Shaped by Reading
Plus more library and book ban news
On Sunday (the day this post is delivered) I’ll be gathering with a group of fellow readers and writers. We’ll be celebrating National Reading Month as well as Read Across America week in an event sponsored by the Inlandia Institute.
A small group of Inlandia authors will be discussing the books that made us for this celebration. This is serendipitous because earlier this week, I had an essay published on
. “Tending the Creative Attic” is about how Little Women taught me that creative time and space are worth fighting for. You can read it here:
And, yes, I will be discussing Little Women at the event.
The Inlandia Institute will also be selling books from their imprint. They will be taking preorders for my YA novel about a girl trying to escape a polygamist cult. I wanted to thank anyone there who preorders, so I made some bookmarks from fabric scraps to give as a gift with purchase. I liked the way they turned out.
I hope you are celebrating National Reading Month as well! Feel free to tell me how you are marking the occasion.
Library and Book Challenge News
New database provides book resumes to fight censorship
Oregon Senate passes anti-book-ban bill over Republican objections
The measure would prohibit banning books because the author or subjects are part of a protected class
Oscar Nominated Doc Short ‘The ABCs of Book Banning' Available for Free on YouTube
Some Virginia lawmakers seek to limit book bans in school libraries
Democrats propose tweaks to parental notification law, citing censorship concerns
Hicks: Dorchester 2 asked to purge the shelves ... again. So it goes.
There were a bunch of people — many of them with no children in the district — urging the board to purge the district's libraries of books that will cause the decline of moral society.
Again.
Dorchester 2, like many other districts in South Carolina, has been asked to discard many of these books before. How many times do we need to go through this?
Apparently, every time a random person with an internet connection decides to pile more work on our schools.
Another Downside Of Book Bans? They Stunt Reading Ability
Studies show that “if (students) are given access to texts in which they see themselves reflected, that they will not only want to read, but they will develop a love of reading.”
But “the access and availability of culturally relevant, rich texts are not happening in a lot of schools,” Socol says. “And that is disproportionately affecting the fundamental reading skills of many students of color.”
States Try To Strip Sex From Literature in Libraries, Schools
A roundup of book battles and the laws being created to control them in various states.
What I’m Reading
I just finished Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng. Loved the librarian element in this dystopian future.
I started This American Ex-wife by Lyz Lenz.
Oh I get so mad with all the book banning! I feel so sad that these people are so narrow minded. This is just another attempt to control people. Read banned books!
I’m reading maybe too many books at one time. I’ll keep going though. That’s how I’m celebrating.
Thank you so much for the resources and information about book bans. I've been intentional about learning more, and your links are such a help.
Congratulations on your essay in Books That Made Us! I'm planning to pitch something soon!
Also, I looooooved Our Missing Hearts. So disturbing and powerful.