2013-14 danger: books!
Study Guide
Content by Katie McKellar, Natasha Ransom, and Gail Sehlhorst
Illustration by Jed Dunkerley
Special Thanks to Seattle Public Library
How To Use This Study Guide The Danger: Books! program explores the First Amendment through the issue of banning and challenging books. In this study guide you will find:
Introduction
Information on Danger: Books! and Book-It’s Arts and Education Program
Discussion Topics
Questions and facts to prepare your students for the program
classroom activity
“Challenge Your Own Text,” a step-by-step guide to hold a challenge hearing with a book from class
book summaries
Informational pages for each of the selections being performed with background on the text, the controversy, and the author
Design by Shannon Erickson. Study Guide © 2013 Book-It Repertory Theatre. No parts of this guide may be reproduced without express permission.
introduction to danger: books! The Danger: Books! program is a series of readings from books that have been banned or challenged in the United States. The chosen selections demonstrate some of the reasons these books have been banned or challenged. This program is a celebration of the First Amendment, specifically, the freedom of speech. The focus of this program is on why books are banned and challenged. The actors read the selections in the Book-It StyleTM with a lengthy discussion following.
introduction to book-it Repertory Theatre’s Arts & Education Program Book-It’s Arts and Education Program is dedicated to inspiring people of all ages to read. We tour a diverse range of stories to schools, libraries, and community venues throughout Washington state, conduct long-term residencies in schools, offer teacher professional development, and present low-cost student matinees of our mainstage shows. What you will see and hear at a Book-It performance is literature spoken by the characters as if it were dialogue in a play. The unique Book-It Style preserves the author’s voice by speaking both narrative and character dialogue—including the “he said’s” and “she said’s.” Book-It takes the written word back to its roots—storytelling! Our Mission: To provide an interactive relationship between youth and literature through diverse theatrical productions and educational programs that promote the joy of reading, enhance student and teacher learning, and inspire the imagination.
Kelly Kitchens, John Ulman, Shermona Mitchell, Jose Abaoag in Danger: Books! Photo by Chris Bennion.
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pre-show
discussion topics
The first amendment “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/intfreedom/censorshipfirstamendmentissues/index.cfm
banned books vs. challenged books A Challenge Anyone can challenge a book. The challenge process begins when someone objects to materials in a school library or public library collection. Once a book is formally challenged, it is taken off the shelf and reviewed by a committee, which may be comprised of librarians, parents, library users, board members, and teachers. Each individual library will determine whether the challenged book is made available to patrons of the library until a decision is reached. A Ban A book that is banned is taken off the shelves forever—or until someone contests the ruling. Top reasons for books to be challenged or banned: - sexual content - offensive language - unsuitable for specific age groups - witchcraft, Satanism, and the occult
discussion questions 1. How do you react when you read material that includes any of these top reasons? 2. How do you feel about censoring books? 3. Is censorship ever appropriate? 4. Have you ever been hurt and/or offended by something you have read in a book? 5. Are racist remarks acceptable to represent a character’s point of view? 6. Are racist remarks acceptable to represent a historical time period? 7. Do situations written in books serve to encourage or discourage behaviors? For more information on banning and challenging check out these websites: - - - -
Washington State ACLU www.aclu.org/Affliates/SubsiteDetail.cfm?Subsite=Washington The Freedom to Read Foundation www.ftrf.org Banned Books Week www.ala.org/bbooks Intellectual Freedom Issue www.ala.org/oif/ifissues
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post show
classroom activity
challenge your own text After the show, put a text of your choosing on trial. Use the American Library Association website to learn more about how a challenge hearing works, and see if you would ban your book. www.ala.org/bbooks/challengedmaterials/support/hearing
procedure for a classroom challenge hearing Day One 1. Identify the text to be questioned. Choose a book the class has read or is currently reading. 2. Read “Conducting a Challenge Hearing.” 3. Choose three or five students to be the Judge panel (use an uneven number to avoid a tie), then divide the rest of the class into two groups. 4. Assign the groups’ positions: one group wants the specific book banned, the other group does not want the book banned. Day Two 5. Present the following time schedule. This schedule fits a 50 minute class period. 15 minutes: 10 minutes: 5 minutes: 6 minutes: 3 minutes: 4 minutes: 3 minutes: 2 minutes:
Students prepare by searching the text to support their position. Each group has 5 minutes to present their opening argument; the group listening should take notes to prepare for their opposing argument. Students confer and gather information to argue the opposing points. Each group has 3 minutes to present a rebuttal argument. Students prepare a summation; pre-assign group members to be writing notes throughout the entire argument session, highlighting weaknesses of the opposition and strengths of their own side. Each group has 2 minutes to present their final argument. The Judge panel discusses the case using notes from each group’s case. The Judge panel presents their opinion that is supported with an explanation of the topics and their implications; the verdict is revealed.
