2nd Annual Banned Books Week Giveaway: And The Winners Are?

Thanks to everyone who stopped by, left a comment, and perhaps tweeted about Banned Books week! I've gone ahead and selected my two winners and they are:

Marie Haney and Nikki Marie

Please email me at elschneider@hotmail.com with the following:

1. Full Name

2. Your top 3 banned book titles in order of your preference (in case The Book Depository is sold out).

3. Your mailing address where you'd like your book shipped

Thanks again and happy reading!

2nd Annual Banned Books Week Giveaway (International)

For as long as I'm a writer and reader, I'll always support the FREADOM to read. And I've never hidden the fact I believe that what I read, is my own decision - and not that of someone else.

So I'm proud to yet again support Banned Books Week by participating in the 2nd Annual Banned Books Week giveaway hop, hosted by the lovely ladies over at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and I Read Banned Books. 

As posted on the American Library Association website, Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. This is something the ALA has been supporting for years - in fact, this year marks their 30th anniversary of supporting the freedom to read! 

Which is a good thing, because unfortunately the list of banned books is long - and grows longer every year. And we all know some of the classics that have been included on this list:

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, by Harper Lee, 1960: Harper Lee’s great American tome stands as proof positive that the censorious impulse is alive and well in our country, even today. For some educators, the Pulitzer-prize winning book is one of the greatest texts teens can study in an American literature class. Others have called it a degrading, profane and racist work that “promotes white supremacy.”

THE SCARLET LETTER, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1850: According to many critics, Hawthorne should have been less friendly toward his main character, Hester Prynne (in fairness, so should have minister Arthur Dimmesdale). One isn’t surprised by the moralist outrage the book caused in 1852. But when, one hundred and forty years later, the book is still being banned because it is sinful and conflicts with community values, you have to raise your eyebrows. Parents in one school district called the book “pornographic and obscene” in 1977. Clearly this was before the days of the World Wide Web.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE by the late, great, Maurice Sendak, 1963: Sendak’s work is beloved by children in the generations since its publication and has captured the collective imagination. Many parents and librarians, however, did much hand-wringing over the dark and disturbing nature of the story. They also wrung their hands over the baby’s penis drawn in In the Night Kitchen.

And as posted on the BannedBooksWeek.org website, according to the ALA, there were 326 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2011 - and many more have gone unreported. And the 10 most challenged titles of 2011 were:

1. TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series), by Lauren Myracle 
   Reasons: offensive language; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
2. THE COLOR OF EARTH (series), by Kim Dong Hwa
   Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
3. THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy, by Suzanne Collins
   Reasons: anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence
4. MY MOM'S HAVING A BABY! A KID'S MONTH-BY-MONTH GUIDE TO PREGNANCY, by Dori Hillestad Butler
   Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
5. THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN, by Sherman Alexie
   Reasons: offensive language; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
6. ALICE (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
   Reasons: nudity; offensive language; religious viewpoint
7. BRAVE NEW WORLD, by Aldous Huxley
   Reasons: insensitivity; nudity; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit
8. WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW, by Sonya Sones
   Reasons: nudity; offensive language; sexually explicit
9. GOSSIP GIRL (series), by Cecily Von Ziegesar
   Reasons: drugs; offensive language; sexually explicit
10. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, by Harper Lee
    Reasons: offensive language; racism

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So to celebrate this great week, what's up for grabs you might ask? 

TWO lucky winners will each receive ONE banned or challenged book (value up to $20 USD) of their choice, from the banned or challenged list. You can find some of the titles here and here. 

The giveaway will run from Friday, September 28th - Saturday, October 6th and I'll be announcing my winners on Sunday, October 7th.

A few housekeeping rules:

PLEASE be honest with your entries. If you commit to leaving a comment - then do so! I review all entries for accuracy and honesty and reserve the right to remove any invalid entries.

1. Giveaway is International. Note: Giveaway is open to anywhere The Book Depository ships. It is your responsibility to make sure The Book Depository ships to your country. All entries for non valid ship-to countries will be void. You can confirm if The Book Depository ships to your country by going here.
2. Winners must be 13 years or older.
3. Winners must choose a banned or challenged book from off the lists I've provided above.
4. Leave a comment? That's worth +1 entry.
5. Only requirement: you need to follow me on Twitter (@erinlschneider1) to qualify. Worth +2 entries.
6. Tweet about my giveaway? Let me know and that's worth +3 more entries!
7. Total possible entries = 6.
8. +6 entries possible per person - please do not use alternative email addresses to enter again.
9. You must fill out the Rafflecopter form below, to be officially entered.
10. Winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter on Sunday, October 7, 2012 and announced here on my blog.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Remember to stop on over at I Read Banned Books and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer to check out all of the other great participants in this blog hop! 

Thanks so much for stopping by and thank you even more, for supporting Banned Books Week!

Banned Books Week Hop: And The Winners Are...

Thanks for being a part of such a fantastic book hop! Wonderful to see how many people out there are passionate about banned books (or, just really want free stuff...) - I hope you all continue to support the idea of allowing all books a rightful home on the shelves and leaving the decision to choose up to everyone!

