Friday, March 14, 2008

National Library Week 2008

April 14th - 19th is the 50th Anniversary of National Library Week, a time to celebrate the contributions of libraries to schools, campuses, and communities nationwide. First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is recognized by the American Library Association and libraries across the country each April.

Our Library is celebrating National Library Week with a drawing to give away celebrity posters from the Indianapolis Colts Blue Ribbon Literacy Campaign, a promotion to encourage Hoosiers of all ages to spend more time reading. Stop by the Library in room A200 to fill out an entry form.

Have libraries contributed to your success? Have you read any good books or seen any good movies from your library lately? Please share your comments below.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

American Literature

I just finished The Chocolate War, a young adult novel, by American author Robert Cormier. I actually listened to the book on CD, which is narrated by Frank Muller, but has an introduction by the author who explains how he came to write the book. His own teenage son had decided not to participate in a fund-raising candy sale at his school. Cormier says that he and his wife supported their son’s decision and that no repercussions actually happened. But, Cormier says he began to think about what COULD have happened, and the idea for The Chocolate War was born.

In the book, new student Jerry Renault refuses to participate in the annual chocolate sale at his private prep school. Although he tries to stand his ground, he suffers both physically and psychologically at the hands of cruel, intimidating bullies. And in the end, he decides that it wasn’t worth it to “disturb the universe.” The ending is hard to accept because we so desperately want the “good guys” to win, but it is in fact very true to real life. The good guys don’t always win.

Read more about Robert Cormier here: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/chocolatewar/context.html
The book was also made into a movie which I have not seen but understand that it varies from the book in some key areas but remains true to the spirit of the original text.

The Chocolate War appears on the American Library Association’s Frequently Challenged Book List at #4, just ahead of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which came in at #5. See the list here:
http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm

Please share your thoughts and opinions on this book -- or any others by American authors -- by adding a comment below.