There’s more reasons to miss Borders in the United States- their willingness to stand up for their employees and their dedication to the freedom to read. The manager of a Borders bookstore in Malaysia has been charged with distributing a book by controversial writer Irshad Manji. A statement by...
Referred to as “Watergate at the high school level” by attendees of the National Council of Teachers of English during a 1975 convention, at its core The Chocolate War (1974) is a brilliantly-crafted novel that focuses on the issues of conformity and the use of coercion to enforce cultural norms. A New...
Last week I reported that the Plymouth-Canton Schools in Michigan resolved a challenge to the book Beloved; but the same parents that objected to that title also have their torches aimed at another novel- Waterland, by Graham Swift. And so it is that Graham Swift becomes the latest casualty...
The Canterbury Tales, written at the end of the 14th century by Geoffrey Chaucer, is a collection of stories presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral; the prize being...
An interesting story from the Great White North has my attention this fine morning and I’m going to rant about it for a bit. A Salvation Army post in Calgary, Alberta, Canada has been refusing to take toy donations this holiday season because “the items promote black magic and...
Okay, first of all- no, this post is not about my moral dilemma over puberty. And, no, I am not suffering from my first period. It was just eye-catching and fit the theme of the discussion. There’s a great line said by Linus Van Pelt in It’s the Great...
This time of year has morphed into a time for family, friends, good times, and happiness. I love this time of year; the snow (not driving in it of course), the music, the get-togethers, the parties… I just find it ignorant and arrogant the preconceptions and misunderstandings MOST people...
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the...
Nobody says it better than George: