstrated. You decide.

Farmer, Philip J. Image of the Beast. Essex House. Challenged at the Chapmanville, W.Va. Public Library (1981) because the book puts “mental pictures in the mind [that] have no place in the library.”

Fox, Mem. Guess What? Harcourt. Challenged at the Cook Memorial Library in Libertyville, Ill. (1991) because it features witches, boiling cauldrons, names of punk rockers, and a reference that could be interpreted as meaning “God is dead.”

Groening, Matt. The Big Book of Hell. Random. Challenged at the Hersey, Pa. Public Library (1995) because “the entire book teaches conduct contract to wishes of parents” and is “trash” with “no morals.” A request was made to “destroy all books of a similar nature.”

Jagendorf, Moritz A. Tales of Mystery: Folk Tales from Around the World. Silver Burdett. Removed to a locked closet in the superintendent’s office in Banner County, Nebr. (1992) because the book “has to do with a lot of negative things and might not be good for someone with low self-esteem or suicide tendencies.”

Kidd, Flora. Between Pride and Passion. Harlequin. More than fifty Harlequin romances donated by Glide, Oreg. Residents were threatened with removal from the high school library (1984) because “teenagers already have trouble with their emotions without being stimulated by poorly written books.”

King, Larry. Tell It to the King. Putnam; Thorndike Pr. Challenged at the Public Libraries of Saginaw, Mich. (1989) because it is “an insult to one’s intelligence” and contains foul language.

Legman, Gershon, ed. The Limerick: 1,700 Examples with Notes, Variants and Index. Carol Pub. Group. Challenged at the Oak Lawn, Ill. Public Library (1991) because the book contains bawdy limericks with explicit sexual references.

Touchette, Charleen. It Stops with Me: Memoir of a Canuck Girl. Touch Arts Bks. Removed from the Woonsocket Harris, R.I. Public Library shelves (2005) after the author’s father challenged the book. He wrote, “If members of a family wish to harm one another, those actions should be kept private and should not draw in others by involving matters of public policy.” The book was later returned to the shelves.

You want a book banned because teenagers already have too many emotions to handle a Harlequin romance? They are safer with those than books like the Gossip Girl series. Then there’s the person who found out limericks were naughty ditty’s - well, hello, they are defined as “A light humorous, nonsensical, or bawdy verse of five anapestic lines usually with the rhyme scheme aabba.”

So, did you laugh or cry at the ridiculousness shown here? Well, there’s more. I’ll be back tomorrow with more nonsense - those who like to do the censoring themselves.

Banned Books Week starts today!

Yes, that's right it's Banned Books Week!

The American Library Association [ALA] host this week to ensure the public is aware that books are being taken off school and public library shelves at the behest of one person or group. Not all books that are challenged are banned or restricted, but yes, it does happen where a book will be taken out of a collection, never to be returned again.

Most books challenged are to protect children. Before I go any further, the ALA states: “Librarians and governing bodies should maintain that parents—and only parents—have the right and the responsibility to restrict the access of their children—and only their children—to library resources.” No matter how busy a parent is, it is for them to monitor the books their kids are reading, not deny others the use of a book.

So what type of books are we talking about? That’s what I’ll share with you this week - a taste of what some communities are having problems with. Today, I’ll give you the books challenged, restricted, removed, or banned in 2006-07. It is not a complete list because about 85% of challenged library materials receive no media attention and are therefore unreported. I have included entries [exactly as reported] for a few of them so you can see some of the reasoning behind the challenges. These and more can all be found in "Banned Books" by Robert P. Doyle. They are:-

Alvarez, Julie. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents.
Ancona, George. Cuban Kids.
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why a Caged Bird Sings.
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale.

Baskin, Julia, Lindsey Newman, Sophia Politt-Cohen, and Courtney Toombs. The Notebook Girls. Warner Bks. Challenged, but retained at the Cape May County, NJ Library (2006). The book is comprised of the entries four New York City high-school students made in a shared journal in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic.
Birdseye, Tom. Attack of the Mutant Underwear.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451.
Bradbury, Ray. The Veldt.
Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code.
Burroughs, Augusten. Running With Scissors.
Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Chevalier, Tracey. Girl With a Pearl Earring.
Chomsky, Noam, and Edward S. Herman. Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media.
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening.

Christensen, James C., Renwick St. James and Alan Dean Foster. Voyage of the Basset. Artisan. Retained in the Davis County, Utah Library (2006). The complainant objected to the book after her five-year-old son borrowed it from the children’s section and showed her the illustrations it contains of topless mermaids and other partially clothes mythical creatures. The author is a retired Brigham Young University Art professor and cochair of the Mormon Arts Foundation.

Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate Wars.
Crutcher, Chris. Whale Talk.
de Haan, Linda and Stern Nijland. King & King.
Draper, Sharon M., and Adam Lowenbein. Romlette and Julio.
Eleveld, Mark, ed. The Spoken Word Revolution: Slam, Hip Hop & the Poetry of a New Generation.
Fogelin, Adrian. My Brother’s Hero.
Frank, E.R. America.
Freedom Writers. The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them.
Gaines, Ernest J. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.
Going, K.L. Fat Kid Rules the World.
Gordon, Sharon. Cuba.
Gravett, Paul. Manga: 60 Years of Japanese Comics.
Gray, Heather M., and Samantha Phillips. Real Girl/Real World: Tools for Finding Your True Self.
Green, Jonathon, comp. Cassell Dictionairy of Slang.

Hedayat, Sadegh. The Blind Owl. Grove Pr. The widely acclaimed Iranian classic, written in the 1930’s, was banned in Iran (2006). “The new government intends to take positive steps for reviving neglected values and considering religious teachings in the cultural field.”

Hedges, Peter. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.
Jukes, Mavis. The Gay Book: An Owner’s Manual.
Kehret, Peg. Abduction!
Langley, Andrew. 100 Greatest Tyrants.
LeGuin, Ursula K. A Fisherman of the Inland Sea.
Levitt, Steven D., and Stephen J Dubner. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything.
Lowry, Lois. The Giver.
Mackler, Carolyn. Vegan Virgin Valentine.
Mathabane, Mark. Kaffir Boy.
McBain, Ed. Alice in Jeopardy.

Mitchell, Stephen. Gilgamesh: A New English Version. Free Pr. Challenged in the Clearview Regional High School in Harrison Township, N.J. (2006) because the modern translation of on of the oldest known pieces of literature was considered sexually descriptive and unnecessarily explicit. The work itself dates back to about 1700 B.C., some one thousand years before the writings of Homer.

Mochizuki, Ken. Baseball Saved Us.
Morgan, Melissa J. TTYL.
Morrison, Toni. Beloved.
Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye.
Myers, Walter Dean. Fallen Angels.
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Reluctantly Alice.
O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried.
Opie, Iona Archibald, and Peter Opie, eds. I Saw Esau: The Schoolchild’s Pocket Book.

Park, Barbara. Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying. Random. Challenged in the Wake County, N.C. schools (2006). Parent are getting help from Called2Action, a Christian group that says its mission is to “promote and defend our shared family and social values.”

Parks, Gordon. The Learning Tree.
Paulsen, Gary. Zero to Sixty: The Motorcycle Journey of a Lifetime.
Peters, Lisa Westberg. Our Family Tree: An Evolution Story.
Pollan, Michael. The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World.
Richardson, Justin, and Peter Parnell. And Tango Makes Three.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Ruby, Laura. Lily’s Ghost.
Sanchez, Alex. Rainbow Boys.

Schreier, Alta. Vamos a Cuba (A Visit to Cuba). Heinemann. Removed from all Miami-Dade County school libraries (2006) because a parent’s complaint that the book does not depict an accurate life in Cuba. The American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU] of Florida filed a lawsuit challenging the decision to remove this book and the twenty-three others titles in the same series from the district school libraries. In granting a preliminary injunction in July 2006 against the removal, Judge Alan S. Gold of U.S. District Court in Miami characterized the matter as a “First Amendment issue” and ruled in favor of the ACLU of Florida, which argued that the books were generally factual and that the board should add to its collection, rather than removing books it disagreed with.

Schwartz, Alvin. More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
Sebold, Alice. The Lovely Bones.
Sendak, Maurice. In The Night Kitchen.
Shafak, Elif. The Bastard of Istanbul.
Silverstein, Charles, and Edmund White. The Joy of Gay Sex.
Steer, Dugald. Wizardology: The Book of the Secrets of Merlin.
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men.
Thompson, Craig. Blankets.
Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clements). The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Vonnetgut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five.
Watkins, Yoko Kawashima. So Far from the Bamboo Grove.
Wood, Maryrose. Sex Kittens and Horn Dawgs Fall in Love.
Wright, Richard. Black Boy.

I’ll be back tomorrow with more, maybe some challenges that make you say "you've got to be kidding me."

Come out and meet Tilly Greene this Sunday!

Westfield FesitFall
Westfield NJ
Sept. 30th 10am-5pm

Join a tent full of talented authors as they show you all about The New Generation of Romance!

Attending Authors:

Tilly Greene
Stella Price
Cat Johnson
Rene Lyons
Bonnie Rose Leigh
Denise Jefferies
Yvette Hines

Stop by the tent for some books, info and amazing conversations, as well as free goodie bags filled with promo from a slew of amazing authors, and sign up to win a Romance Basket filled with books, candles, and goodies!