Use these websites as resources and learn more about actual cases that deal with banning and challenging:
- Notable First Amendments Court Cases www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/firstamendment/courtcases/courtcases.cfm
- Status of Recent Cases http://www.ftrf.org/?page=Current_Cases - Challenges to Books and Library Materials www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/challengesupport/dealing/default.cfm
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book summary
alice on the outside
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Recommended Age: Middle School
the text
The eleventh book in the Alice series shows Alice as she learns the complications of relationships. She realizes that friends can develop different interests and sometimes grow apart, and romantic relationships can be complex and difficult to understand. Over the course of the story, Alice learns that her individuality is what matters most. Selection for the staged reading: Chapter 7: “Lori Haynes” In this chapter, Alice’s new friend Lori reveals that she likes girls and has no interest in boys, something that Lori hasn’t even told her own parents. Alice chooses to welcome Lori’s friendship and stand by her even after Lori confesses her romantic feelings for Alice.
the controversy
Many of the books in the Alice series have been banned or challenged multiple times for having “inappropriate language and sexual content.” Alice on the Outside is no exception. The book has received several challenges and is currently banned at Goliad Elementary in Texas for “profanity, sexual content, or nudity.” The series made the second place spot in Most Banned Books from 2000-2009. Naylor has received multiple angry letters from parents for exposing their children to such words as “condom,” “penis,” and “vagina.” Naylor’s response to such reactions, “Whenever I hear comments like these, my heart goes out to their children. Often, when word gets out that a book has been banned from a library, it merely increases sales, people rush out to buy it and see what was so offensive.”
the author
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor was born January 4, 1933, in Anderson, Indiana, to a strongly religious family with conservative, mid-western values. Though she grew up during the Depression without a lot of money, Naylor never felt poor because her family owned good books. When Naylor was sixteen she began writing stories and poems for a church paper. Encouraged, she decided to sell short stories to widely read magazines. Naylor married in 1960 and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from American University. She began a family and wrote a column for teenagers that would continue for twenty-five years. In 1965 she published her first book, a short story collection called The Galloping Goat and Other Stories. Since then, Naylor has published over 138 books. Her children’s book, Shiloh, was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1992. She lives in Bethesda, Maryland with her husband and two cats.
Sources:
www.examiner.com/list/the-top-10-challenged-banned-books-from-2000-2009-a-look-at-a-decade/alice-series-by-phyllis-reynolds-naylor www.alicemckinley.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/banned-books www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=bbwlinks&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=164710 www.bannedbookstx.org/the-problem/a-closer-look-at-texas www.btsb.com/btsb.asp?tab=library&line1=showcase&line2=past&body=/library/showcase/past/past.asp Alice on the Outside by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Adapted by Laura Ferri for Book-It Repertory Theatre. Copyright © 1999 by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Used by permission of John Hawkins & Associates, Inc.
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book summary
Fallen Angels
by Walter Dean Myers Recommended Age: Middle/High School
the text
From the mean streets of Harlem to the rice paddies and jungles of Vietnam, Walter Dean Myers’s critically acclaimed book Fallen Angels is the riveting account of one soldier’s tour of duty. An ode to the power of friendship even in the midst of unspeakable horrors, Fallen Angels follows a young draftee named Perry through a tour of duty in Vietnam where he learns to rely on his buddies and his own will to survive. Selection for the staged reading: Chapter 7 In this chapter, Perry joins another squadron and is sent on a reconnaissance mission. Startled by gunfire, the unit counter attacks with mortar and napalm only to discover that they have assaulted another American platoon in a case of “friendly-fire.”
the controversy
A group called “Parents Against Bad Books in Schools” challenged Fallen Angels along with 17 other titles in the Fairfax County, Virginia elementary and secondary libraries in 2002. The group argued that the books “contain profanity, descriptions of drug abuse, and sexually explicit conduct and torture.” Fallen Angels was one of the American Library Association’s ten most challenged books of 2004. Walter Dean Myers was one of the ten most challenged authors in 2003. As recently as 2009, Fallen Angels has been challenged in Duplin County, North Carolina, citing the book “is littered with hundreds of expletives, including racial epithets, and slang terms for homosexuals.” Parents requested that children would need “parental permission” to read the book.
