Saturday, September 25, 2010

September 25−October 2, 2010

Banned Books Week Proclamation
From the American Library Association

WHEREAS, the freedom to read is essential to our democracy, and reading is among our greatest freedoms; and
WHEREAS, privacy is essential to the exercise of that freedom, and the right to privacy is the right to open inquiry without having the subject of one's interest examined or scrutinized by others; and
WHEREAS, the freedom to read is protected by our Constitution; and
WHEREAS some individuals, groups, and public authorities work to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label "controversial" views, to distribute lists of "objectionable" books or authors, and to purge libraries of materials reflecting the diversity of society; and
WHEREAS, both governmental intimidation and the fear of censorship cause authors who seek to avoid controversy to practice self-censorship, thus limiting our access to new ideas; and
WHEREAS, every silencing of a heresy, every enforcement of an orthodoxy, diminishes the toughness and resilience of American society and leaves it less able to deal with controversy and difference; and
WHEREAS, Americans still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression, and can be trusted to exercise critical judgment, to recognize propaganda and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe, and to exercise the responsibilities that accompany this freedom; and
WHEREAS, intellectual freedom is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture; and
WHEREAS, conformity limits the range and variety of inquiry and expression on which our democracy and our culture depend; and
WHEREAS, the American Library Association's Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year as a reminder to Americans not to take their precious freedom for granted; and
WHEREAS, Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one's opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them.


For more information, go to the American Library Association website.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Did anyone else love The Tudors series from Showtime? I thought the show did an excellent job of portraying the world of Henry VIII. Although Henry was an authoritative and powerful diplomat with a roving eye and a penchant for chopping off heads, he was also charming, amiable, seductive and terribly charismatic. But overall, women and children definitely got the short end of the stick.

Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir is a historical fiction about a young woman in the Tudor dynasty forced onto the throne for nine days. Lady Jane Grey had a strict upbringing by a highly disciplinarian mother and overly ambitious father. Educated and groomed to be the wife of King Edward VI, Jane was ordered to become queen when Edward died, essentially to prevent Henry's daughter Mary from taking over. Only fifteen years old, Jane did her best to rule with intelligence and benevolence, but was usurped from power nine days later by Mary and her followers. Jane became the scape goat for those who had pushed her to the top of the ladder, but her fate was her own choice- she stayed true to her beliefs. 


If you like Innocent Traitor, Alison Weir has written many other fiction and non-fiction books set in Tudor England. You can get them at the library!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

NKY One Book One Community Begins!!!


Be part of the biggest reading event in Northern Kentucky!
Northern Kentucky One Book One Community is an annual community-wide reading series built around the shared experience of people reading and talking about the same book.

This year's excellent choice is A Pearl in the Storm : How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean by Tori  Murden McClure. Tori began rowing across the Atlantic Ocean solo in a 23-foot plywood boat without motor or sail. Within days she lost all communication. She decided to forge ahead — not knowing that 1998 would become the worst hurricane season on record in the North Atlantic!




Join us Wednesday, September 8th at 7pm for A Party Before the Storm
Celebrate the kickoff to our fourth annual NKY One Book One Community series with a free party at your Library! Join us for live Caribbean music, themed hors d’oeuvres and goodies, and to socialize with other readers. Learn about our author and her amazing journey by visiting the touring exhibit. Be the first to check out A Pearl in the Storm, and enter to win your own copy.
  
*Location: Erlanger Branch, 401 Kenton Lands Road