Celebrate Banned Books Week 25 th Anniversary

Banned Books Week (BBW) 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.

The American Library Association (ALA) has announced the top 10 most challenged books from 2000-2005, with the Harry Potter series of books leading the pack. The 10 most challenged books of the 21st Century (2000-2005) are:

1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

2. "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier

3. Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

4. "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

5. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

6. "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers

7. "It's Perfectly Normal" by Robie Harris

8. Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz

9. Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey

10. "Forever" by Judy Blume

The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom received a total of 405 challenges last year. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. The majority of challenges are reported by public libraries, schools and school libraries.

According to Judith F. Krug, director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, the number of challenges reflects only incidents reported, and for each reported, four or five likely remain unreported.

The “10 Most Challenged Books of 2005” reflect a range of themes. The books are:

• “It's Perfectly Normal” for homosexuality, nudity, sex education, religious viewpoint, abortion and being unsuited to age group;
• “Forever” by Judy Blume for sexual content and offensive language;
• “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger for sexual content, offensive language and being unsuited to age group;
• “The Chocolate War” by Robert Cormier for sexual content and offensive language;
• “Whale Talk” by Chris Crutcher for racism and offensive language;
• “Detour for Emmy” by Marilyn Reynolds for sexual content;
• “What My Mother Doesn't Know” by Sonya Sones for sexual content and being unsuited to age group;
• Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey for anti-family content, being unsuited to age group and violence;
• “Crazy Lady!” by Jane Leslie Conly for offensive language.
• “It's So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families” by Robie H. Harris for sex education and sexual content.

Off the list this year, but on for several years past, are the Alice series of books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain.

For more information visit ALA

As some of you might already know, my 15 year old daughter met a boy on the Internet from North Dakota who ran away and came down here to Florida to see her. Well now he wants to come and visit her again in Oct. this time with his parent’s permission. His father had flown down to pick him up and had said that the next time he comes to visit that his mother would could with him. I spoke to his mother two weeks ago and she asked if he could come down this week. I said it wasn’t a good idea because I would like for my daughter to focus on school. I suggested that they wait until mid Oct. when she will have a 4 day weekend. I had assumed that she was coming with him and she asked about nearby motels. Later in the conversation she said to me, “Oh no I am not coming I have to work”.

So she is sending her 16 year old halfway across the country to people that she has never met. How is a 16 year old going to check into a motel? He doesn’t have a driver’s license and we live in a fairly rural area, there is no public transportation. So that means she expects me to drive him around, and I have enough problems of my own and I don’t want to deal with being responsible for someone else’s kid. The woman is out of her mind, she asked me if I would like to send my daughter to stay with them for awhile. At first I just said no she has school then I told her that I resented her even asking me that. Those people cannot have my daughter.

 I spoke to my daughter about this and her solution was to ask her dad if the kid could stay at his house, he lives about 45 minutes away from us. But they live in a castle and there are many rooms for them to be alone it. My ex assured me that the kid would have to sleep out in the other building, but I still think that is too close. My daughter has never even gone out on a date and I feel that this is too much too fast.

On the one hand I could just let my ex handle it, but he asked me if I thought about putting her on the pill. I said no, she is not ready for that yet, and I had a long time with her and she agreed. I trust her but isn’t it my job as a parent to protect her and not let her be put in the position to have to make that choice right now. I don’t think she should be left alone in the house with this kid. My ex is totally irresponsible, he’s an alcoholic and he is having a party that weekend, I can’t expect him to keep on eye on them while he’s partying. I started this post to ask you all for your opinion but in writing this it seems that I have already made up my mind. It’s not happening.

Yesterday my husband and I went out to Port Canaveral where we had oysters while sitting out on the deck watching the ships and boats. My husband was in the navy for 20 years and we share a love of the ocean. It was a beautiful day and after we ate we decided to drive up the road to the Tiki Bar to have a drink and listen to some music, they always have a live band on the weekends.

We had to park at the end of the parking lot so by the time we got in I was out of breath and feeling very light headed. The place was pretty crowded but I spotted a seat on a bench at the bar, but as I went to sit down the guy whose seat it was came back, but he saw that I was about to pass out so he let me have the seat, and there was still room for him to sit down next to me, while my husband stood behind me.

The guy was really nice he called the waitress over to get me some water, after I felt better I had a drink and we started talking, he was really funny and I was laughing and having a great time. He and his friend were Merchant Marines and were off duty and out getting drunk, he kept trying to get me to do some shots with him. He was a good looking guy probably around 30, and yes there was a little bit of flirting going on.

For a few hours I forgot about my illness, I felt like my old self again, no actually I felt like my young self again, the center of attention with a bunch of men around me. My husband is not the jealous type so he didn’t mind, he always feels proud to be with me when other men pay attention to me.

I had to go to the clinic this morning because I have a sore around the spot where the dialysis tube comes out of my abdomen. The doctor cauterized it and now it itches like crazy, its driving me out of my mind.

While I was there an older woman in a wheelchair was told the there was going to be at least a 30 minute wait and she said, “Okay, well I’ll go have a cigarette.” Not only was she on dialysis and in a wheelchair, but she had an oxygen tube attached to her nose. I can’t believe she still smokes. Pure oxygen is highly flammable so she would have to shut off the tank while smoking. What is wrong with people?

Anyway the weather has been beautiful for the last couple of days, so I’ve have been sitting outside reading and spending less time inside on the computer. But I plan on catching up on the happenings here on the Stream.

The other day I started wring a post about my relationship with my mother, but it brought back a lot of hurt feelings and I started to cry, so I stopped.

That night I had a dream that I was in the back seat of a car with my daughter and my mother was driving. We stopped at a red light and saw an albino Big Foot type monster stamping on a kitten, my daughter and I just stared in horror as we watched the poor little kitten's fur fly, but my mother started ranting, "Look at that, isn't that disgusting, what is wrong with that beast?" Well the beast heard her and came over and put his huge arm right through the windshield and ripped my mother's throat out. I hugged my daughter and told her to just be quiet and not look at the beast and maybe it would go away, and it did.

My mother yelled and ranted like that at me all the time, her favorite line was "what the hell is wrong with you", but I never yelled back, I guess I have a lot of pent up anger. I have forgiven her but no matter how hard I try I cannot forget.

Do you think a dream such as this one is a good way to release anger?