Laurie Halse Anderson talks about Speak

"I have two favorite comments that are closest to my heart: The first is that reading the book made the readers feel less alone and maybe helped them speak out about whatever painful things they’ve been quiet about. The other thing I hear from some readers is that this is the first book they’ve finished since third or fourth grade. You can’t believe how awesome I feel about that."

Showtime Entertainment, 2004.

Have you read Speak or another one of Anderson's books?  Did it change the way you thought about your life?

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Hey CRLS 10th graders!  This Thursday we'll be talking about Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  You know, the book y'all are required to read by the time school starts?

Credit: Ellen Forney 2007

You are so lucky, because this book has everything!  It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you brave.  For a real treat I suggest listening to Mr. Alexie read it.

Like the book says: if you aren't excited about books, you have been thinking about books the wrong way.

If that still hasn't motivated you, here's a little reverse psychology: plenty of people out there DON'T want you to read this book.  They think it's inappropriate.  They think you can't handle it.


See how much there is to talk about?  Come join us on Thursday, August 9 at 2:00.  There will be snacks and a movie after.

BANNED BOOKS WEEK

On display in the Teen Room this week: Books you are far too young to read. Books you could not POSSIBLY understand or handle. Books that would make your young, delicate minds explode with confusion and fear, and turn you to a life of perversion and crime.

Check them out, and make the decision for yourself.

It's Banned Books Week

The American Library Association wants you to stand up and recognize! YOUR. RIGHT. TO. READ.

My fervor has brought me into wonky punctuation territory. But no joke, just think how you would feel if someone ripped your favorite book right out of your hands; if someone said you weren't capable of deciding for yourself what to read and how to think. Sadly, this happens all the time, most often with books for children and young adults.

Take a look at this list of the most frequently banned/challenged books of the past decade and tell me you're not amazed by at least one of them. Then get out there and read something!

Speak Out About 'Speak'

Laurie Halse Anderson's powerful novel Speak, about a high school girl struggling to overcome rape trauma, has come under attack from a Wesley Scroggins of Missouri who wants it banned from local schools because he claims it is pornographic.

Fittingly enough, Banned Books Week begins this Saturday and I cannot think of a better example of an important book that deserves to be available to anyone who wants to read it. We are so fortunate to have the power of choice in this country, and that includes deciding for ourselves what we wish to read.

There are several blogs and web sites up supporting Anderson's book; I am going to link to her site here. You can also read more about book censorship and how to fight back at the National Coalition Against Censorship's website.