Banned Books Week

 This week libraries across the United States are recognizing "Banned Books Week".

Banned books week began in the 1980s after the Supreme Court ruled that school officials cannot ban books from libraries because of content in the Island Trees School District v. Pico (1982) case. While this ruling has stood, there are still books that are challenged and banned. Even in the event of banned books, the majority are still widely available.

One might ask why a book would by challenged or banned. We do have freedom of speech , don't we? We do, but sometimes that freedom is challenged. This is why the American Libraries Association Office of Intellectual Freedom exists. On an individual basis there may be books that come into question on their content because of viewpoints and bias, with freedom of speech and intellectual freedom we must realize that everyone has a right to create content as well as the right to consume that content. 

There are many reasons that a book may be challenged. Often the reasons come down to viewpoint or changes in society. There are many books that are considered classics that have been put on the list because what was accepted when the book was written, is no longer accepted in society.  These topics are often religious point of view, racism, prejudice, violence, political point of view, language, sexual themes, and others.

Here at the Jennie Woodworth Library, our goal when we purchase books is to provide content for our community. We believe in intellectual freedom. Libraries are meant to be a place of knowledge and research with information from all points of view. We encourage our patrons and their families to use our online catalog to search for books they are interested in. We have added the subject "Banned and Challenged List" to the books we have that are on the lists. We know often when people are reminded about banned books that it peaks their curiosity.

You may view the entire Banned and Challenged Books List for 2020 here.

Wait? It is September already? -- August Stats

It is difficult to believe that it is September already (and a third of the way through!).

We started accepting applications for the Jennie’s Christmas Mercantile that will be December 11. You can get all the information at Jennie's Christmas Mercantile.  We do still have openings. To remind everyone that your application is only part of the process. Payment is required to confirm your spot. We are excited for the 2021 Christmas mercantile. We love seeing our community come together!

For August we welcomed 10 new patrons to our library. Those patrons are included in the 275 visits that we had through out the month. While our patrons explored our library, we had 239 items checked out. This included:

               Books                   152                      

               DVD                     19                        

               Computers            68                        

Aside from our community visiting us in person, we also have had visits to our website (www.JWLwhitebluff.com) and our catalog (cat.JWLwhitebluff.com).

               Catalog Visits     2478

               Website Visits    6048

*visits are just that, a visit to the web URL. 

 

New Books for August

FICTION 

Light After the War by Anita Abriel It is 1946 when Vera Frankel and her best friend Edith Ban arrive in Naples. Refugees from Hungary, they escaped from a train headed for Auschwitz and were hidden by farmers until the end of the war while the rest of their families perished. Now, they want to start new lives abroad, and armed with a letter of recommendation from an American general, Vera finds work at the United States embassy and falls in love with Captain Anton Wight. But...

Gut Decision by Jeff Carson After six tours as an Army Ranger, David Wolf is finally back home in Rocky Points, Colorado, where he's in his third week of training for the Sluice County Sheriff's Department. His survival instincts and fresh memories of military action are wreaking havoc on his chances of making a good impression, and when he screws up during his first week on patrol, everyone has written him off as hopeless -- a dangerous kid without any self control. So when he thinks he sees trouble happening during a routine call, probie-deputy Wolf must decide if he can defy orders and trust the instincts that got him through six tours of death-defying military action, or if he's just seeing things again.

The Silversmith by Jeff Carson Deputy Sergeant David Wolf has been waiting sixteen years for today's opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his late father -- to become Sheriff of Sluice County, headquartered in the small ski resort town of Rocky Points, Colorado. What he's offered, however, isn't quite what he's expecting. And for Wolf, refusing turns out to be harder, and much deadlier, than he could have anticipated. When a rich and powerful enemy corrupts the SCSD from within, Wolf becomes hunted by his own department, along with a special forces killing machine who's psychotic lust for blood is never denied. 

America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray As Thomas Jefferson's oldest daughter, Patsy becomes his helpmate, protector, and constant companion in the wake of her mother's death. She travels with him when he becomes American minister to France. It is in Paris that Patsy learns about her father's liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age. Meanwhile, Patsy has fallen in love with her father's protégé William Short, a staunch abolitionist and ambitious diplomat. Her choices will follow her in the years to come, and as scandal, tragedy, and poverty threaten her family Patsy must decide how much she will sacrifice to protect her father's reputation.

Hamnet by Maggie OFarrell A young Latin tutor--penniless, bullied by a violent father--falls in love with an eccentric young woman who walks her family's estate with a falcon on her shoulder and is known throughout the countryside for her unusual gifts as a healer. Agnes understands plants and potions better than she does people, but settles with her husband on Henley Street in Stratford. She becomes a fiercely protective mother and a steadfast force in the life of her young husband, whose gifts as a writer are just beginning to awaken when their young son succumbs to bubonic plague.

Ocean Prey by John Sandford An off-duty Coast Guardsman is fishing with his family when he calls in some suspicious behavior from a nearby boat. It's a snazzy craft, slick and outfitted with extra horsepower, and is zipping along until it slows to pick up a surfaced diver . . . a diver who was apparently alone, without his own boat, in the middle of the ocean. None of it makes sense unless there's something hinky going on, and his hunch is proved right when all three Guardsmen who come out to investigate are shot and killed. They're federal officers killed on the job, which means the case is the FBI's turf. When the FBI's investigation stalls out, they call in Lucas Davenport. 

YOUNG ADULT

The Desolations of Devil's Acre by Ransom Riggs 

Sequel to: The conference of the birds. "The last thing Jacob Portman saw before the world went dark was a terrible, familiar face. Suddenly, he and Noor are back in his grandfather's house. Jacob doesn't know how they escaped from V's loop, but he does know one thing for certain: Caul has returned. Risen from the Library of Souls, Caul and his apocalyptic agenda seem unstoppable. Only one hope remains--deliver Noor to the meeting place of the seven prophesied ones, if they can decipher its secret location.

JUVENILE FICTION

Fans of “Percy Jackson” will love the story of Aru Shah, a girl who unexpectedly gets drawn into a world of adventure. Based on Hindu mythology, this enthralling tale will captivate anyone in the mood for a high-octane adventure.

Aru Shah and the End of Time bk. 1 by Roshani Chokshi

Aru Shah and the Song of Death bk. 2 by Roshani Chokshi

Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes bk. 3 by Roshani Chokshi

Aru Shah and the City of Gold bk. 4 by Roshani Chokshi

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier  Raina can't wait to be a big sister, but once Amara is born, things aren't quite how she expected them to be. Their relationship doesn't improve much over the years. But when a baby brother enters the picture, and later, when something doesn't seem right between their parents, they realize they must figure out how to get along. They are sisters, after all.