Bridge to Terabithia ~ by Katherine Paterson ~ a banned book

Did you know...?
...that the Bible has been banned at various times, editions, and places in the world?
...that Black Beauty by Anna Sewell was banned in South Africa because of the use of the word "Black" in the title?
...that Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson was banned from some libraries in America due to its content relating to death?

"Bridge to Terabithia" is now a movie, which I saw last weekend. The movie version is as good as the book, probably because it was directed by the author's son, whose friendship with a girl in the neighborhood inspired the book in the first place. Read Bridge to Terabithia, a Newbery Medal-winning novel, if you get a chance. I rate it 9/10, another excellent book.

Animal Farm ~ by George Orwell ~ banned again

My son's favorite book was Animal Farm by George Orwell, after his school class had to read it when he was about 12. He thought it was hilarious. I rate it 9/10, an excellent book.

This morning I learned from a couple of other blogs that the book is in trouble in Miami. Yesterday, the library and human rights group FREADOM sent a hardcover copy of Animal Farm to the Bossard Miami elementary school library after a parent group announced they had "kidnapped" the book because it distorted the reality of Cuba. But wait, it gets worse! Now the school says it may not be able to accept their donation.

Isn't kidnapping the book the same thing Cuba has been doing under Castro? A book is no less "gone" by being kidnapped than by being burned. These parents are NOT furthering education by taking books from the shelves. I can hardly wait to find out why the school library won't accept a replacement copy. All of this so I can say, "Freedom to Read Week" starts Monday!


If you haven't read Animal Farm lately (or ever), check out a copy from your library and read it next week. Or choose another banned book from the ALA list: BannedBooks. Or read what Wikipedia has to say about banned books: Wikipedia.

The Namesake ~ by Jhumpa Lahiri

The Namesake ~ by Jhumpa Lahiri, 2003, fiction

"The reader should realize himself that it could not have happened otherwise, and that to give him any other name was quite out of the question." -- Nikolai Gogol, The Overcoat

In this novel, Jhumpa Lahiri explores just about everything about names.  Her main character is Gogol Ganguli, named for the author quoted above because his father loves "The Overcoat" story.  Considering his name, he thinks:  "This writer he is named after -- Gogol isn't his first name.  His first name is Nikolai.  Not only does Gogol Ganguli have a pet name turned good name, but a last name turned first name.  And so it occurs to him that no one he knows in the world, in Russia or India or America or anywhere, shares his name.  Not even the source of his namesake" (page 78).

Apart from his father, the baby has three visitors, all Bengali ... Maya and Dilip give the boy a rattle and a baby book, with places for his parents to commemorate every possible aspect of his infancy. ... Dr. Gupta gives the boy a handsome illustrated copy of Mother Goose rhymes.  "Lucky boy," Ashoke remarks, turning the beautifully sewn pages.  "Only hours old and already the owner of books" (page 24).

Lahiri also explores identity.  Your name gives you one kind of identity, but so do other things, like owning books.  This book focuses on national identity and the confusion immigrants feel while trying to assimilate.  In an interview, Lahiri said,

"I have always been interested in why so many Indians come to America, because typically it is for very different reasons from, say, those of many of the European groups who have come, and those of many non-European groups as well.  On the whole, Indians are not escaping some sort of dire political situation, a war, a famine, or social or religious persecution. ... [My parents] were here for the sake of greater opportunities, perhaps a better standard of living."

Jhumpa Lahiri was born 1967 in London, England, and raised in Rhode Island.  Her parents were from India.  Not only is our world growing smaller, but our cultures are being mixed together as never before (at least in the United States and many European countries).  It is incumbent upon us to try to understand these differences so we can live together in harmony.

==================== ( 8 of 10, a very good book )

Questions:
1. How did you get your name? Were you named for someone? Do you know what your name means? Who chose it for you? Do you like your name? Do you have a nickname?
2. One of the characters in the book has his name legally changed. Have you ever wanted to change your name?
3. This book is all about names. Moushumi complains that someone "mispronounced [her name], as most people did" (page 258). Then she explains how her name SHOULD be pronounced. Is your name, first or last, one that seems to confuse people? Do you have a usual way of telling them how to say it?
4. Astrid says, "It just feels like such a huge responsibility to name a baby. What if he hates it?" (page 243) How did you choose names for your children?
5. Do you know why your ancestors came to this country? Do you know when they came?
6. Identity is a difficult thing for immigrants and their children. Jhumpa Lahiri said, in an interview, "As a young child, I felt that the Indian part of me was unacknowledged, and therefore somehow negated, by my American environment, and vice versa. I felt that I led two very separate lives." Has anything like this ever been a problem for you? Did The Namesake help you understand the immigrant experience? In what ways?
7. Which culture, other than your own, would you like to understand better?

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Click here for a video, author interview, and discussion questions:
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/readers_guides/lahiri_namesake.shtml
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Another look at this book: http://literaryfeline.blogspot.com/2007/03/namesake-by-jhumpa-lahiri.html
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March 11, 2008 update:
Read this NYT article: "Bad Baby Names" by J. Marion Tierney