The Year They Burned the Books

by Nancy Garden

From the author of Annie on My Mind comes an unflinching novel about prejudice, censorship, and homophobia in a New England town. As the editor in chief of the Wilson High Telegraph, senior Jamie Crawford is supposed to weigh in on the cutting-edge issues that will interest students in her school. But when she writes an opinion piece in support of the new health curriculum—which includes safe-sex education and making condoms available to students—she has no idea how much of a controversy she’s stepped into.   A conservative school board member has started a war against the new curriculum, and now—thanks to Jamie’s editorial—against the newspaper as well. As Jamie deals with the fallout and comes to terms with her own sexuality, the school and town become a battleground for clashing opinions. Now, Jamie and the students at Wilson need to find another way to express their beliefs before prejudice, homophobia, and violence define their small town.  

Genres: Young Adult, LGBT, Queer, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Banned Books

230 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 22, 1999

About the author

A versatile writer, Nancy Garden has published books for children as well as for teens, nonfiction as well as fiction. But her novel Annie on My Mind, the story of two high school girls who fall in love with each other, has brought her more attention than she wanted when it was burned in front of the Kansas City School Board building in 1993 and banned from school library shelves in Olathe, Kansas, as well as other school districts. A group of high school students and their parents in Olathe had to sue the school board in federal district court in order to get the book back on the library shelves. Today the book is as controversial as ever, in spite of its being viewed by many as one of the most important books written for teens in the past forty years. In 2003 the American Library Association gave the Margaret A. Edwards Award to Nancy Garden for lifetime achievement.

In Remembrance: Nancy Garden

Reviews

[Cece (ProblemsOfaBookNerd) · Rating 2 out of 5]

TW: Homophobia, homophobic slurs, attempted suicide

I read Nancy Garden's Annie On My Mind about a year ago and really loved it, so when this re-release of another of her books popped up on Netgalley, I requested it immediately. This was originally released in 1999, and sadly I think this book should maybe be left in the past.

On a base level, I don't think this was well written. It was disastrously bad at telling over showing, to the point that for a while at the beginning I was considering just DNF-ing and moving on. Despite the fact that the characters in this book are mostly high school seniors (so between 17 and 18 years old) they were written more like 14-year-olds. Yes, the subjects they were dealing with were big, mature ones, but the characters themselves reacted to things far below their age level and it was frustrating. The dialogue was really stilted and unnatural. Overall, on just writing alone, I don't think this book excelled.

But I do have a deeper issue with the story and how it ended. Without spoiling specific details, there is a big push for "love the sinner, hate the sin" ideology and I refuse to accept stories that treat this as acceptable. There is no loving the "sinner" if you hate who they are because there is no sin to hate. If you don't like that a person is gay, you are homophobic. If you say you try to love that person despite their gayness, then you are a homophobe. It is that simple.

Almost the entire conclusion of this book was about how others can deal with and accept the gayness of their friends or loved ones by trying to love them in spite of it. It's a deeply harmful message to send, and I was upset by it. My gayness is not a choice, and it is not a part of me you can remove from the rest and choose to disapprove of. It is an essential part of who I am and if you don't like it, you're a toxic person. And also *ding ding ding* a homophobe! Congrats on that. I was upset by the fact that these were the satisfying conclusions characters were reaching by the end of the story. The big takeaway is that everyone can disagree and still have a healthy debate.

Well, my identity is not a debate. And I won't have a civil conversation about it with someone who doesn't like it.

But moving on from that, I think that anyone who is still considering going into this book should go in with huge warnings. This is a book about queer teens written in the 1990s, and it does not shy away from the homophobia or intense bullying they face. The homophobic slurs were constant to the point of being overwhelming. It isn't easy at almost any step of the way. This is not a mark against the book, just a warning for those who are considering reading it. If you have a hard time reading about characters dealing with intense homophobia, I would steer clear. Also there is a LOT of religious morality happening here, which did feel incredibly relevant (a character starts a committee to get the moral standards of the community back to how it used to be in the good old days) but is another thing to be aware of going in.

There is also a character who is suicidal for a portion of this book. I don't feel that his mental well-being was considered nearly enough, and I was left very concerned with the book's perspective on depression.

Finally, I would like to say that I thought this book did do a fair job of depicting questioning teens in a way I hadn't seen in a while. Jamie and her friend Terry both begin this book, as they describe it, as "Maybes" - maybe gay, maybe straight. No, they do not have an in-between option (eyyy bisexuality), but that's a whole other issue I'm not going to get into. They do go through a full process in the book of reconciling their "Maybes" as more of a definitely. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to questioning teens - just due to the overwhelming homophobia and bullying - I appreciated the focus questioning as part of the coming out process.

Overall, I had too many issues with this book to consider giving it any higher than a 2/5. I think it is incredibly dated, full of harmful messages, and ultimately poorly written.

[Greyson | Use Your Words · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Trigger Warnings: Homophobia, homophobic slurs, violence, fear of sexual assault.

I'm not going to pretend that there isn't a lot of homophobic slurs in this book. There is an overwhelming amount so if that's something that really affects you than I advise to give this book a miss. There's also a scene with quite a bit of violence as well that had my stomach in my throat and tears in my eyes.

The opinion of the majority is important,” Mr. Just said. “But the majority must never be allowed to tyrannize the minority— nor must the minority be allowed to tyrannize the majority.”

I requested Garden's The Year They Burned the Books from Netgalley thinking it was a brand new novel tackling what it's like to be, not only gay in a small town, but to also be a spokesperson on gay rights in said small town. Turns out that's not quite what I got as this book was originally published in 1999 and yet it is still relevant.
It follows Jamie Crawford who is the editor of the Wilson High Telegraph as she discovers her sexual identity while also starting a rogue paper, Renegade Telegraph, with the help of her friends. Jamie uses the Renegade to talk about the need for LGBTQ+ inclusive sex education and the importance of having safe sex options readily available to teenagers.
But Jamie's voice meets a lot of criticism and challenges as the FTV (Families for Traditional Values) go to great lengths to try and block any and all LGBTQ+ positive and safe sex initiatives, seeing them as immoral.

"People are dumb! It's like they've got it backwards. They want editorials to be balanced and news stories to be biased."
"Or the think news stories are biased whenever they report on stuff they don't like," said Jamie,
"even when the stories are objective."
I loved Jamie! She was fiery and sharp, and she was incredibly brave. Jamie takes on seemingly the whole town.
What starts as an editorial talking about condoms being available to students quickly turns into founding an independent newspaper challenging a large group of the townspeople trying to censor what is taught in schools. She tries her best to be fair while still making sure she's heard and isn't afraid to calling people out on bullshit either.

"Have you...? You know."
"No. I kissed him once and he cried."
The LGBTQ+ rep in this book in my eyes was done very well. I identified with Jamie and her best friend Terry as young people not knowing how they identified but knowing they weren't considered 'normal'.
Garden did well in representing different experiences with coming out. She gave us characters who were supported and accepted by family and friends but she also gave us someone who was terrified of coming out as well and showing that it was okay not to do so if it's not a safe option.
Coming to terms with your sexuality can be a scary process and not everyone is able to handle it very well. Garden was great at sharing a story that was very true to life.

Morality needs to be taught in the home. In school, especially high school, kids need access to as many ideas and cultures as possible.
I don't know about you but parents shouldn't get that much of a say in school curriculum, that's how we end up with a large percentage of the population being uneducated and voting for a president who has no idea how to even do his job, but I suppose that's none of my business, being an Australian.
In Australia we do have churches trying to bar schools from teaching LGBTQ+ inclusive sex ed and it's dangerous. Even as someone who graduated in 2011, I wasn't taught anything about LGBTQ+ safe sex. Everything I've learnt since, I've learnt from the internet which isn't always a reliable source of information and a lot of kids are too afraid to even look it up because they're scared their parents or friends will see their browser history.
Not teaching LGBTQ+ safe sex does far more harm than good just as teaching abstinence only is dangerous.
Teenagers are going to have sex no matter how much you preach about the immorality of it at them. So isn't it better to teach them how to protect themselves no matter who they choose to have sex with?

This book, although being written in the 90's, is still very much relevant today and I do believe that anyone against LGBTQ+ rights or safe sex education should read it and learn something. Or just read it for the lessons on the importance of free speech and not censoring what is taught in schools.