the author
Walter Dean Myers was born in West Virginia in 1937, but spent most of his childhood in Harlem where he was raised by foster parents. His struggle with a speech impediment inspired him to write poetry and short stories. In 1954, Myers quit high school and joined the army. After his release, he worked at odd jobs and wrote everything from adventure stories to advertisements. His career took off when he won a contest sponsored by the Council on Interracial Books for Children for his book Where Does a Day Go? Since then, Myers has supported himself and his family with his prolific writing career. He has written over 80 books for children and young adults including Sunrise Over Fallujah, Monster, Somewhere in the Darkness, Slam!, Jazz, and Harlem. Myers has received two Newbery Honors, five Coretta Scott King Awards, and was the inaugural recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. Myers currently enjoys volunteering at schools in Jersey City where he lives with his wife Constance. Sources:
Banned Books. By Robert P. Doyle www.theindychannel.com/education/2626073/detail.html www.teenreads.com/reviews/0590409433.asp www.muwww-new.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/books/fallenangels.asp www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/myers.html www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/walter-dean-myers Fallen Angels, Copyright ©1988 by Walter Dean Myers. Adapted by Laura Ferri for Book-It Repertory Theatre. Used by permission of Miriam Altshuler Literary Agency. All rights reserved.
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book summary
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain Recommended Age: Middle/High School
the text
Running away from an abusive father, Huckleberry Finn fakes his own death and heads down the Mississippi River. He joins forces with another runaway, Jim, a slave. Together, the two journey on a voyage that tests both their physical skill and their friendship. Selection for the staged reading: Chapters 15 In this chapter, Huck plays a trick on Jim and learns an important lesson about the true meaning of friendship.
the controversy
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has a long history of controversy. When it was first published in 1884, the book was considered “obscene” and “filthy” because it portrayed a friendship between a white boy and a black man. Today, the book is challenged and banned because of its racial language. In 2003 a Renton, Washington student and her grandmother asked for the book to be removed from the English curriculum for its “offensive language.” Two curriculum committees reviewed the request and suspended the reading of the book during review. The panel decided to keep the novel in the 11th grade curriculum supported with specific teaching procedures. In response to the racial language, a new version of the book was published in 2011 replacing the “N-word” with “slave,” “injun” with “Indian,” and “half-breed” with “half-blood.” This censored text is titled, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn: The NewSouth Edition Edited by Alan Gribben.
the author
Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910) is an American icon. He has been praised as the “greatest American humorist of his age,” and Ernest Hemingway declared that, “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.” His works range from the depiction of mischievous boyhood in Adventures of Tom Sawyer to the wounds of racism in America in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson. Although he first began to wear his famous white suit in public in 1906, just a few years before his death, that is the most familiar image of Twain. He was—still is—the cigar-smoking humorist-sage whose very name inspires smiles. Twain’s life and career were more varied and complex than most people realize. He was a printer and journalist, steamboat pilot, gold and silver miner, a newspaper editor, author, and publisher. He was deeply involved in American political and cultural issues, and an active participant in several anti-imperialist movements.
Sources:
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventures_of_Huckleberry_Finn www.ncteamericancollection.org/awg_twain_mark.htm www.idid.essortment.com/marktwainsamue_rhgm.htm www.etext.lib.virginia.edu/railton/index2.html www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1344192/Huckleberry-Finn-removes-N-word-Political-correctness-takes-Mark-Twains-classic.html Adapted by Laura Ferri for Book-It Repertory Theatre.