It is going to be a gorgeous day, so come out, enjoy and say HI!

Thursday 13 - #19!

Okay, here is a bit about how my mind sometimes works.

My most recent release, “Zandia”, is about a woman who can’t find a productive life on her home planet so she leaves. Her world is shaken up when she meets the perfect man for her, only he seems to offer everything she hated about her home planet. This week I recieved a fabulous review [JERR gave it a 5 stars and O-grasmic heat :-)] and realized the book was getting some great ones that used such snippets as “a kick ass story” and “alien feminists can enjoy their sexuality”. At the same time, I have just finished the Comment for a Cure challenge, thinking about what to do for October - it being Breast Cancer Awareness month - and my mind was obviously focused on women and the challenges they face - hence this weeks Thursday 13.

In 1985 Nairobi, Kenya hosted a conference to formulate strategies for advancing women’s rights. In 1995, Beijing, China followed this up with a “plan of action”. And in 2000, the United Nations hosted a conference to see what type of progress was being made.

The subjects on the table included, but not limited to, were: reproductive rights, abduction of girls, poverty and economy, education, health, and violence. How did they do? In fifteen years, eight out of 188 member states had made any progress. Seven of the eight were developed nations. In my opinion, that is a pretty piss poor showing. Here are 13 places you can go and do something productive, and some will cost you nothing but time:

1. Susan G. Komen Foundation

2. Click to Give at The Breast Cancer site - personally, I visit this site every morning before I start on my emails.

3. Kiva

4. Women for Women

5. Care

6. Camfed

7. Habitat for Humanity

8. Alpha Project

9. One

10. Family to Family

11. Women Against Abuse

12. Second Harvest

13. Gifts in Kind

Think local! Open your phone book and find the local Women’s Shelter, see what they need, it could be socks, shampoo, movies for the kids they bring with them, or your time. With all the travel we do, the cutie and I keep the bags they give you on airplanes and the little bottles in hotels then give those to our local shelter - there’s a comb, toothbrush and tooth paste, mouthwash, lotion, shampoo, soap, socks, pen and pad of paper in a small bag for when they arrive. Go through your closet and all those things you aren't wearing anymore that are in good condition, donate them to Dress for Success, or another group like it. Don’t forget your local food bank - with the holidays coming, this could make someones day. There’s loads of things to do for someone who, at the moment, needs a little help to get back on their feet.

Please note I’m not giving personal endorsements to any specific charity - always check out GIVE.org before giving.

Happy Hump Day Everyone!

In the midst of a heavy editing schedule, I've had some wonderful news, and thought I'd share it with you all:

Zandia has been rockin' with the reviewers! Here are a couple of snippets:

"I am never disappointed by Tilly Greene's books, and Zandia is no exception. It's fast paced, and full of sizzling hot sex that will leave you breathless. I could totally feel Sui's need to live her own life. And Xer, who wouldn't want a man like that? He is strong when he needs to be and he knows how to be soft. This is definitely a page turner. Oh and you'll need your own fan."
Reviewed by Julianne, 5 lips and 2 chilis, and has received a Reviewers Choice Award at TwoLips Reviews


"Zandia is a very interesting planet and Greene's story is wonderfully threaded together. Reading it, I really cared about the characters--Sui and Xer as well as the secondary characters. Tilly Greene has created a whole new world facing a sexual revolution and shows us that even alien feminists can enjoy their sexuality to the fullest!"
Reviewed by Chris, 4.5 blue ribbons, Romance Junkies


"ZANDIA keeps the tension high, passion simmering on boil and delivers a kick ass story to the reader! Ms. Greene delivers a fine story that has the reader rooting for Sui to deliver Xei a set down that will shake him to his core yet you can feel the sparks between them. It was a delightful mix in ZANDIA."
Reviewed by Dawn, 4.5 lips, Love Romances and More


"Zandia is a superb story that explores the complex emotions between Sui and Xer. Once I started Zandia I became so engrossed in the story, I could not put it down. Bravo Ms. Greene. I can't recommend this book enough. Zandia is the perfect blend of story, red hot sex, and sci-fi elements."
Reviewed by Claudia, 5 stars/O heat, Just Erotic Romance Reviews


I am so excited about these wonderful reviews! Sui Erom knows what kind of life she wants to have, and even though she quivers when Xer is near, I think it's safe to say she has everything he wants and will do anything to have. If you haven't already, check out Zandia at Samhain! Did I mention the paperback has a release date now, it will be the end of March, 2008 :-)

See you all next week for the Banned Books Week Event. I'll be here on my Hot Thoughts Blog all week, in the Samhain Cafe and on the Samhain Blog on the 4th.

