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...
Published in 1962, A Wrinkle in Time quickly won the coveted Newbery Medal in 1963. It is a tale filled with magic, mystery, and adventure; but the very core of it is the heartwarming quest of a girl wanting nothing more than to find her father- a government scientist...
Newswires around the world were abuzz last Wednesday after government officials in New Zealand seized a copy of “Bloody Mama” from a local business; the book has been banned there since 1971. There are currently 1319 books officially banned in New Zealand and another 728 titles that are restricted....
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...
Published in 1994, Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson, became an instant bestseller and also won the 1995 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. In 1999 it was adapted into a filmthat was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. In 2007 it became a stage play by Kevin...