Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings.

In 1821, Heinrich Heine used this line in his play Almansor. As recently as 2001, members of a town in Pennsylvania sang songs as they burned books, videos, and CDs that they judged as offensive to their God. Other groups cut up copies of Harry Potter books because they were deemed to be offensive.

As an American, you have to right to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. This is your right. However, there are certain groups who believe and promote censorship. Censorship is the suppression of ideas and information that certain persons find objectionable or dangerous. But when did it become their right to keep others from that knowledge?

You have to right to explore the multi-facted world of literature. You may not agree with everything that you read, but you have the RIGHT to pick up a book and put it back down again.

Celebrate your freedom to read during the week of September 25, Banned Book Week. You can also learn more at the American Library Assocation homepage. Spend some time reading about banned books and book burnings and tell me what you think about this freedom that you probably take for granted.

“If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.”—Noam Chomsky

ENGLISH IV--Literature Circles Project

MAKE YOUR BOOK INTO A MOVIE!

I gave out the literature circles assessment today in class. If you missed class, you will need to get with your group to figure out what you need to do. Here's a list of the parts of the project:

Movie Poster Design: Sketch out your poster design on a normal sized sheet of white paper. Be sure to give me something that will entice me to coming to see your movie!

Soundtrack Design: Design a list of songs that would fit the action sequences in your book. List the songs, the artists, and the order that they would be used in the movie. Type this.

Script Writing Sample: Choose one scene from your book to translate into a script. Be sure to use the proper format and include stage directions. Type this.

Set Design: Take the scene that you wrote a script for and design a set to be used. You may either sketch this out or make a three-dimensional model.

Book Review: Type a one page reaction to your book. THIS IS NOT A SUMMARY. Tell me if you liked it or dislike it and why. Point out parts that you could relate to or parts that seemed too far-fetched.

Presentation: On September 8th, you will present one part of your project to the class. Everything should be done on this date.

DEADLINES: All books should be finished no later than Tuesday, August 24th. You will have a team meeting Thursday, August 26th. Projects are due September 8th.

South Carolina Books

One of my all time FAVORITE writers has a new book out! Dottie Frank--author of Plantation, Sullivan's Island, and Isle of Palms--has written a new SC book, Shem Creek. These books all take place in the low country of South Carolina--a fascinating place to live, visit, and read about. The setting and the actions are interlaced with Gullah culture and the characters can be a little crazy, but what Southern folk can't be? They are realistic and fun and I've loved everyone of them. Get a sneak preview of all four of Dot's books at www.dotfrank.com. You won't be disappointed!

Something to think about...

Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life.

~ Jackie Robinson

CALLING ALL 18-YEAR-OLDS!

Election day is coming up! If you are 18 and haven't registered yet, what are you waiting for? In the 2000 election, 18 million people aged 18-29 turned out at the polls. That's a huge block of votes! Think you can't make a difference? You definitely can't make one if you don't vote. Get registered and get involved.

Visit Rock the Vote and Chicks Rock Chicks Vote for more election information!

ENGLISH III--Favorite American Time Period

We talked in class this week about how intertwined history and literature are in America. What is your favorite American time period? What do you want to read about the most?

I enjoy the writings that came out of the Revolutionary period. They were so powerful and moving. The American people had a lot of fight in them and its reflected in the writings. Check out some of Paine's writings--maybe you'll get fired up about being an American.

English IV--Literature Circles

Your first literature circles meeting is tomorrow morning and I right now I am hoping that you all have done the reading. How are the books so far? The meetings? What would make it better? Tell me all about it!

ENGLISH IV--Book Pass

We did the book pass today in class. It gave you a chance to be exposed to many books in a short amount of time.

Did you like the book pass? Did you see any books that you would want to start reading soon? Do you want to do the book pass again?

John Grisham's novels

Many of you have commented on John Grisham's books and how you have enjoyed them. You can't really go wrong with Grisham. His novels are suspenseful and pretty easy to read. So what's your favorite? Which ones have you read?

I've read all but The Painted House. My favorite has got to be Bleachers. In this novel, a hometown football hero returns home to bury his coach--whom he has mixed feelings about. This story flashbacks into the most exciting football season ever for this small town. Its filled with exciting game scenes as well as off the field sagas. Its definitely worth checking out!

Read any good books recently?

I read some awesome books this summer, but I am always looking for new ones. Let me know if you have any good books that you recomend. But also tell me why you recommend them! :)

Here's some that I read and liked:
The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc--This one was REALLY good! Takes place in Louisiana and is about a bored housewife and her high school flame. Not too gushy on the romance and even has some suspense in it.

Just Like You Only Prettier--This is a collection of columns from a Myrtle Beach journalist. They deal with Southern life and are really funny.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven--This one by Mitch Albom (who some of you may have seen on ESPN) deals with life after death. Its a pretty good guess at what could happen. I read this one in a bout a day, its not too long.

Savannah from Savannah--This book deals with life after college for a girl who wants to get out from under her mother, but then realizes that her mother may just be great. Its got a little intrigue to it, too.