2014-15 Danger: Books! Study Guide by Book-It Repertory Theatre

2 0 1 4 - 1 5 DA N G E R : B O O KS !

ST U DY GU I DE

DANGER: BOOKS!

A Celebration of Intellectual Freedom

Content by Katie McKellar, Natasha Ransom, and Gail Sehlhorst

Special Thanks to Seattle Public Library

Books Adapted and Directed by Laura Ferri

H OW TO U S E T H I S S T U DY G U I D E The Danger: Books! program explores the First Amendment through the issue of banning and challenging books. In this study guide you will find: I N T RO D U CT I O N Information on Danger: Books! and Book-It’s Arts and Education Program

D I S C U S S I O N TO P I C S Questions and facts to prepare your students for the program

C L A S S RO O M ACT I VI T Y “Challenge Your Own Text,” a step-by-step guide to hold a 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 Loys. Illustrations by Jed Dunkerly Pictured above: Devon Lamoreaux; photo by Chris Bennion. Study Guide © 2014 Book-It Repertory Theatre. No parts of this guide may be reproduced without express permission.

I N T RO D U CT I O N TO DA N G E R : B O O KS ! 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.

I N T RO D U CT I O N TO B O O K - I T ’ S A RT S & E D U CAT I O N P RO G R A M Book-It Repertory Theatre’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 matinées 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.

PAGE 2

PRESHOW

D I S C U S S I O N TO P I C S

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. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

How do you react when you read material that includes any of these top reasons? How do you feel about censoring books? Is censorship ever appropriate? Have you ever been hurt, offended, or bothered by something you have read in a book? Are racist remarks acceptable to represent a character’s point of view? Are racist remarks acceptable to represent a historical time period? 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

PAGE 3

P O ST S H OW

C L A S S RO O M ACT I VI T Y

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

P RO C E D U R E F O R A C L A S S RO O M CHALLENG E 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 www.ftrf.org/?page=Current_Cases • Challenges to Books and Library Materials www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/challengesupport/dealing/default.cfm

PAGE 4

B O O K S U M M A RY

The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins Recommended Age: Middle School

THE TEXT Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen is a contestant in the Hunger Games—an annual event in which 24 children from 12 districts battle to the death. This battle is televised as entertainment across post-apocalyptic North America, now known as Panem. Katniss struggles through alliances and heartbreak as she loses her friends one by one. Selection for the Staged Reading: Chapters 16-18 Rue, a 12-year-old girl from agricultural District 11, develops a friendship and alliance with Katniss. They join forces to defeat the other contestants, but their plans go awry and Rue is killed in front of Katniss.

T H E CO N T RO VE R SY The Hunger Games made the American Library Association’s list of “Top Ten Challenged Books: 2010, 2011, and 2013.” It is cited as being “sexually explicit, unsuited to age the group, anti-ethnic, anti-family, and occult/ satanic,” and containing “religious viewpoint, violence, insensitivity, and offensive language.” The book was challenged in Goffstown, New Hampshire by parents who accused the school board of “putting forth material that will totally desensitize the children to murdering other children.” The book ultimately remained in 7th and 8th grade curricula as well as the school library because the review board believed “the in-class discussions that accompanied the reading were sufficient to explain the book’s dark themes and non-violent message to students.”

THE AUTHOR Suzanne Collins has published another book series in addition to The Hunger Games, as well as several young children’s books. When The Hunger Games was first released, it rose to the top of The New York Times bestseller list where it spent more than three years. The Hunger Games is the first novel in a trilogy followed by Catching Fire and Mockingjay. There are now more than 65 million copies of the trilogy in print in the United States, it is available in 51 languages, and it is being adapted into films, of which the first two have been released. Collins’s father served in the Vietnam War, was a military historian and doctor of political science, and spent a great amount of time educating his children about military history. Collins attended Indiana University and earned an MFA in playwriting from New York University. In addition to her novels, Collins also writes for television. She and her husband have two children and live in Connecticut. Sources:

www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/magazine/mag-10collins-t.html?pagewanted=all www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Book-1/dp/0439023521 www.mediaroom.scholastic.com/node/270 www.examiner.com/article/parent-complaint-stirs-debate-about-the-hunger-games-the-classroom www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10#2007