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book summary
Snow Falling On Cedars
by David Guterson Recommended Age: High School
the text
It is the winter of 1954, about ten years after World War II. On San Piedro Island, a fictional island set in Puget Sound in Washington, a Japanese-American is facing the charge of first-degree murder. Kabuo Miyamoto is on trial for the death of Carl Heine, a fellow fisherman and his old childhood friend. The trial consumes the entire community as memories from the past are revisited—a love affair between a white boy and a Japanese girl; and land that was desired, paid for, and lost. San Piedro is haunted by the memory of what happened to its Japanese residents during World War II, when the entire community was exiled to internment camps. Selection for the staged reading: Chapter 14 In this chapter, FBI agents invade the home of the Imada family in accordance with Executive Order 9066. They rifle through their personal effects and arrest the father, Hisao.
the controversy
Snow Falling on Cedars has been frequently challenged, banned, or restricted in several school systems in the United States for profanity and sexual content. It is number 33 on the American Library Association’s list of “Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009.” In 2001, despite strong efforts by a local ACLU chapter, the novel was restricted in the South Kitsap School District after complaints about sexual content and profanity. It has been banned from the curriculum in Boerne, Texas after complaints about racial epithets and sexually graphic passages. In 2004, it was challenged but later retained in the advanced English classes in Modesto, California.
the author
David Guterson was born in Seattle in 1956. His father, Murray Guterson, is a distinguished criminal defense lawyer who influenced him, “One of the things I heard [from him] early on was to find something you love to do—before you think about money or anything else. The other thing was to do something that you feel has a positive impact on the world.” Guterson received his M.A. from the University of Washington. It was there that he developed his ideas about the moral function of literature. Guterson once said, “Fiction writers shouldn’t dictate to people what their morality should be. Yet not enough writers are presenting moral questions for reflection, which I think is a very important obligation.” After moving to Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound, Guterson taught English at the local high school and began writing journalism for Sports Illustrated and Harper’s magazine. Snow Falling on Cedars won the PEN/Faulkner Award and the American Booksellers Association Book of the Year Award.
Sources:
www.bookpage.com/9904bp/david_guterson.html www.educeth.ch/english/readinglist/gutersond www.gradesaver.com/snow-falling-on-cedars/study-guide/short-summary www.bannedbooks.world.edu/2011/11/13/banned-books-awareness-snow-falling-cedars www.randomhouse.com/vintage/read/snow/guterson.html Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson. Adapted by Laura Ferri for Book-It Repertory Theatre. Copyright © 1994 by David Guterson. Reprinted by permission of Georges Borchardt, Inc., for David Guterson.
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book summary
Twenty Boy Summer
by Sarah Ockler Recommended Age: High School
the text
Twenty Boy Summer follows two best friends on their summer vacation in California. Frankie persuades Anna to use their vacation to lose her virginity. This book takes a look at the strength of friendship and how the secrets we keep can make those friendships stronger or tear them apart. Selection for the staged reading: Chapter 5 In this chapter, we see Frankie and Anna when they first discuss their “deal” – 20 days, 20 boys, and one v-card to lose.
the controversy
In 2011, Twenty Boy Summer was banned by the school board in Republic, Missouri, which also banned Slaughterhouse-Five. The challenger, a business professor at Missouri State, claimed that Twenty Boy Summer should be banned because of the “questionable language, drunkenness, lying to parents, and a lack of remorse by the characters.” The author, Ockler, responded to the ban on her blog stating, “I get that my book isn’t appropriate for all teens, and that some parents are opposed to the content. I’ll never be ashamed of my choice to write about real issues.”
the author
Twenty Boy Summer was Sarah Ockler’s first novel and was published in 2009. Ockler has been a YASLA Teens’ “Top Ten Nominee” and “IndieNext” list picks. Ockler says that she writes young adult fiction because she, “Never really got over the torture of high school. I was never one of those ‘high school is the best time of my life’ kind of girls—I skipped senior prom to go to the Grateful Dead show.” Other works by Sarah Ockler include Fixing Delilah, Bittersweet, and The Book of Broken Hearts. Sarah lives in New York with her husband, Alex—she enjoys taking pictures, hugging trees, and road-tripping with her husband.
Sources:
www.teenreads.com/reviews/twenty-boy-summer www.sarahockler.com/2011/07/26/banned-but-never-shamed www.news-leader.com/article/20110726/NEWS04/107260366/Two-books-pulled-from-Republic-schoollibrary-shelves?nclick_check=1 www.sarahockler.com/about www.debut2009.livejournal.com/62236.html www.teenreads.com/authors/sarah-ockler Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. Adapted by Laura Ferri for Book-It Repertory Theatre. Copyright © 2009 by Sarah Ockler. Used by permission of the publisher Little, Brown and Company. All rights reserved.
