Banned Book of the Day: the Harry Potter series

Book burning!  Setting books on fire is a sure way to make a statement - just ask Pastor Terry Jones in Gainesville, FL.  But the Qu'ran isn't the only book that barely escaped the flames this past decade in America- did you know that in 2001, the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling was nearly set ablaze in a small town in Maine?  The fire department swept in to save the day - only to see the books get chopped up with scissors.

Why so much rage over such a popular, well-loved book?  For the parents of Lewiston, Maine, the answer was clear: Harry Potter was promoting witchcraft and devil worship.

Lewiston isn't the only town to object to Harry Potter.  The series faced challenges in schools across the country - some successful, and some not.

The argument to kick England's favorite wizard out of American schools is one we hear again and again in book challenges: Protect the children! These parents are asking libraries to be gatekeepers, monitoring what people read.

What do you think?  Should librarians guard what information comes in and out of the library?  Or should parents - not librarians - be responsible for what they want their kids to read?

Book Review: The Blessing by Jude Deveraux

Reviewed by Jennifer Turner
Score: 3.5/5

Background information:  Amy is a poor but proud widow and single mother living in a small town in Kentucky.  Jason Wilding is a millionaire who lived in the town as a child.  Jason's brother, David, tricks him into returning to the town.  David is in love with Amy, but Amy is so busy with her infant son, Max, that she will not date.  David cons Jason into being a short term live-in nanny for Max.

Review: From a rating of five stars, this book would be 3.5 out of 5.  The book was good reading material.  The story captures you right in the beginning; the humor and romance captivate your attention.  Jason pretending to be gay while being attracted to Amy is too amusing.  Amy may live in poverty and with the pride of ten men, but her character is someone you can relate to with her simple pleasure of receiving simple things and working hard to earn what she wants.  Jason may have worked to gain what he earned, but with time he became too comfortable in his money, assuming everything can be bought to make someone happy.  The story is simple, sweet, and bittersweet in ways.  If you are a hopeless romantic thinking a woman will meet her knight in armor, I'm sorry to say it does not quite go that way.  The book has its own modern twist of two lovers separated between lies, pride and love.  But happily, it finally comes to a Cinderella-meets-prince ending.

Check it out: You can find this book at the Flint Campus, listed under FIC DEVE.
Are you a student at another campus, but still want to check it out?  Fill out an Interlibrary Loan Form to have the book sent to you!


Interested in writing a book review for the library blog?  Contact Teresa Nesbitt at tnesbitt@sctech.edu for more information!

Test your Banned Books knowledge!

What makes To Kill a Mockingbird such a controversial book?  And which Roald Dahl books have made the top 100 banned books list?

Know the answer to these questions, or curious to find out?  Take this quick 9 question banned books quiz!  You can also win a 20% discount at Books-A-Million or Bookland by printing out your quiz score and bringing it to the library front desk.

Channel 1 Banned Books Quiz

Banned Books Week: September 24-October 1

Where's Waldo.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  The Bible.  Gone with the Wind.  The Odyssey.

What do all of these books have in common?

At some point in their history, all of these books have been challenged, censored or banned - some of them for the strangest reasons.  Even the dictionary hasn't escaped getting banned!

On its surface, censorship may seem like a simple, straightforward issue - why would anyone want to ban A Very Hungry Caterpillar? - but arguments for and against the freedom to read can be very complex, ranging from protective parents to restrictive governments to concerns about racism.

In celebration of Banned Books Week, from September 24 - October 1 the SCTC Libraries will be tackling some of the difficult questions surrounding censorship and book banning.  Keep an eye on the SCTC Library Facebook page and the blog as we look at different banned books, talk about why they were censored, and think about whether libraries should defend the public's freedom to read or work as gatekeepers to control and limit 'dangerous' information.

What do you think?  Do you have any opinions about censoring books, or have you ever seen a book in a library that you really think didn't belong there?  Start a discussion in the comments section!

September Book Club meeting: The Help

The new SCTC book club is kicking off its first semester with the book that inspired a movie with the same title - The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

The book follows three women from Jackson, Mississippi in 1962 as they join forces on a dangerous project to expose the hypocrisy, racism and abuse they endure in their town.  Set against the larger backdrop of the civil rights movement, the book narrows its focus to domestic spaces and how racism impacted  the lives of working African American women in the sixties.  You can find reviews and a more in-depth summary of the book here on Goodreads.

Interested in reading and discussing this book?  Come to the book club meeting for discussion, new officer elections and free coffee!
Where:  The SCTC Library
When:  Thursday, September 22 at 5.00 PM


Need to get a copy of the book?  Ask an SCTC librarian for a voucher that will get you 20% off a copy of The Help at Books-a-million or Bookland.

We hope to see you there!

Groupon: College Scholarships of the future?

If you've ever used Groupon, you know that it's a fantastic way to find local discounts and deals on restaurants and supplies.  What you may not know, though is that one Chicago university is now using Groupon to give away 60% discounts on tuition.

According to this article on Mashable, National Louis University is trying to attract students to its graduate teaching program with this deal, which cuts tuition for student teachers from $2,232 to $950.  The offer goes live today and is open to 25 lucky graduate candidates, so don't be surprised if Groupon is a little slow today.

What do you think?  Is this just a marketing gimmick to get the university's name out there, or do you think this could set a trend for other colleges and universities in the future?

DC Comics Reset Series Back to Issue 1

"Starting on Wednesday, the publisher is resetting all 52 of its continuing series, including venerable titles like Action Comics and Detective Comics that introduced Superman and Batman in the 1930s, at issue No. 1, and using the opportunity to revise or jettison decades of continuity in the heroes’ fictional lives."

How do you feel about your favorite story lines starting over?

NY Times Book Blog Article

NPR Interview with Jim Lee, co-publisher of DC Entertainment/DC Comics