I’m pretty sure of one thing: that people no matter what they believe or what their differences are, have to be able to live together without hurting each other.

___
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[✧ k a t i e ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"People, no matter what they believe or what their differences are, have to be able to live together without hurting each other."

I loved this book a lot more than what I was expecting to. I originally picked it up so I could catch up on my arcs (even though I don't know if I should consider this an arc since it was published years ago), but I really enjoyed it in the end.

This book follows Jamie, an editor-in-chief on her school's newspaper. After writing an editorial piece on making condoms available at school, it creates a divide between the school and the town.

I really liked Jamie. I really liked how she stood up for her views and for her actions. She never gave up on reporting the truth. I also really liked how you see her accept her sexuality over the course of the story. But my favorite character was Terry. I thought he was really funny and an overall great character. What I really admired about him though was how much he respected other people's boundaries. He was very understanding and patient.

This book deals heavily with censorship and homophobia. The book also touches on free speech vs hate speech and prejudice. And Nancy Garden doesn't shy away from the topics. And with these topics being discussed, you really get into the debates. I found myself getting riled up at the logic in some of the arguments, which was something I didn't expect to happen. Even though this was originally written nearly two decades ago, there are still topics and debates that are still discussed to this day.

Though I did enjoy this book, there was something that I didn't like. Early on in the book, Jamie gets invited to a debate at one of the churches in the town after the article was published. I was excited to read about this debate, even though it's an argument that is stated repetitively, I was excited to see an actual debate going on. But that part total gets skipped over. Instead we hear about what happened through Jamie's journal. I would've really loved to see how it went down instead of reading a little summary from her journal.

Something that did confuse me was the cover. On the new cover, there is a guy standing in front of a girl. Now I am assuming that this is Jamie and Terry. But why is Terry standing infront of Jamie? Jamie is the main character who we follow, so why is she standing behind him? Even in the original cover she is front and center. This is something that didn't affect my rating but I noticed it and was genuinely confused.

I really liked this book. It covers extremely important and relevant topics. And is one that a lot more people should read.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 3 out of 5]

The late Nancy Garden was a trailblazer is writing mainstream YA LBGT themed books beginning in the 1980s with ANNIE ON MY MIND, when I wasn’t much older than a teen. Her books speak to an era where even in the most liberal schools, kids were routinely bullied for being gay, parents often kicked gay kids into the streets and LGBT suicide was rampant. While these circumstances are still true in pockets in the USA and in parts of the world, we’ve also made progress. When THE YEAR THEY BURNED THE BOOKS was written, the dream was civil partnerships and perhaps adoption. Now same sex marriage and couples adopting are law, yet we still face discrimination.

THE YEAR THEY BURNED BOOKS feels stale. Stale writing. Stale attitudes. Stale characters. Gay characters feel lucky that straight people will still be their friends, reinforced by their parents. Jamie, the main character, embraces her best friend calling her a sinner and an abomination. I felt sad and angry, yet hopeful for the progress we’ve made.

Don’t read THE YEAR THEY BURNED BOOKS if you’re looking for a well-written, timely story about censorship. You’ll be disappointed. Read this book because it accurately depicts how difficult the struggle and far we’ve come.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟

As the editor of her high school's paper, it's Jamie Crawford's job to weigh in on the cutting-edge issues that will interest students. But when she writes an opinion piece in support of the new sex-ed curriculum - which includes lgbtqia education and making condoms available to students - she has no idea what battlefield of controversy and prejudice she's about to step into

Lisa Buel, a religious fanatic, is campaigning her way onto the school board. When she has enough power, she won't hesitate to use it to spread her opinions on what's 'right and wrong', dividing the town and school

Soon, the newspaper staff find themselves in the middle of this fight for justice, before prejudice, homophobia and violence define their small town, while Jamie is simultaneously in the process of coming to terms with her own sexuality

This is an outspoken novel about a group of teenagers who won't let censorship and prejudice win, and discover a moving passion for justice within themselves in order to stand up for what they believe in, often with personal costs


From the title and blurb, I knew this book would be infuriating, but I had no idea how much

Nancy Garden has a gift, I'm not exaggerating. I experienced this exact same thing when I read her explosive 'Annie on my Mind' last year (again, in one day). She creates scenarios that feel so real, and so my emotions feel so real. I can't explain the literal rage I felt while reading this book, mainly because this censorship actually happened, and is still happening.

