People, listen to the puppets. Chad, Rustle, and Mooch, the Crash Pad puppets, misinterpret the meaning of Banned Books Week, trying to throw some books with objectionable content--including Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, The Joy of Cooking, and the phone book--out of the library, until Herb points out the error of their ways.
Months ahead of schedule, Sarah Palin's memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life" will be released November 17. Her publisher, Harper, seems to be hoping to cash in on the holiday season in thinking that the public will eat this up and wrap a copy or two to stick under the tree. Just four months after signing the book deal, Palin's book is in the fact checking stage. Co-written by Lynn Vincent, the book will be about 400 pages long.
According to The Huffington Post today: "Governor Palin has been unbelievably conscientious and hands-on at every stage, investing herself deeply and passionately in this project," said Jonathan Burnham, publisher of Harper. "It's her words, her life, and it's all there in full and fascinating detail."
The first printing of 1.5 million copies was originally slated for release in the spring of 2010. In comparison, Sen. Ted Kennedy's "True Compass," published by Twelve soon after his Aug. 25 death, also had a 1.5 million first printing. Interesting. What do you think readers? Will Palin draw the demand for books as Kennedy has?
The WVTF Book Club will meet to discuss Greg Mortenson's "Three Cups of Tea."
WVTF Broadcast Center, 3520 Kingsbury Circle, Roanoke
Tuesday, September 29, 7 p.m.
Contact: 540-989-8900
What do Winnie the Pooh, Charlotte's Web, and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz have in common? Yes, they are all classic children's books, yes, they are books that I read as a kid and read to my own children, and yes, they have all been targets of attempted banning. Would that be expected? How about the actual banning of The Satanic Verses, Go Tell it On the Mountain, or Beloved? Would that be expected? Personally, I expect our Freedom of Speech to be protected, and as such, I expect that no book should ever be banned here in the United States. What I expect doesn't matter to some people. Every year, people try to get certain books banned from the public eye. Every year, someone else tries to thrust their ideas of what is proper, what is normal, what is allowed, onto all the rest of us. Every year, librarians, bookstores, and classroom teachers are on the front lines to protect our right to read freely.
Banned Book Week is Sept. 25 through Oct. 3. Celebrate by picking one of the many challenged and banned books as reported on the American Library Association's website: www.ala.org and giving it a read. Want to see what other classics are on the list? From The Great Gatsby to Midnight's Children, here is the top 100 Banned and Challenged Classics.
What's the deal? What are people thinking?
Between 2001 to 2008, over the past eight years, American libraries were faced with 3,736 challenges.
1,225 challenges due to “sexually explicit” material;
1,008 challenges due to “offensive language”;
720 challenges due to material deemed “unsuited to age group”;
458 challenges due to “violence”
269 challenges due to “homosexuality”; and
Further, 103 materials were challenged because they were “anti-family,” and an additional 233 were challenged because of their “religious viewpoints.”
1,176 of these challenges (approximately 31%) were in classrooms; 37% were in school libraries; 24% (or 909) took place in public libraries. There were less than 75 challenges to college classes; and only 36 to academic libraries. There are isolated cases of challenges to materials made available in or by prisons, special libraries, community groups, and student groups. The majority of challenges were initiated by parents (almost exactly 51%), while patrons and administrators followed behind (10% and 8% respectively).
But this is by no means a new thing. What drops my mouth wide open is that it is still happening. Are there still Nazis tossing books into bonfires? In the not-so-literal sense, yes.
Banned Book Week exists to bring attention to the situation.
On the local front lines, Banned Book Week is being celebrated at Williamson Road Library. Join the discussion of why books are banned, what books are banned, and find out if you've ever read one. Wednesday, Sept. 30 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Call them for more information: 540-853-2340
"A celebration of the lowly comma, correctly used quotes, and other proper uses of periods, semicolons, and the ever-mysterious ellipsis."
http://www.nationalpunctuationday.com/
Want to be sure you are being proper with punctuation? The guides to go to are:
The Elements of Style, William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White — First published in 1918 by Strunk, a professor at Cornell University, it was known as “the little book” on the Ithaca, NY campus. Updated in 1957 by E.B. White, the great columnist for The New Yorker, it is still a little book, a timeless, 105-page paperback that should be read and referred to by anyone who writes.
The Associated Press Stylebook — The style bible of the newspaper industry clearly defines news writing. Often called the “journalist’s bible,” The AP Stylebook is an essential handbook for all writers, editors, students, and public relations specialists.
The Chicago Manual of Style — Now in its 15th edition, this University of Chicago Press manual is more comprehensive and easier to use than ever before. It remains an essential reference for authors, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers in any field.
September 24, 2009: National Punctuation Day. It is a day to explore the semicolon, quote your mother, and express with exclamation points! Period.
On the lighter side of the comma, here's a fun blog that explores the misuse of quotation marks.
Shayley Martin Book Signing
Nine-year-old Shayley Martin will be on hand to share and sign her book, “Lyrical Miracle: Creativity in Creation.”
When: 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Sept. 26
Where: Sweet Providence Market, 3263 Floyd Highway North, Floyd
Contact: 250-1045, www.3martins.com
Fiction author Josh Weil will read from his collection of novellas, The New Valley.
Where: Volume II Bookstore, Blacksburg, VA, 24060
Contact: (540) 231-9674
When: Friday, Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m.
Oh to be in Washington D.C.! The Library of Congress' Annual National Book Festival is this weekend. The Who's Who of authors will be attending; will you?
From a Library of Congress press release: Authors James Patterson, George Pelecanos, Nikki Grimes, Marilynne Robinson, Sharon Creech, Daniel Silva and W. Ralph Eubanks will be among the writers and illustrators joining the stellar lineup for the ninth annual National Book Festival, to be held on the National Mall from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26. The event is free and open to the public.
Patterson will present at the Mysteries & Thrillers Pavilion, and also at the Teens & Children pavilion this year. He is the author of the widely popular Alex Cross series of thrillers set in Washington, D.C., and writes novels aimed at teens as well. Authors Daniel Silva and George Pelecanos—the author of 15 crime novels set in and around Washington, D.C.—will present in that pavilion.
Also coming to the Teens & Children pavilion will be authors Nikki Grimes, Sharon Creech and Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, who will appear with his collaborator, Carmen Agra Deedy. Authors joining the popular Poetry & Prose pavilion include Marilynne Robinson, Julia Glass and W. Ralph Eubanks. These authors are among the more than 70 celebrated writers and illustrators participating in this year’s event.
To provide festival-goers with the latest event news and information, the Library of Congress has added a variety of social networking features, including updates through Twitter and Facebook. To receive up-to-the-minute information for this year’s event such as author activities, day-of event details and much more, follow the Library on Twitter (@librarycongress, hashtag #nbf) or become a Fan of the Library on Facebook (www.facebook.com/libraryofcongress).
Book-lovers will also enjoy the launch, at the festival, of the website Read.gov, which will pull together all of the Library’s literary-promotion programs into a single, accessible platform for readers of all ages.
The Library also will offer a new collection of podcasts, featuring interviews with festival authors. Available free of charge through the Library’s website or on iTunes, these personal interviews make it possible for book-lovers around the country to participate in the event. Event webcasts will also be made available on the Library’s site this year and have been archived from previous festivals.
For more information about this year’s National Book Festival, visit www.loc.gov/bookfest.
2009 NATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL AUTHORS:
Children’s authors Mary Brigid Barrett, Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, Kate DiCamillo, Shannon Hale, Craig Hatkoff, Nikki Grimes, Steven Kellogg, Lois Lowry, Megan McDonald, Charles Santore (illustrator of the festival poster), Jon Scieszka and David Shannon, and Mo Willems.
Teens & Children authors Judy Blume, Pat Carman, Sharon Creech, Paula Deen, Carmen Agra Deedy and Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, Shannon Hale, Liz Kessler, Jeff Kinney, James Patterson, Jerry Pinkney, Rick Riordan, Sharon Robinson and Kadir Nelson, James L. Swanson and Jacqueline Woodson;
History & Biography authors Dan Balz, Douglas Brinkley, Ken Burns, Dayton Duncan, Kirstin Downey, Annette Gordon-Reed, Gwen Ifill, Haynes Johnson, Sue Monk Kidd, Mark Kurlansky, Jon Meacham, Rickey Minor, Simon Schama, Patricia Sullivan, Ann Kidd Taylor and David A. Taylor;
Fiction & Fantasy authors Sabiha Al Khemir, Julia Alvarez, Junot Díaz, John Grisham, John Irving, Katherine Neville, Jodi Picoult, Nicholas Sparks, Jeannette Walls, Colson Whitehead and David Wroblewski;
Mysteries & Thrillers authors David Baldacci, Lee Child, Mary Jane Clark, Margaret Coel, Michael Connelly, Craig Johnson, Walter Mosley, James Patterson, George Pelecanos, S.J. Rozan, Lisa Scottline and Daniel Silva;
Poetry & Prose authors W. Ralph Eubanks, Julia Glass, Edward Hirsch, Jane Hirshfield, Ana Menendez, Azar Nafisi, student winners in the Poetry Out Loud competition Marilynne Robinson and Kay Ryan, Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress.
The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, is the world’s preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled collections and integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Many of the Library’s rich resources and treasures may be accessed through the Library’s website, www.loc.gov, and via interactive exhibitions on myLOC.gov.
Book Signing: Cindy Miles
National best-selling author Cindy Miles will be signing her new book, “Thirteen Chances.”
When: 6 to 9 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 24
Where: Coffee Buy the Book, 10 W. Main St., Pulaski
Contact: 980-4424, www.coffeebuythebook.net
Wendy Meredith, author of "The Art of Frugality," will share her money techniques with the audience.
When: 7 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 17
Where: Jessie Peterman Library, Floyd
Contact: 540-382-6965