PAGE 5

B O O K S U M M A RY

The Golden Compass

by Philip Pullman Recommended Age: Middle School

THE TEXT Lyra Belacqua is an orphan, guarded by her daemon familiar Pantalaimon—a physical manifestation of her inner self. This story follows Lyra on an adventure to find her uncle, Lord Asriel, who is researching Dust—mysterious particles that appear in the Aurora Borealis and may be a part of an alternate universe. As the adults in her world grow and more untrustworthy, Lyra begins to make terrifying discoveries in the war between scientists and a powerful religious organization called the Magisterium. Selection for the Staged Reading: Chapters 16 Lyra is spying on the staff at Bolvangar, where they are keeping kidnapped children. She overhears them discussing “intercision”—a horrific technique in which children are cut from their daemons. Lyra cries out, is discovered, and the staff pulls her out of the ceiling. She is about to be intercised from Pantalaimon, but Mrs. Coulter comes in and releases her.

T H E CO N T RO VE R SY Following the release of its movie adaptation, The Golden Compass was the fourth most challenged book on the American Library Association’s list of “Top Ten Challenged Books: 2007,” citing “religious viewpoint” and “anti-Christian message.” In 2008, the book was removed and then later returned to over 24 publicly-funded Catholic schools in Ontario, Canada, challenging the book as being “written by an atheist where the characters and text are anti-God, anti-Catholic, and anti-religion.” The Golden Compass and two other books by Pullman are now only available upon request. In response to his banning, Pullman said, “It’s a worry when anybody takes it upon themselves to dictate what people should or should not read.”

THE AUTHOR Philip Pullman has published nearly 20 books, the most well-known being the trilogy His Dark Materials, which includes The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. The Golden Compass won the prestigious Carnegie Medal and was voted the all-time “Carnegie of Carnegies.” Pullman has worked as a teacher and novelist for most of his life. He is currently writing The Book of Dust, and says, “When it’s finished, you’ll hear about it, I guarantee.” Pullman lives in North Wales with his wife. Sources:

www.goodreads.com/book/show/119322.The_Golden_Compass www.amazon.com/The-Golden-Compass-Dark-Materials/dp/0440238137 www.philip-pullman.com/about-philip-pullman/ www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10 www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/51787/Banned-Books-Week-Celebrating-30-Years-of-Liberating-Literature/#vars!panel=468020! www.foxnews.com/story/2007/11/22/canadian-catholic-school-board-bans-golden-compass/

PAGE 6

B O O K S U M M A RY

Tiger Eyes

by Judy Blume Recommended Age: Middle School

THE TEXT After the shocking murder of her father, Davey’s mother moves their family to New Mexico in order to recover. Davey becomes lost in her own intense grief and anger. With the help of her new friend, Wolf, she is able to find a way to move past sorrow and on with her life. Selection for the Staged Reading: Chapters 6 It’s Davey’s first day of high school and she is still reeling from the death of her father. None of her peers are able to understand what she’s going through. Davey begins to hyperventilate, too overwhelmed by her depression.

T H E CO N T RO VE R SY Tiger Eyes made the American Library Association’s lists of the “100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 19902000 and 2000-2009.” Challenges include “teen drinking, death, and depression.” In 2007, Tiger Eyes, along with a handful of books by other authors, was challenged at various middle and high schools in Jacksonville, Florida citing “themes such as language and sexuality.” The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, PEN American Center, and National Coalition Against Censorship co-wrote letters to principals and superintendents urging them to retain the books and to follow through on a review policy.

THE AUTHOR Judy Blume has been publishing books since the 1970s and has sold over 82 million copies of her works. In the 1980s Blume became one of many authors targeted in a mass book-banning movement. Blume has a section of her website devoted to intellectual freedom, with tools for others to combat censorship. She believes that “censorship grows out of fear, and because fear is contagious, some parents are easily swayed. Book banning satisfies their need to feel in control of their children’s lives. This fear is often disguised as moral outrage.” Blume serves on the board of the National Coalition Against Censorship, and lives with her husband on islands up and down the East Coast.