When I was about halfway through reading this, I realised it was published in 1999, and thought for a second oh, that explains it, okay. Because I had thought, "how could people be so blatantly ignorant in today's world?", but then I realised the problems with that thought:

1. This censorship and violent prejudice shouldn't have ever happened, the year this was set in shouldn't and doesn't excuse that fact
2. There are still people with these beliefs today in our modern world, I can't discuss that without either cursing or crying

I gave this book 4.5🌟 because the ending didn't give me everything I had hoped for, but as you can see from my review, the rest of the book blew me away

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5/🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Recommended for fans of: 'Annie on my Mind', 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'The Hate U Give'

Representation: Lesbian rep, gay rep
Trigger warning: suicide reference, queer/religion conflict, bullying, homophobia, hate speech, censorship, violence

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I studied journalism, in college, this was before personal computers became common. There were computers in the work room, where we could enter our stories, but these were before the mouse, and you had to code bolds, and italics, and fun stuff like that. This was before what became known as Desktop Publishing, so all the text were printed out and pasted onto the sheet, and then sent off to the print shop to put together.

I bring this up, because, kids-these-days™ probably think all the discussions about layout and printing and such might seem out of date, and since this book was written in the 90s, it does feel a bit out of date. It was before the Internet had become so big, before Wikipedia, before most of the websites that are out there today. That is why the kids, in this book, have to go to the library to research newspapers. It seems like another world, and yet, it was less then a quarter century ago.

But, while the technology might be old fashioned, the message of this book, is, unfortunately still around, that there is a group of conservatives who feel they have to impose their brand of morality on the rest of the world.

And their version of morality says that teens should not have sex, should not be gay, and should not even know about either sex, or homosexuality, because that will protect them.

I wish I could say the fight is old, and doesn't happen any more, but it does.

There is a great line in the book, after the majority of parents vote to not offer sex education or "certain" books in the library.

"The opinion of the majority is important," Mr. Just said. "But the majority must never be allowed to tyrannize the minority–nor must the minority be allowed to tyrannize the majority."

Great book, though it started a little slow. By the time I got half way through my heart was breaking for the closeted teens, and their fight with the family-values parents.

If you want to read other books with teens, censorship, and "morality" minded parents, I would suggest Americus.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[kb · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had a very interesting premise, of fighting for new ideas and encouraging openmindedness within a community, and the characters were developed in such ways that readers can easily relate to. However, it was not as groundbreaking as I expected it to be, perhaps due to the fact that there are more diverse books nowadays. Still, would recommend to those who are hesitant to try YA lit that tackles sexuality.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garden is an author noted for her LGBT writings, and this particular novel strikes to the heart of everyone who believes in the First and Second Amendments. Jamie Crawford has worked hard to become the editor-in-chief of her school newspaper. She truly believes a school paper should cover the issues relevant to the school and the community. When a new person is elected to the school committee, who believes that the new health ed curriculum and the school's policy of distributing condoms is "immoral", Jamie who has already addressed the issue in the school newspaper comes under fire.

the most powerful scene in the novel is when the fundamentalist stage a bonfire on Halloween night, burning the books they deem as immoral and inappropriate.

The concept of burning books is absolutely obscene to me! Garden, however, constructs a story which will engage young adults to consider what life could be like in an environment where they are deprives of access to new ideas, philosophy, and extreme disc rumination, no matter what the criteria might be.

I highly recommend this book and encourage teachers to incorporate it into their teaching curricula.

[Isaiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.

I got an ARC in return for an honest review from NetGalley.

One of the first books I read with a lesbian character was Annie on my Mind. That was over ten years ago, but I will never forget the name of Nancy Garden. That book opened so many doors and help a great deal of people over the years. It is a classic like no other.

