by Beverly Ewart
9.23.21
Banned Books Week: September 26 – October 2, 2021
Best way to interest someone in a book? Tell them they are not allowed to read it.
We have some banned books on our shelves, in case you’re interested. 😉
- Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, PhD, ABPP, Marietta Collins, PhD, and Ann Hazzard, PhD, ABPP; illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin. After discussing the police shooting of a local Black man with their families, Emma and Josh know how to treat a new student who looks and speaks differently than his classmates. Publisher
- Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it’s been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: “My throat is always sore, my lips raw…. Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze…. It’s like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis.” What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors’ big end-of-summer party? Or maybe it’s because her parents’ only form of communication is Post-It notes written on their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she’s been struck mute… Publisher
- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You Written by Jason Reynolds; adapted from Stamped From the Beginning by and with an introduction from Ibram X. Kendi. The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. Racist ideas are woven into the fabric of this country, and the first step to building an antiracist America is acknowledging America’s racist past and present. This book takes you on that journey, showing how racist ideas started and were spread, and how they can be discredited. Publisher
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss’s skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister’s place. Publisher
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. A lawyer’s advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee’s classic novel — a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with rich humor and unswerving honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence, and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina and quiet heroism of one man’s struggle for justice, but the weight of history will only tolerate so much. One of the best-loved classics of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has earned many distinctions since its original publication in 1960. It has won the Pulitzer Prize, been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than forty million copies worldwide, and been made into an enormously popular movie. Publisher
DON’T FORGET:
To sign up for YOUR library card for access to banned books, online classes, audio books, ebooks, and other services right from home! Try out some of the options offered through the North Country Library System at www.ncls.org, or through our website. If you have questions, please feel free to call us.
Our hours:
- 9am – 6pm Monday through Friday
- 10am – 3pm on Saturdays
CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS: Virtual Preschool Storytime happens Wednesdays at 10:30am. Join us!
PARDON OUR DUST: Our handicap-access ramp will be closed to the public for renovation until further notice. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we think you will appreciate the improvements!
MORLEY BRANCH is open! Come see us (don’t forget your mask). Our hours are: Tuesday 1pm-3pm; Wednesday 4pm-6pm; Thursday 10am-12pm. Masks are required. There is a computer available for your use, but it’s a good idea to call first to check on availability. Scheduled appointments are encouraged, but not required. Call for more details: 315-379-0066.
Rensselaer Falls:
Rensselaer Falls Branch is open on Tuesdays from 11am – 5pm. Masks are required, and those who are under age 12 must be with an adult.
Call the library (315-344-4155) for additional information.
A great way to find out what’s happening at our Morley and Rensselaer Falls Branches is to check out their Facebook pages:
Morley: https://www.facebook.com/MorleyBranchLibrary
Rensselaer Falls: https://www.facebook.com/RensselaerFallsLibrary
For more CFL news, stay tuned on Facebook, Instagram, or our website. Find new additions to our collection on our website: cantonfreelibrary.org. To renew your current checkouts, login to ncls.org; you may also renew via email at canlib@ncls.org, or by calling (315) 386-3712 (choose option 1, “For curbside service” on the menu – we continue to offer curbside service for your convenience).
Check out a banned book @ your library!