Sources:

www.tigereyesmovie.com/blog/commemorating-banned-books-week/ www.judyblume.com/censorship.php www.ncac.org/update/book-challenges-report-december-2006-december-2008/ www.ncac.org/update/joint-letter-to-duval-county-superintendent-about-objections-to-books-in-jacksonville-school-libraries/

PAGE 7

B O O K S U M M A RY

The House of the Spirits

by Isabel Allende Recommended Age: High School

THE TEXT This Latin American classic follows three generations of the Trueba family through personal and political conflict during the 20th Century in Chile. Their family shatters and rebuilds as they clash between young and old, liberal and conservative, rich and poor. The story follows the struggle of each family member to gain freedom from the chains of their oppressive family and government. Selection for the Staged Reading: Chapters 5: “The Lovers” Blanca and Pedro Tercero grow up together as great friends, despite their social and economic differences. As adults they become passionate lovers, hiding their relationship from Blanca’s disapproving family. Pedro Tercero is banished from the community for his socialist activities but continues to visit Blanca in disguise.

T H E CO N T RO VE R SY The House of the Spirits made the American Library Association’s lists of the “100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 1990-1999” and the “Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009.” The book has been challenged twice in California for being “immoral and sexually depraved.” Both times, the book remained in school libraries. In October 2013, a parent in Watauga County, North Carolina submitted a complaint that the book was “too graphic and too violent” for her sophomore to be studying in class. In February 2014, the Watauga County school board voted 3-2 to keep the book in the curriculum with the option of studying a different book for class if The House of the Spirits made an individual uncomfortable.

THE AUTHOR Isabel Allende has published 20 works in 35 languages and has received 14 international honorary doctorates. The House of the Spirits was Allende’s first published work. When the book was challenged in North Carolina, Allende sent the school board a copy of the book and a letter in which she said, “I don’t think that young adults will be particularly offended by the strong scenes from The House of the Spirits which are always part of the historical and political content of the novel.” In addition to her literary triumphs, Allende established the “Isabel Allende Foundation”, which is devoted to the empowerment and protection of girls and women.

Sources:

www.amazon.com/House-Spirits-Novel-Isabel-Allende/dp/0553383809/ www.ala.org/bbooks/100-most-frequently-challenged-books-1990%E2%80%931999 www.ala.org/bbooks/top-100-bannedchallenged-books-2000-2009

PAGE 8

B O O K S U M M A RY

Looking for Alaska

by John Green Recommended Age: High School

THE TEXT Miles (A.K.A. Pudge), a 15-year-old boy, is bored by his safe life in Florida and seeks adventure and excitement by going to a private boarding school in Alabama. There he meets a group of peers that are anything but safe and boring. In this group is Alaska Young, a beautiful and wild girl with whom Pudge quickly falls in love. This story follows the adventure that life, love, and sorrow create for Pudge. Selection for the Staged Reading: three days before Pudge and his friend Takumi run through the school grounds lighting firecrackers as a distraction while the rest of his friends play an elaborate prank on the school’s rich kids. After the prank is complete, the group of teenagers sits around sharing bottles of wine, hoping they won’t get caught.

T H E CO N T RO VE R SY Looking for Alaska was seventh on the American Library Association’s list of the “100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 2012.” In 2008 parents in Depew, New York challenged the book, citing it as pornographic and not suited to be part of the 11th-grade English curriculum. In response, Green posted a YouTube video titled: “I Am Not A Pornographer.” In the video he calls for his viewers to attend the school board meeting and write letters in support of the book. The school board voted unanimously to keep the book. In 2013, Sumner County became the second county in Tennessee to ban the book. The bans arose after a bill had been passed in the Tennessee legislature stating, “Teachers cannot encourage ‘gateway sexual activity’ as part of the state’s abstinence-based education movement.”

THE AUTHOR John Green has published five books for young adults in more than 12 languages. Looking for Alaska was Green’s first published novel and won the Michael L. Printz Award from the American Library Association. In addition to being an author, Green has an online presence through his YouTube channel “vlogbrothers” where he encourages his followers to fight for intellectual freedom. Green lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife.

