Banned Books Week

by Kev Alistair (USA, July 2012) The Higgs boson discovery was big news in physics this month. The particle that gives mass to other particles affects everything, including possibly––pardon the pun––the mass literary book market. The Higgs discovery announcement on July 4 (proclaimed Higgsdependence Day on Twitter) happened just a week after an ongoing literary debate concluded that the literary genre quantum fiction is real. Like the Higgs boson, it has been there all along, it’s just that...Read Full Story

The America Library Association has announced its list of the most challenged books of 2011, that is, the books that, as have been reported to them, people have most removed or attempted to remove from schools and libraries across America. The Hunger Games, which first made it to the list in 2010, has hopped up two places from 5th to 3rd place, undoubtedly because of the attention brought to it by the movie adaptation; and To Kill a Mockingbird, and A Brave New World, both a frequent visitors...Read Full Story

Every year, hundreds of books are challenged or censored by local schools and libraries. The 2011 celebration of Banned Books Week will be held from September 24 to October 1. Hundreds of libraries and bookstores across the nation will draw attention to the issue of censorship by hosting events and displays of banned books. According to the organization's website, "Banned Books Week is the only national celebration of the freedom to read. It was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge...Read Full Story

By Heather Kushnerick, Special Collections LibrarianOn October 27, 1553 Michael Servetus, a scientist and theologian, was burned at the stake with the last known copy of his heretical book, the Christianismi Restitutio, chained to his leg. Three copies of this work survived the flames and can be found today at the Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna, the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, and the library of the University of Edinburgh. While authors no longer face such extreme...Read Full Story

Zines are interactive magazines that anyone can create or edit - and this one is called "Banned Books Week". Here you can find fresh voices and respond in real time. Some members write articles about recent news and trends related to the zine's topic, others recount relevant personal stories or share their favorite pictures and video clips. Got an interesting idea or story to share with other members of this zine? Well, then put on your journalist's cap and add your own article!Read Full Story