To “rush through the yellow light” is a reference to a common practice for the more daring Chinese journalists who write about sensitive topics before the state flashes the red light of censorship. That’s what happened to “The Fat Years,” a dystopian thriller by Chan Koon-Chung, which is now...
Most people are familiar with the classic saying, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” uttered by George Santayana. He, himself, identified as an American and wrote exclusively in English, but the famous philosopher was born in Madrid and was a lifelong Spanish citizen even...
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...
Students at the Plymouth-Canton Schools in Michigan got a crash course in politics this week. That’s because one family launched an official complaint on December 20, 2011 to have the fictional novel Beloved, by Toni Morrison, banned from the AP English curriculum due to racial themes, sexual content, and...
The campaign against freedom doesn’t just limit itself to the literary classics of Shakespeare and Mark Twain. Works of fiction and non-fiction, both traditional and contemporary, are recurrent fodder for the flames. But did you know that even comic books are kindling for the fires of ignorance? Edited by...
Post-Civil War America may be in the history books, but the ignorance and prejudice of ages past is alive and well here in the 21st century. As the Banned Books Awareness project continues it never ceases to amaze me the sheer number of books on censorship lists, nor the...
Many New Years resolutions concern ways of improving the self- smoke less, exercise more; spend less, conserve more. These are worthy goals, but always subjective in nature and often fall to the wayside as circumstances and attitudes change while the year takes shape. As long-time readers of this column...
The Hunger Games is a young adult novel by Suzanne Collins that was first published in 2008; a major movie adaption is also scheduled for release in 2012. But did you know that it is also the fifth most challenged and controversial book of 2010? Read on and Share...
Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America is one of the top ten most frequently challenged books of 2010- coming in at number 8- according to the American Library Association. The events portrayed in the non-fiction work take place between 1998 and 2000 and investigates...
In his own time, Shakespeare was seen as merely one among many talented playwrights and poets, but ever since the late 17th century he has been considered the supreme playwright; and to a lesser extent, poet of the English language. No other playwright has been performed on the world...