Oh, and if you are out and about this Sunday, I'll be with a bunch of other authors at the Westfield NJ FestiFall. It's going to be a beautiful day so come on out and say hello!

Final Challenge Update!

I apologize for being so late in positing this...it was a heck of a weekend :-)

So, the cutie picked the name out of the person who will write the dedication for "OohRah!" and receive a copy of the ebook when it's released. The winner is Jenster!

Numero Uno!

How cool is that!?!

Thank you all for participating in the Comment for a Cure Challenge - throughout October [Breast Cancer Awareness Month] I'll be hosting a couple more contests in celebration and to keep it on your mind.

Household on High Alert!

Yup, the cutie went in to work, but he's waiting for a phone call from me to say his package has arrived.

What could possibly be so important that he's willing to leave early for it?

He has a limited time before he's off again, there's a shed load of work piled on his desk, and some experiments to check on - but he'll leave early for:



That's right - the cutie is so ready for Halo 3 to arrive, so he can play! Odds are he'll head in late tomorrow too :-)

A movie that shouldn't be missed!

I don't often recommend movies, but this one felt like I was being read a story and it was wonderful! There's a great cultural flavor here - a mix of Russian mafia and London. Fabulous! When the screen went to black, the cutie and I looked at each other and finally breathed again.

It's called Eastern Promise and it just opened this weekend.

Oh, and did I mention Viggo Mortensen has a wicked full frontal nude scene in the Finsbury baths and that is the last thing you think about because it's one of the most violent scenes I've ever seen.

No question about it - this is one film I'll remember for some time.

Here's the official movie site.

Eldest Niece Law School Update!

Law School Musical

Hmmm, this weekend a certain niece in her first term of law school sent this out - I believe we need to rethink what we'll do on our visit out there in October.

Challenge Update!

There's a week left in the Comment for a Cure challenge, so if you haven't left a comment on Tilly Greene's Hot Thoughts Blog - DO! It's a quick and easy way to support something that touches so many peoples lives.

I've just handed out the 4th CD of "Coming Together: For a Cure" and have more to giveaway. There's also the chance to have my December book - "OohRah!" - released with your dedication. The sexiest Marine, Dale Smythe, meets Tasha Ruskya at a Race for a Cure and he looks fabulous in PINK!

A Saucy Joke to start the week!

Thanks to Monica in London, I give you:

The Recipe

A man is showering up in a locker room with his buddy when he notices his friend is very well endowed.

"Damn Bob, you're hung!" Jim exclaims.

"I wasn't always this impressive, I had to work for it."

"What do you mean?" Jim asked.

"Well, every day for the past two years I've spent an hour each night rubbing it with butter. I know it sounds crazy but it actually made it grow 4 inches! You should try it."

Jim agrees and the two say good bye.

A few months later the two are in the same locker room and Bob asks Jim how his situation was.

Jim replied, "I did what you said, Bob, but I've actually gotten smaller! I lost two inches already!"

"Did you do everything I told you? An hour each day with butter?"

"Well, I was out of butter, so I've been using Crisco."


Wait for it.


Wait . . .



"Crisco!!?" Bob exclaimed. "Damm it, Jim, Crisco is shortening!

MORAL: You gotta follow the recipe!!!

Thursday 13 - #18!

For me, birthdays mean books, and with a couple of birthday this month, including my own, here are those I'm eyeing up.

For Me :-)
1.
Mythology [Ologies] by Lady Hestia Evans

2.
600 Black Spots: A Pop-up for Children of All Ages by David Carter

3.
How Many by Ron Van Der Meer

4.
Costume Jewelry for Haute Couture by Patrick Segal

5.
Greeks on the Black Sea: Ancient Art from the Hermitage by Anna Trofimova

6.
Antiquity Recovered: The Legacy of Pompeii and Herculaneum by Victoria C. Gardner Coates

7.
The Getty Villa by Marion True, Jorge Silvetti, and Salvatore Settis


For the Little Man
8.
Very Hairy Bear by Alice Schertle and Matt Phelan

9.
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems

10.
T is for Terrible by Peter McCarty


For the Young Lady
11.
The Nixie's Song [Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles Book 1] by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

12.
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

13.
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White


And, don't forget to check out my challenge to blog for a cure...click here, comment and maybe win!

Tilly Greene's September Scorcher is OUT!

Check out Tilly Greene's Monthly Scorcher for all the latest news, interesting tidbits, chats to attend, contests galore and much more, including where you can win a Tilly Greene tote bag this month.

Enjoy!

Tilly Greene
WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!
www.tillygreene.com

Tilly Greene's Monthly Scorcher
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