This book, while not as groundbreaking read in 2017, was still a book I appreciated. It opened the idea that morality and education are not mutually elusive, but that at times they had to be held apart. This is a lesson that is very difficult for some people to grasp as it is hard to put your own views on hold to address an issue. That was seen on both sides of the issues of condom distribution and “homosexuality”. The MC was a girl that was not sure of her own sexuality, but had very passionate views about newspapers and freedom of speech. That was pretty interesting to me. The focus was not on the sexuality of the character developing, but instead on how others focused on that instead of the real issues at hand. Jamie was clearly struggling with it, but the book didn’t rehash every little thought she had about the subject, it was a background plot. That was something I am very grateful for. Most YA gay books in the 90’s and early 2000’s focused pretty much exclusively on “am I gay?” and first love stories. The way the sexuality was handled called to mind “the personal is political”. It taught the kids a lesson that your sexuality is a thing that others will care about more than you do at times. It was wonderfully done.

I don’t understand how often homosexuality was spelled completely out in the text. I came out only a few years after this book was published, but not once was I asked if I was a homosexual. I was called a homo, a queer, a faggot, and more. Yet, the full clinical term of homosexual was still used repeatedly. It made the book feel a bit disjointed and too held back. It made the dialogue clunky.

This is a book better read in the context of the time it was written as it has not held up wonderfully to technological advances or to even societal advances, which I am very thankful for. This may not be the classic that Annie on My Mind was, but this is a book I will point out to others as a great example of books allowing sexuality to fall to the back burner in YA queer literature.

[Jessica White · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay so I have a few issues with this book.
1) When main character, Jamie, is talking to her parents the author refers to them (in Jamie's mind) as Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Crawford instead of Mom and Dad.
2) This is not actually about book burning but it is about censorship.
3) It deals with A LOT of controversy, such as LGBT issues and condom distribution.
4) IT IS SO OUTDATED.

I understand the need for a book like this, especially in the LGBT community.
I'm sure in 1999 (when this book was published) it was better suited for that audience, but I feel as a whole our outlook has changed quite a bit, whether that be better or worse, I'm not sure.

The basis of the book is a school newspaper editorial written in response to the school nurses distributing condoms to students on Friday in an attempt to promote safer sex. The editorial was pro-condom, whereas the op-ed was supposed to counteract the editorial. However, the op-ed was never written and caused quite a stir in the new school committee.
This created an excuse for school board member, Lisa Buel, to create a group through her church called Families for Traditional Values (FTV), which is against basically EVERYTHING. This group doesn't agree with the condom distribution, the sex education curriculum, or homosexuality.
The school paper catches wind and begins trying to counteract FTV with a renegade newspaper, one that cannot be shut down if the school doesn't agree with what they are publishing.
There is so much drama between the two parties (FTV and the school paper committee).

This book kind of irked me, far more than it probably should have.
I understand the need for more LGBT books.
I understand the need to stop censorship.
I understand what this book was trying to do, but it was so extreme.
It really bothered me, and I apologize to anyone who disagrees with me.
I tried to keep my mind as open as possible, but I just could not handle it.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a copy of The Year They Burned the Books

This review and more can be found at A Reader's Diary!

[Irene Well Worth A Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coming of age story that deals with accepting one's own sexuality in a world in which it's not always safe or comfortable to be yourself. In other words the world we all live in right now.
Jamie, the editor of the school paper, and her best friend both feel they might probably be possibly maybe gay (I believe that is how they put it.)
The school has recently adopted a free condom Friday policy which has upset some of the parents, and particularly those who believe sex is sinful. Things escalate as books are removed from the library and some want to adopt an abstinence only policy for sex education.
It was an enjoyable although simplistic story that I don't feel quite grasped all the complexities of the subject matter but keeping in mind it is intended for a YA audience I am rounding up my 3 and a half stars to 4.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

[Wayne Spiceland · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a scene in the excellent baseball film Bull Durham where the players are meeting on the pitcher’s mound. The discussion shows no signs of ending, so the team’s manager sends a coach out to break it up. When he asks what’s going on, Kevin Costner replies “We’re dealing with a lot of shit.” He could’ve been talking about Nancy Garden’s fine YA novel, The Year They Burned the Books. Censorship, coming-of-age, coming out, bullying, friendship, free speech, sex ed, homophobia, stealth politics, and not a few more things exist here. Garden, though, skillfully blends them all into a comfortable mélange whose ultimate message is a hopeful one, where the disparate elements combine to support her conclusions.

