’Twas the night before Christmas and someone stole Santa’s pipe. Yes, folks- yet another beloved tale from childhood has become the latest victim of the red pen of politically correct censorship as tradition and historical accuracy fall to ignorance and arrogance. The 18th-century poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas”-...
Katherine Paterson’s Bridge To Terabithia is a 1977 children’s literature classic about two fifth-graders, Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke, who create an imaginary kingdom named Terabithia in the woods where they rule as king and queen and where the only limit is their imaginations. A heartwarming tale of friendship...
Stephen King is one of the most recognizable names in literature. His horror-filled library of tales like Carrie and The Shining are classics on bookshelves and on the silver screen. His intense dramas exploring the human condition, such as The Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me, are likewise celebrated....
Today marks the 30th anniversary of the American Library Association’s Banned Book Week. 30 years of tracking, cataloging, documenting, and reporting attempts to remove books from the shelves of schools, libraries, and bookstores forever. 30 years. The truth of the matter is that censorship has existed for as long...
A little over one week from now will be the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week, the bibliophile’s annual celebration of the freedom to read, which this year takes place from September 30-October 6, 2012. Sometimes we forget in our daily struggles just how important our intellectual freedom...
It happened again. I discovered something very inspirational in what would have otherwise been just another mundane shopping experience, proving to me that life continues to show its magic and possibility in even the most unlikely of ways. I spent the morning cleaning the ol’ homestead and needed a...
This month in my paranormal column, Across the Great Divide, I discuss a growing problem that does not belong in civilized society let alone as a part of scientific study. “Ghost Hunting Doesn’t Involve Breaking the Law” It seems that no matter how much I or other professional paranormal...
The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, was first published in 1939 and would achieve both the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize that same year. When Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962 the novel was referenced frequently. TIME magazine lists it as one of...
This month in my paranormal column, Across the Great Divide, I bring a thought-provoking article about the perception of believing. Whatever your view on paranormal activity is, this is sure to make you think. “The Perception of Believing” It is often said that seeing is believing. That is to...