Random.org has selected my three winners and they are:

1st Place: Yen
Prize: Yen gets to pick from either $20 in banned / challenged books from The Book Deposity prize or the $15 Amazon gift certificate.

2nd Place: Donna Smith (The Happy Booker)
Prize: Doninique will choose second, after Yen.

3rd Place: Antane Armstrong
Prize: Will receive whichever prize remains, after the first two have selected.

Please email me at elschneider@hotmail.com on which prize you've selected. As well, if you've selected to receive the $20 in banned / challenged books from The Book Depository, please send along your top 5 book choices (just in case a title isn't available), your full name and mailing address.

Thanks again to everyone who stopped by to support such a great cause!

Giveaway: Banned Books Week (International Giveaway)

As posted on the American Library Associations website, Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read, and the importance of the First Amendment - something that is all too near and dear to my heart.

The list of banned books is long - and grows longer every year. And we all know some of the classics on it:

• THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK by Anne Frank: Challenged in the Culpeper County, VA. public schools because it was believed to include sexual material and homosexual themes.
• THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger: Challenged (but retained) in the Martin County, Florida school district because of a parent's concern over inappropriate language.
• SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut: Challenged in Republic, MO. schools because it was considered "soft-pornography" and contained "glorified drinking, cursing, and premarital sex."

But in recent years, several new books (and many of my favorites!) have been challenged:

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins: The Goffstown, N.H. school board challenged this title last year, because a parent claimed it gave her eleven-year-old nightmares and could numb other students to the effects of violence.

TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler: Challenged in the Republic, MO. school district for the exact same reasons they challenged SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE. 

THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie: National Book Award Winnter, banned in Stockton, MO. school district last year because of violence, language, and some sexual content.

In an effort to recognize Banned Books week, the lovely ladies over at I Read Banned Books and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer are hosting a Banned Books Giveaway Hop, which I've decided to particpate in this year!

The giveaway will run from Saturday, September 24th - Saturday, October 1st and I'll be announcing my winners on Sunday, October 2nd.

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And what's up for grabs? I'll be giving away 3 prizes!

#1 and #2: TWO lucky winners will receive:

$20 in banned or challenged books from The Book Depository. Each of the two winners will select $20 worth of books off the banned or challenged lists - you can find some of the titles here, here, here, and here.

 

#3: One lucky winner will receive:

A $15 Amazon.com gift card to use towards a banned or challenged book.

A few housekeeping rules:

PLEASE be honest with the boxes you're checking! Don't check BOTH the old and new follower boxes - you're either one or the other! And if you check that you've left a comment - then do so! You won't get extra points by checking boxes that aren't accurate!

1. Giveaway is International. Note: Giveaway is open to anywhere the Book Depository or Amazon ships to. It is your responsibility to make sure the Book Depository or Amazon ships to your country.
2. Winners must be 13 years or older (sorry, can't be getting into trouble with any parents!).
3. You need to be a follower of my blog via Google Friend Connect to enter this contest.
4. Only ONE entry per person (please don't use alternative email addresses to enter!).
5. Fill out the form to be officially entered!
6. Winners will be chosen via Random.org on Sunday, October 2, 2011 and announced here on my blog.
7. For old followers, max number of entries is 10 (that means you follow me on Twitter, too!). For new followers (welcome!), max number of entries is 8.
8. Winners will be ranked in first, second, and third place - first place winner will have their choice of which prize they want, then second place, then third will get whichever prize is left.

And don't forget: Please visit I Read Banned Books and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer to see all 257 participants - there are tons of great prizes up for grabs!!

Coming Soon: Banned Books Week Giveaway 9/24 - 10/1

As posted on the American Library Associations website, Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read, and the importance of the First Amendment - and this year, will take place from September 24th to October 1st.

Personally, I can't even believe in this day and age, that the censorship and banning of books, still even occurs. As a writer myself, I feel everyone should have the right to read, no matter what the content. Sure not everyone is going to agree. Of course subject matters are going to run the gamut of topics, some of which are purely out there for shock value. But if anyone finds a book in the least bit offensive, there's one very simple thing they can do:

Don't. Read. It. 

But dare you tell me I can't read it. Because as soon as you try, you can rest assured - I'll do whatever I can, to make sure I do.

I know this can be a very touchy subject, one that not everyone is going to agree with me on. But it's classic physchology folks! Tell someone they can't do something and they most certainly will. But give them the choice, give them the educated reasons behind your thoughts, and you may end up with a completely different outcome. And in the end, that's really what it comes down to - the freedom to choose!

So to honor Banned Books Week this year, I'll be participating in I Am A Reader, Not A Writer Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop. You'll have to check back on 9/24 to find out all the specifics - but it'll be a pretty basic point tally system, like you need to be a follower of my website (HINT: higher point value will be given to those who followed my blog prior to 9/24).

And what's up for grabs you might ask? Tsk, tsk, come back on 9/24 to find out! But I will say, there will be several books which have made their way onto the banned list - all of which I've read, and personally believe, have made me the better because of it!

Soooo, won't you come back on 9/24 and check out what's up for grabs? I hope to see you here!

With that, I'll leave you to answer one of these questions:

Do you believe censorship should / shouldn't be allowed? If so, why / why not?

Do you have a favorite book that's on THE LIST? Oh do please share!