Concerning topics with the potential to become preachy, Garden’s natural, easy-going style avoids the pitfalls of pedantry. Her point of view is clear, but it never seems forced upon us, as is so often the case with works from the opposing point of view. Our protagonist’s views are strongly held, but they are reasoned, as well. There’s conviction, but without shrillness.

The Year They Burned the Books is not so well known as the author's other, more relationship-oriented novels, and that’s too bad. The themes of this book are not only important ones, but timely, as well. Not only are the dangers of which Garden’s cautionary tale warns us still in existence, they are, in an era of Tea Party demagoguery, thriving. That makes stories like this one all the more important. There are lessons to be learned not just for young adults, but for adults, too. This is the sort of book which needs to be widely read.

This is an action, or perhaps, issue driven novel. However, the action also serves as a means of character development. The major characters are considerably changed by the end of the story, thanks to their encounters with the events which impel the drama. Jamie is not stronger in the end so much as she is more able to recognize that strength.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is the auctorial decision not to have Jamie and Tessa become a couple, which would have shifted focus from the points Garden is trying to make: Only when we have access to all the available information can we wisely make decisions which will affect the rest of our lives; it is possible to agree to disagree, and, though difficult, it’s also possible for friends to remain friends despite holding diametrically opposing viewpoints; what begins as seemingly innocuous verbal taunting can easily escalate into violence, especially in a atmosphere of divisiveness fostered by ignorance; true family values are not moral judgments, but, rather, intelligent guidance, love, support, and the freedom to be who we are. The family values exemplified by Lisa Buel in this novel are stifling rather than nurturing.

The points Garden makes here are important ones, and The Year They Burned the Books deserves and demands a wider readership than I fear it is likely to get. It’s nearly fifteen years old, now, but the perils of which Garden warns are as real as today’s headlines. One need only turn on Fox News or open the paper to an Ann Coulter diatribe to realize how prevalent are the reactionary views which threaten to control our thoughts. That the author packages her message(s) in an extremely enjoyable and interesting narrative with a very likable and admirable lead character is an added bonus.









.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a traditionally minded woman is elected to the school committee and bans the school's new health education curriculum, the free distribution of condoms, and removes books dealing with "immoral" subjects, high school newspaper editor-in-chief Jamie and her companions try to do something about it. Their concerns start with a simple editorial on condom distribution that embroils them in a heated subject that begins to split the school.

This was originally published in 1999, but I think that it is—unfortunately—still relevant to today. Especially with the continued prominence of individuals advocating for "traditional" values at the expense of anything that they consider immoral. The book deals heavily with Freedom of the Press (admittedly, it's curbed in high school publications, to an extent), Freedom of Religion, intellectual freedom and the rights of children/teens to be exposed to material that can be considered "inappropriate." It's also about courage: the courage to come out, to stand up to bullies and bigots, to do what is right, and to realize that you can agree to disagree and still be friends. One of the main takeaways from the book:

If parents don't want their kids to learn something or to read something, then those parents should do what they can to ensure that their kids don't. But it isn't right for parents to deprive other people's kids of that information. If we had only one set of ideas in this country, we'd be a nation of sheep, not people.

Having books on AIDs, homosexuality and sex and teaching a tolerant sex education doesn't cause children to turn to promiscuity, homosexuality or drugs. It shows children the world at it is, and teaches them that being different is okay and that we shouldn't make fun of people for their differences.

Here's the thing that's pertinent to this era though. It's not just the imposition of one particular religious viewpoint that is the problem; it's any group of extremists that refuse to allow access to information they morally oppose. There are limits to Freedom of Speech and intellectual freedom, true, but the limits are set pretty far out there for a reason. We shouldn't try to reel them in, because then we become what we are trying to depose.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

[James Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

“People die, but books never die. No man and no force can put thought in a concentration camp forever. No man and no force can take from the world the books that embody man's eternal fight against tyranny. In this war, we know, books are weapons.”

The quote above is from FDR, President of the United States during some of the darkest years of this country's existence. It's a quote that fits quite well with the contents of this book, for the book is about small-minded people trying to force their will on others, and in doing so trying to destroy the right of other people to read information that such people deem dangerous.

