The drama department at Los Medanos College began a production of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” on November 8th and their student newspaper, the LMC Experience, interviewed the director about the inspiration behind the project, including how it was a banned book. The interview mentioned my name...
Love them or hate them, Apple Inc. has received some heavy criticism in recent years for some pretty controversial issues including the alleged use of sweatshop labor, environmental destruction, and unethical business practices. It has been criticized by legal and business analysts for its hot-tempered legal policy of suing its...
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is considered one of the “Great American Novels” and a literary classic- the Modern Library, for example, ranks it as the second best English-language novel of the 20th Century. However, as one might expect, this literary cornerstone is also a commonly challenged book,...
’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”-...
Published in 1862 amid a massive advertising campaign and at a time when Hugo was adored as one of France’s foremost poets the release of the novel was a highly anticipated event. Critical reactions were often negative, though, as some critics found the subject matter immoral and others complained...
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...
As we approach Banned Book Week, we set our attention on the 9th most-banned book series of 2011, Gossip Girl by Cecily Von Ziegesar. The book’s description says it all: “Welcome to New York City’s Upper East Side, where my friends and I live, go to school, play, and sleep–sometimes with each...
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...