Sources:

PAGE 9

B O O K S U M M A RY

The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini Recommended Age: High School

THE TEXT Beginning in Kabul, Afghanistan, The Kite Runner follows Amir throughout his life and the unlikely friendship he develops with Hassan, the son of Amir’s father’s servant. Amir makes selfish and cowardly decisions that he struggles to make amends for his entire life. This book focuses on the vast inequities and violence between the classes and cultures in Afghanistan. Selection for the Staged Reading: Chapter 7 Hassan is brutally raped by another boy, Assef, while Amir stands by and watches from the shadows rather than exposing himself and stopping the violence.

T H E CO N T RO VE R SY The Kite Runner was ninth on the American Library Association’s list of the “Top Ten Challenged Books: 2008” and sixth on the “Top Ten Challenged Books: 2012.” It is challenged for its “homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexual explicitness, and unsuitability to age group.” The book has been challenged all over the United States, including Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Florida, Illinois, and North Carolina. In Florida, when a parent challenged the book, students voiced their rights saying that the book reflects “the real world. This is what goes on in other countries and it really opens your eyes with the war.” The book was retained in Florida, but removed in Illinois the same year when it was cited for similar challenges.

THE AUTHOR Dr. Khaled Hosseini has written two other novels, and together with The Kite Runner he has sold more than 48 million copies of the books worldwide. The Kite Runner has been published in over 40 languages, is an international bestseller, and spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1965 and has four younger siblings. While growing up, the Hosseinis lived in several countries and finally landed in the United States in 1980 when it became too dangerous to return to their home in Afghanistan. Hosseini wrote The Kite Runner while practicing medicine as a doctor in California, and it was published soon after the overthrow of the Taliban. Hosseini hopes that his writing will “spark an overdue dialogue among his fellow countrymen.” In 2006 he was named a goodwill envoy to the United Nations Refugee Agency. He lives in northern California with his wife and two children. Sources:

www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/hos0bio-1 www.khaledhosseini.com/biography www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/books/kiterunner.asp www.shmoop.com/kite-runner/summary.html www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/34607049.html

PAGE 10

B O O K S U M M A RY

In Our Mothers’ House

by Patricia Polacco Recommended Age: All

THE TEXT Marmee, Meema, and the kids are just like any other family on the block. In their big, warm house, they cook dinner together, laugh together, and dance together. But one family in the neighborhood doesn’t accept them. They say they are different, “How can a family have two moms and no dad?” Marmee and Meema’s house is full of love. They teach their children that different doesn’t mean wrong—no matter how many moms or dads they have, they are everything a family is meant to be. Selection for the Staged Reading: The entire picture book

T H E CO N T RO VE R SY The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas reported that In Our Mothers’ House was banned by the state’s school districts in 2011, however it did not include reasons why. In 2012, the book was removed from the shelves of elementary school libraries in Davis County, Utah after a group of parents raised objections about the suitability of the story. It remained available only if a student presented a permission slip from a parent to check out the book. A parent then sued the Davis School District alleging her children’s First Amendment rights were violated by the book’s removal. The book was reinstated without restrictions and the school district agreed to pay $15,000 in attorneys’ fees for the lawsuit brought by the National American Civil Liberties Union.

THE AUTHOR Patricia Polacco has written over 50 children’s books and has won many literary awards including the Author’s Hall of Fame, the Golden Kite, and Parent’s Choice Honors. Polacco travels all over the country to schools speaking and visiting with students. Over the years, she has met many children with parents like Marmee and Meema. She decided to write In Our Mothers’ House after witnessing a 4th-grade girl with lesbian parents and adopted siblings being told by a parent volunteer, “You don’t come from a real family.” Polacco saw a need for books that celebrate, honor, and tell the stories of same-sex parents. Polacco graduated with a Master’s degree in fine arts and a Ph.D. in art history from Ohio State University. She is the mother of two grown children and lives on her grandparent’s farm in Union City, Michigan.

Sources:

www.patriciapolacco.com www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/books/inourmothershouse.asp www.slj.com/2012/11/censorship/aclu-files-suit-against-utah-school-district-for-removing-polaccos-our-mothers-house-fromgeneral-circulation/#_ www.blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2011/09/this_years_banned_books_of_tex.php

PAGE 11