The book is about some students at a high school. Two of the students are gay, one is lesbian, and the rest are straight. A right-wing religious fanatic gets elected to the school board and sets up one of the “family values” groups in town, then immediately sets out to destroy a condom-distribution program at the high school, to rewrite the health curriculum so it presents only her religious view of things, and tries to destroy a school newspaper that dares challenge her views.

Part of the effort of her group is to hold a book burning, and to try to get certain books either banned totally from the town's library (having already gotten them removed from the school library), or, at the very least, restrict everyone's access to the books.

The students who dare to stand against her are vilified, threatened and, eventually, physically attacked by the anti-homosexual group at their school.

The book reflects reality, and that's a terrible thing to do. This country is filled with people of “fanatical faith” who wish to destroy the civil rights of others, all in the name of their god. They judge people by who it is the person prefers to have sexual relations with rather than whether or not that person is a kind, loving person who helps others.

It's a very upsetting book because it does reflect what is going on in this country so well.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age: 9th grade-12th grade

This book opens right after Jamie's high school has passed a newly refurbished sexual education curriculum that includes giving out condoms on Fridays and discussing the normalcy of homosexuality. As the school's newspaper editior-in-chief, Jamie writes an editorial in support of the sex ed curriculum. What she doesn't realize is that this editorial will tie her into an upheaval of constitutional right for religious morality. When a conservative theocrat enters as the newly elected school board member, she drives a force of opposition that suspends the newspaper advisor, strangleholds the newspaper opinion and news pieces, supports animosity against homosexuals, and postpones the health classes. In retaliation, Jamie and the newspaper group form the Renegade, a subversive newspaper seeking to bring forth the real issues to the high school students. The whole time this is going on, Jamie is fearfully questioning her homosexuality and is attracted to a girl who she doesn't know is straight or not.

The syntax of the novel is somewhat confusing and I had to re-read over several sentences throughout. Although Jamie's sexuality is confronted with hostility by some classmates, her childhood best friend, and her brother, she is also embrassed by her mother and father, her new good friend, and several of her classmates. While the subject matter is great--lesbian protagonist, gay subcharacters, censorship, free speech, animosity from radical religious people--the writing itself lacks in character development and syntax.

[Jenni Frencham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jamie is the editor-in-chief of her school's newspaper, and early in her senior year she publishes an editorial concerning the school's choice to make condoms available in the nurse's office after school on Fridays. Meanwhile, a concerned parent is running for the school board in the hopes that she might be able to alter the school's health curriculum to remove any mention of sex outside of marriage or homosexuality. Things quickly spiral out of control: the faculty sponsor of the newspaper is put on administrative leave, the health textbooks are removed from the school, and everyone is up in arms. The school newspaper staff is divided: some, like Jamie, believe that the school should educate students about all aspects of the world they're about to face; others believe that the school has a responsibility to educate students according to the conservative moral views of the majority in the community. Jamie herself is coming to terms with feelings she's never acknowledged before and wondering how she'll obtain information about homosexuality when all the library books on that topic have been locked up.

I enjoyed this story, especially once I realized it had been published shortly after I graduated from high school. I appreciated the librarian angle in this book, which reinforced the theory that libraries should be storehouses of information, not moral guides to a community. I was sad when the school board member and her minions burned books in a bonfire, even though they were books they themselves had purchased for that purpose.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn between giving this book a three and giving it a four. In its favor, the story is engaging and the characters likable; I was constantly compelled to keep reading, especially when I had a research paper looming over my head. As a student who did newspaper throughout high school, I loved the portrayal of high-school journalism and the issues of censorship and free speech as they specifically pertain to high schools. The book's flaws, however, included a simplistic and predictable writing style at times (I knew that Lisa Buel would win the election; I knew that Nomi would be homophobic, etc.) and the unrealistically extreme divide between the supporters and opponents of the group "Families for Traditional Values." Right-wing religion was painted in Jerry Falwell / Pat Robertson-esque extremism that I found hard to imagine, especially in contrast with the level of progressiveness in other parts of the community. Despite the clear encouragement of conciliation and openness to two sides of an argument, the distinct divide and agreement within each side were unrealistic, not reflecting the diversity of opinions an individual may have. It's not a book I would go out of my way and buy, having read it, but it was a read that I enjoyed.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t realize this was a reissued book when I initially started it. I believe it was originally published in 1999. Sadly, none of the issues faced by the characters are outdated. Perhaps they’re even worse today. The only thing that felt out the ordinary was the lack of technology used to assemble the school papers, which was really the only reason I checked the original publication date.

