Seminole County Public Library discussion

Banned Books Week, an annual event celebrating the freedom to read, starts September 21st this year.

Seminole County Public Library will be celebrating the freedom to read the entire month of September and from September 1-30, 2014, you can submit up to 5 reviews here on Goodreads to be entered into the Freedom to Read Drawing. Simply type your original review of a book that was or is banned (or one that a community has attempted to ban) into the comment field below and hit the “post” button.

The winner of the Freedom to Read Drawing will receive 5 book bucks, redeemable at the Friends of the Library Bookstore at the Central Branch in Casselberry or the Friends of the Library book carts at the East, North, Northwest and West Branches.

Not sure where to find a banned or challenged book? The American Library Association has a page on frequently challenged and banned books.

I read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. This is the second book by Atwood that I have read. I wish I had not waited so long to read this book. I thought it was a very powerful story and an interesting perspective on a future world. Atwood's writing style is fast paced and engrossing. It really makes you think about people's place in society and how our world could change quickly. While I think the actually time it took the society was a bit fast to actually happen, it was not something that took me out of the story.

I just finished Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. This is the author's memoir on her childhood in Iran and how the political environment changed and altered throughout it. The collection I read was #1 and #2 in the story. I like that they put the four books into two volumes. I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I was interested to see why this was banned, which is actually why I had picked it up. I learned a lot more about how it felt to be in Iran during it's change and how people reacted and fought in their own ways.

Thanks, Stacey, for posting your reviews! Since you were the only entrant, you are the winner of this drawing for your reviews of the Handmaid's Tale and Persepolis.

Congratulations and thanks again for taking the time to share your reviews!