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book summary
Slaughterhouse-five
by Kurt Vonnegut Recommended Age: High School
the text
Slaughterhouse-Five follows the stream of consciousness of Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. The story follows Pilgrim through all stages of his life, concentrating on his horrible experiences as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden. Selection for the staged reading: Mostly Chapter 5 In this scene, heavily adapted from Chapter 5, as well as other sections of the book, Billy travels through time. He jumps back and forth from the war to his abduction by the Tralfamadorians. He questions the idea of peace and the permanence of the moment.
the controversy
This novel has been challenged and banned as early as 1972 (three years after it was published) and as recently as 2011. Most challenges cite sexually explicit content, violent passages, sexism, and profane language. The book has been challenged or banned in cities throughout North Dakota, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Virginia, and Michigan. Most recently, the school board in Republic, Missouri voted to eliminate the book from the school curriculum and library. In response, the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library in Indianapolis gave away free copies of the book to students from the high school in Republic, Missouri.
the author
Kurt Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis in 1922 and was the youngest of three children. Personal tragedies and life experiences greatly influenced Vonnegut’s writing. During the Depression his father lost his architectural business. His mother became an alcoholic and drug addict. He was a prisoner of war during World War II and survived the brutal bombing of Dresden only because he and other POWs were housed 60 feet underground in a former meat locker and slaughterhouse. After the war, he studied at the universities of Chicago and Tennessee and began to write short stories for magazines. In 1969 he published Slaughterhouse-Five. Vonnegut was an outspoken supporter of the First Amendment, nuclear arms control, and environmental protection. In the face of many challenges and bans to Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut said “All these people talk so eloquently about getting back to good old-fashioned values… and I say let’s get back to the good old-fashioned First Amendment of the good old-fashioned Constitution of the United States—and to hell with the censors! Give me knowledge or give me death!” Kurt Vonnegut died on April 11, 2007.
Sources:
www.vonnegut.com www.amazon.com/Kurt-Vonnegut www.vonnegutlibrary.org Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Adapted by Laura Ferri for Book-It Repertory Theatre. Copyright © 1969 by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Used by permission of the Kurt Vonnegut Trust. All rights reserved.
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book summary
Where Willy Went
by Nicholas Allan Recommended Age: All
the text
Willy is a sperm living inside Mr. Browne. He and his arch-nemesis Butch train every day for the big race—a competition in which all 300 million sperm living inside of Mr. Browne race for the chance to get to Mrs. Browne’s egg first. In school, Willy is not very good at math, but he is very good at swimming. When the day of the big race rolls around, Willy puts on his swimming goggles and prepares to face his rival sperm. He swims as fast as he can and at the end of the race, Willy disappears! Nine months later, Mrs. Browne gives birth to a baby girl named Edna who grows up to be terrible at math, but very good at swimming. Selection for the staged reading: The entire picture book
the controversy
Where Willy Went was challenged at the Chandler Public Library System in Arizona for being inappropriate for its intended audience. A parent was upset by the illustration of a naked man with an arrow pointing to his genitals. The library board reviewed the book, considering moving it from the children’s section of the library to the adult section. Greg McClay, a librarian who writes on a blog called, “SHUSH: a website for the conservative librarian,” believes Where Willy Went should be banned. He wrote, “To say this picture book is completely inappropriate for its age group doesn’t even begin to describe it. Possibly a great gag gift at wedding and baby showers but that’s about it.”
the author
Nicholas Allan is an English children’s book author and illustrator who has written over 30 books for young people. He was born in Brighton, and went to Brighton College before attending the Slade School of Art to study painting. Allan has been a full time writer and illustrator since 1989 when he published The Hefty Fairy. Many of his books, including Where Willy Went, have been best-sellers in England. He is also the author of books such as The Queen’s Knickers, Demon Teddy, Cinderella’s Bum, and Jesus’ Christmas Party. Allan has won numerous awards for his books and animation, including the Children’s National Book Award for Demon Teddy, and the Sheffield Children’s Book Award for The Queen’s Knickers.
Sources:
www.nicholasallan.co.uk/about_the_author.htm www.bookshelvesofdoom.blogs.com/bookshelves_of_doom/2007/09/more-book-chall.html www.shush.ws/2005/091805_092405.htm www.amazon.com/Where-Willy-Went-Nicholas-Allan/dp/0375830308?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=119029 4390&sr=1-2 Where Willy Went by Nicholas Allan. Adapted by Laura Ferri for Book-It Repertory Theatre. Reproduced by permission of A.M. Heath and Co. on behalf of Nicholas Allan. Copyright ©2004. All rights reserved.
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