It’s a little book but it packs a lot in – sex education, sexuality, condoms in school, free speech vs hate speech, censorship, homophobia and more. It’s done well because it never feels like it’s beating you over the head with social issues. It simply presents modern high school life (circa ’99 anyway) in a realistic fashion and reminds you what high schoolers are often facing, no matter how much parents my try shield them. It doesn’t back down from difficult topics or hard situations for its characters.

Side note: The covers are both really bad. The original and the new one. The most recent one is better but shows a male front an center as the focus of the image when the main protagonist is a girl. The book deserves better.



Disclaimer: I received a free advanced digital copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book demonstrates the toxicity of narrow-mindedness and mass sheep-like followings of prejudiced people with power. A high school falls under fire for their sexual education class teachings...and without giving away a ton of the plot, leads to a book burning. The two protagonists perpetuate resistance against the "conservative" powers working to censor the center for everyone's freedoms-- the library. It's an easy read (about 200 pages if I recall correctly), but has some power in it. The only drawback to this novel is that it's a coming of age novel, and I doubt that anyone who's out of high school would take a massive interest in it.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading some disappointing books to review, I was expecting that to be the case for this book too. But I was wrong! This is a re-release of the book The Year They Burned the Books, originally written in the mid 90s. But this does not feel dated at all! (Though maybe the publisher edited it, I don't know) This story fits so well with a lot of the conflict between the American parties right now, so I found myself being enraged and saddened at times throughout the book. This is such a strong LGBT book that also focuses on all sides of a view point, even if some sides are more disagreeable.

Definitely check this book out!

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about problems of homosexual people. It shows discrimination to them. It also shows about problems in real life and at big schools. This book is very interesting because it is explained from the perspective of a girl. It also makes you think about how some people are and how they are treated. Finally, it explains every point of the story with a lot of details. I reccomend this book to people who want to know about real life problems. I really liked this book, it entertained me.

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the overall plot was very interesting, and the issues covered are as important as they were to the newspaper team. My one problem with the book was how suddenly the ending came; there was only a scant few pages between a vital decision being made and that decision's turn-around. Personally, I am not a fan of third-person perspective either, because I would have liked to get closer to Jamie. In general though, a very good read.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a horrible cover. It's not just that that made me think this book was written in the 80s. I dunno, it seems.. dated somehow, though I can't quite put my finger on it. I _think_ it's just stylistically. It wasn't a quick and easy YA type of read. Too much politics and blow-by-blow this-is-how-it-really-happens and not enough character and plot? I dunno.

For the subject matter, I feel I should give it a 4, but for the reading experience it gave me, I just couldn't. So 3 it is.

[Destinee Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an extemely good book. It talked about real issues, and how some feel about homosexuality. It kind of lost my attention with the endless blabber hidden in random spots of the book, but when it came to Jamie standing up for herself and her friends, it really spoke to me. It regained my attention, and that is why this book ranked a 3 with me.

[Micah H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book this book. The Year They Burned the Books is about a girl, Jamie, in high school who is the editor in chef in the school newspaper. When multiple controversy's come up in her small town the school covers it in the paper. Jamie and her friend, Tessa, figure out how to deal with the commotion.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This adolescent lit. book delves into the sad reality of the control communities and school boards have over giving students an inclusive educational experience. It's written from a teenager's perspective and it's an easy read. Loved it!

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book. It's a wonderful look at censorship and people's reactions to sex education and homosexuality. Ironically, my copy of this book was removed from a library in Texas (according to the stamps in the book). I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has one of the most god awful covers I've seen on a book that isn't from the 80s, but don't let that dissuade you.

Garden deals quite deftly with censorship, homophobia, and coming out. The book came off as a bit naive at times, but overall, it was well done and thoughtful.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting variation on the coming out novel theme. Although the heroine doesn't get the girl, she still emerges as a strong and independent young lesbian. It's a good message, but this book also tended a little towards melodrama.

[J.M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't a bad story ~ I just think it wasn't right for me. I only got to chapter nine before I couldn't pick it up again.