During the month of October, we have free access to the ebook edition of Burn This Book: PEN Writers Speak Out on the Power of the Word, edited by Toni Morrison.

"Published in conjunction with the PEN American Center, Burn This Book explores the meaning of censorship, and the power of literature to inform the way we see the world, and ourselves. Contributors including Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie, Orhan Pamuk, David Grossman, Nadine Gordimer and other literary heavyweights, discuss the importance of writing from various views, both political and social. They illustrate the need for freedom of speech and human rights, and they emphasize the target writers become in a tyranny."  (from publisher's description) 

You can access this ebook beginning Oct. 1 through your NetLibrary account that you have created at school.   Use the link below to log in and then click on the "ebook of the month" box.  You can also create your NetLibrary account at this link, but you must create it on campus.

http://www.netlibrary.com/Login.aspx

Here's more interesting information on banned and challenged books:

This link takes you to a map of book bans and challenges in the U.S. from 2007-2009.  Click on the blue balloons to read about a book banned or challenged in each location:

http://bannedbooksweek.org/Mapofbookcensorship.html

Here's a list of frequently banned or challenged classics:

 http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedclassics/reasonsbanned/index.cfm

The 100 most frequently challenged books from 1990-2000 are listed here:

http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/1990_2000.cfm

Gecko, Arjay, and Terence, all in trouble with the law, must find a way to keep their halfway house open in order to stay out of juvenile detention.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you were impressed by the science department demonstrations last semester and want to try your hand at blowing things up, you might be interested in Backyard ballistics : build potato cannons, paper match rockets, Cincinnati fire kites, tennis ball mortars, and more dynamite devices

by William Gurstelle.  Just be sure to follow all the safety precautions so that you don’t end up in the emergency room!

 

 

 

 

 

 

You might not be able to afford sessions with a sports psychologist, but this book will help you train your mind as well as your body:

Mind gym : an athlete's guide to inner excellence by Gary Mack

Drawing on his work with some of the top teams in professional sports, noted sport psychology consultant Gary Mack shares with you the same techniques and exercises he uses to help elite athletes build mental "muscle." These 40 accessible lessons and inspirational anecdotes will help you gain the "head edge" over the competition.

Need a new book series to start on?  We now have 9 books of Jim Butcher’s fantasy/sci fi Dresden Files series, beginning with Storm Front:

In this first book in the offbeat Dresden Files, readers are introduced to Harry Dresden, a wizard with a consulting practice in modern-day Chicago. Dresdens profession offers him little money, lots of mockery, the suspicion of his magical colleagues, and plenty of danger.

Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card is a new sequel to the sci fi classic Ender’s Game:

At the close of "Ender's Game," Andrew Wiggin--called Ender--is told that he can no longer live on Earth. The 12-year-old chooses to leave his home world and begins the long relativistic journey out to the colonies.

Neil Gaiman has just won the Newbery Award for The Graveyard Book and is becoming wildly popular.  Are you one of his many fans?

Prince of stories : the many worlds of Neil Gaiman by Hank Wagner

This book chronicles the history and impact of the complete works of Neil Gaiman in film, fiction, music, comic books, and beyond. Containing hours of exclusive interviews with Gaiman and conversations with his collaborators, as well as wonderful nuggets of his work such as the beginning of an unpublished novel, a rare comic and never-before-seen essay, this is a treasure trove of all things Gaiman. In addition to providing in depth information and commentary on Gaiman's myriad works, the book also includes rare photographs, book covers, artwork, and related trivia and minutiae, making it both an insightful introduction to his work, and a true "must-have" for his ever growing legion of fans. -- from publisher's description.