Be A Rebel - Read a Banned Book

The American Library Association (ALA) annually hosts Banned Books Week that celebrates the freedom to read and brings awareness to censorship. The week reveals the importance of open access to information. Or as the ALA states it, "Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular." Banned Books Week started in 1982 and has become an annual event for libraries, bookstores, and others across the country. 

Banned books was not something I had necessarily put much thought into as a youngster and, while I do "censor" what books I let my children choose to read, I was surprised once I started reading through the compilation of banned books over the years, which titles were actually there. Some of the books listed are some of my favorites! Now, does this mean there are not books I choose not to read - absolutely not. But the idea behind not banning books is exactly that - choice. I am allowed the freedom to choose what I want to read and this freedom, this open access to information, is a wonderful and staggering privilege. It is understood that "knowledge is power" (who said that anyway...G.I. Joe?) and I try to keep this in mind each time I open up a book. Books truly are "frigates" as Dickinson said, and every person should be able to choose what "lands far away" to travel to.

That being said here are some Banned Books for you to check out, if you so desire (you may recognize some of these titles...from past book clubs choices or the current class offering at SLFL):


1. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
3. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
4. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
5. As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner
6. A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway
7. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway
8. Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
9. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
10. An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser

If you want to learn more about Banned Books Week check out the ALA web page here: http://www.ala.org/bbooks/bannedbooksweek or the Banned Books Website here: http://bannedbooksweek.org

Happy Reading!

Author Highlight - Mary Sharratt

I recently heard an author's name that I had never read before - Mary Sharratt. I am not sure how it works for other folks but when I hear a new author mentioned the first thing I do is go onto my local public library's web page, find the author, and request every book by that particular author that the library owns. I did the same with Sharratt. One of the bonuses of Sharratt is her affiliation with Minnesota - she is originally from Minnesota and some of her works highlight places and histories particular to Minnesota and especially the Twin Cities (Minneapolis & St. Paul). As a non-native of Minnesota who has transplanted here I thought I could get a two in one deal, read a new author and learn some Minnesota history through historical fiction.

Sharratt's work deal with women…female heroines, female protagonist, and strong women from history. She is a good writer who is able to create characters that are robust while weaving a story that captivates. The first two books I read, The Real Minerva and Summit Avenue, are historical fiction novels that, while not based on a true story, are based on historical facts and time period in Minnesota. Illuminations is based on the life of Hildegard von Bingen a Benedictine Abbess, visionary, and polymath from the Middle Ages.The Vanishing Point is also historical fiction based on England and America in the mid 1600's to the early 1700's. I also grabbed Daughters of the Witching Hill which is based on the true story of the Pendle Witch Hunt of 1612 in England. Each book develops and highlights the lives of a woman or multiple women and gives the reader a glimpse into what is was like to be a woman and oftentimes a woman of ill repute at that time.

My favorite read thus far has been Illuminations, although all have been worth the read. I am fascinated by the Saints, especially women, and the middle ages specifically. I so enjoy reading a work of fiction that also gives me historical facts I can research and build upon. Illuminations was just such a book. Hildegard von Bingen was forced to be an anchorite alongside a wealthy young woman as her serving girl and under her tutelage. An anchorite is a person who lives in seclusion for religious purposes. Hildegard was walled (literally bricked in) into a two room space within a Monastery and lived that way for around 30 years until her patronage passed away. Now, living a busy life as an introvert and lover of learning, I must confess that once in awhile the idea of seclusion with a library at my disposal sounds wonderful, but to be forced to live in two rooms for thirty years - that is unimaginable. Yet, out of such an existence came a woman who was strong and who stood up for justice. It is truly a remarkable story.

I am curious what local authors Saranac Lake has? Any that you can recommend for me to pick up? Any favorites for the community that are necessarily local? If you are interested in learning more about Mary Sharratt and her works you can find more information here: http://www.marysharratt.com

The Power of a Good Book

One of my favorite authors is Annie Dillard. I can remember reading her novel Pilgrim at Tinker Creek for the first time in college and instantly falling in love with her language and style.  Still today there are parts from that novel that I can quote and that I reread from time to time for new insight and illumination. Such as: “There is always an enormous temptation in all of life to diddle around making itsy-bitsy friends and meals and journeys for itsy-bitsy years on end,” or “Squeak into a gap in the soil, turn, and unlock—more than a maple—a universe. This is how you spend this afternoon, and tomorrow morning, and tomorrow afternoon. Spend the afternoon. You can’t take it with you.”

Recently, I saw an article come through on Facebook about why Generation Y-ers are so unhappy and Dillard’s writing came to the forefront yet again (You can find the article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wait-but-why/generation-y-unhappy_b_3930620.html). Now don’t get me wrong, I truly enjoy Facebook and what it offers: connecting and staying connected with those who are all over the world, literally. That being said I also think that Facebook can lend itself to unhappiness because Facebook is all about persona and persona is not real life. Facebook can encourage people to “make itsy-bitsy friends” and “diddle around.” This is why I love literature…why you might ask…how does literature help?

Literature challenges us to move outside of “diddling” and see and feel a world that is bigger than we are. We are faced with stories and experiences we would have never considered and known about without a story. Literature exposes us to perspectives and people we wouldn’t have otherwise been exposed to. Literature often opens up human nature and we see ourselves, and others, in a way we hadn’t before. Literature is beauty. It is art.

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dream, and health, and quiet breathing”
                        - Keats, Endymion

All voracious readers have those works that have inspired them; works that they turn to when they need encouragement or even a sanctuary. I want to share a few of my favorites (I have many more than this!)…I would love to know some of yours. Who knows, maybe it will become my new favorite!

1. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek – Annie Dillard
2. The Sunday Philosophy Club Series – Alexander McCall Smith
3. The Chosen & The Gift of Asher Lev – Chaim Potok
4. Children of the Alley – Naguib Mahfouz
5. Purple Hibiscus - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
6. Song of Myself – Walt Whitman
7. Walden – Henry David Thoreau
8. The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery