I'll be posting my actual review of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson soon, but I wanted to share a few of the links from fellow bloggers who are shouting out about this Wesley Scroggins mess. I posted some of my thoughts, but I still fume about it every time I think about it. There's so much to be said on this topic, and most of it has been said at one point or another by different bloggers and authors from all over.
So, here is a list compiled by Natalie at Mindful Musings. I can only imagine how much time and effort went into contacting everyone and gathering all this information, and I thank her for it, because it makes it so much easier to find.
Bloggers Speak Out is a movement sparked by the recent article, "Filthy Books Demeaning to Republic Education " by Dr. Wesley Scroggins that was published in the Springfield, MO News-Leader on September 18th. In this article, Scroggins vehemently advocates the censorship of books in schools, and specifically requests that the following books be removed from the Republic school system: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler, and Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. To show our support of these authors and to fight against book banning and censorship, we have decided to take action and speak out.
Below is a list of links of bloggers speaking out against book banning and censorship--in the form of giveaways, posts, and reviews. Some are "officially" participating in what we're calling Bloggers Speak Out, and others are posts that we've found around the blogosphere. If you get time, you should definitely check them out!
Giveaways of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
**All giveaways will end on 10/3, unless otherwise noted**
Papercut Reviews Braintasia Books Escape through the Pages Tina's Book Reviews Sea of Pages Mrs. Deraps Reads Moonlight Book Reviews Cari's Book Blog Just Your Typical Book Blog For What It's Worth Wondrous Reads (Ends 9/27) Frankie Writes (Ends?) The Elliot Review (Ends?) The Bookologist (Ends?) La Femme Readers
Other Giveaways
**All giveaways will end on 10/3, unless otherwise noted**
-Lisa Schroeder: ARC of The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney (Ends 9/23) -Will Write for Cake: Win Speak, Twenty Boy Summer, or Slaughterhouse Five -Mindful Musings (here): Win Speak, Twenty Boy Summer, or Slaughterhouse Five -Teens Read and Write: Win The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian -Mundie Moms: Win Speak, Burned, Twenty Boy Summer, or The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Ends 9/26) -Wicked Awesome Books: Win a "Filthy Books" Prize Pack -Carol's Prints: Win Speak and The Mockingbirds -Myra McEntire: Win Speak, Twenty Boy Summer, or Harry Potter -The Bookish Type: Win Speak or Twenty Boy Summer -Bea's Book Nook: Win Speak & an ALA Challenged Book (Ends 10/2) -Sarah Ockler: Win a Wesley Scroggins Filthy Books Prize Pack (Ends 10/1)
Other Posts Against Book Banning and Censorship
Braintasia Books Escape Through the Pages As Told by Jen Aine's Realm The Compulsive Reader Once Upon a Bookcase Daily Dose Speak Loudly Book Drop @ Late Bloomer Online A Life Bound by Books Red House Books Frankie Writes Michelle's Bookshelf I Should Be Writing The Undercover Book Lover Punk Writer Kid Lisa and Laura Write Between the Covers Another Book Junkie Jenni Elyse Eve's Fan Garden The Ultimate Dumpees Reading the Best of the Best The Pirate's Bounty Reclusive Bibliophile Book Faery Bloggers Heart Books Book Swarm Fantasy 4 Eva The Ladybug Reads The Lady Critic's Library Emilie's Book World Jacob's Beloved Just Your Typical Book Blog Maggie's Bookshelf Basically Amazing Books Novel Thoughts Random Ramblings Holes in my Brain Readligion Vision Quest Fail Shelby Barwood Supernatural Snark Consumed by Books Ann Marie Gamble The Darker Side of the Fire Katie's Book Blog Sassymonkey (BlogHer) GreenBeanTeenQueen Jessica Lei Maria Romana Abby Minard The Mimosa Stimulus Books and Things Beyond the Trestle
Authors Speak Out
Laurie Halse Anderson: This guy thinks Speak is pornographic Laurie Halse Anderson: The power of speaking loudly Author Gayle Forman @ Eve's Fan Garden Author Saundra Mitchell @ Eve's Fan Garden Karen Rivers Sarah Ockler: I Speak Loudly for Speak Sarah Ockler: On Book Banning Zealots and Ostriches Author Laura Manivong @ Page Turners Cheryl Rainfield: Fight Against Ignorance Myra McEntire: Speak Loudly: In Defense of Laurie Halse Anderson Andrea Cremer: Speak Out Natalie Standiford on Censorship @ Emily's Reading Room
Important Articles on the Subject
"Filthy Books Demeaning to Republic Education" (the article that started it all) Scroggins' Official Complaint to the School Board (PDF) "Republic School Book Choices under Fire " (Springfield News-Leader) Laurie Halse Anderson's Editiorial in the Springfield News-Leader Sarah Ockler's Editorial in the Springfield News-Leader Natalie @ Mindful Musings' Letter to the Editor in the Springfield News-Leader Essay: Kurt Vonnegut's Thoughts on the First Amendment
Thanks to everyone who has spoken out about this. It's not something that will be going away soon, but it's something that we can fight a little better every day. We can make progress. We can make a difference. Speak out, and don't ever let anyone else do your thinking for you.