Queen of the Banned

Happy All Hallow’s Eve, folks. To some this is a night to wander the neighborhood with a candy-filled swagbag and scare the crap out of your friends, to others it’s a chance to find the sexual potential in even the most mundane professions and objects, and to others still it is a night when the spirits walk among us as the veil between our world and the world beyond blurs. Whatever it is to you, monsters in the closet, creatures that go bump in the night, and primal fears that still make your hair stand up on the back of your neck likely play some kind of factor (be it in earnest, nostalgia, or mere party theme).

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Chronicle of Days of High School Past

Happy Halloween, friends. Please enjoy this review of the original Carrie film adaptation. You can read the review of the book here and I’ll have the remake review up just as soon as I’m not a poor college grad who can’t afford to see movies in the theatre.

REPEAT OFFENDER: Carrie (1976)

THE REVIEW: There is a reason this movie has been referenced time and time again. The film remains relevant today, in part because it was well done and in part because its themes have become only more pressing. As its own creature, it’s a solid movie. However, how it differs from the book has more to say about us than the book or movie themselves.

Lost Girls (and Books)

Here’s a rather unusual tale of censorship for you. This article tells how Lost Girls by Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie was banned… so it wouldn’t be banned. Apparently, a New Zealand public library was afraid of the ramifications of someone objecting to the book and it subsequently being put before a censor, so they just took it off the shelves to avoid that possibility altogether, creating a bizarre censorship Ouroboros.

Which is Sweeter? Blood or Chocolate?

THE DEFENDANT: Blood and Chocolate, Annette Curtis Klause

THE VERDICT: While technically not widely banned, Blood and Chocolate was on the Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2001 of 448 challenges reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom for being sexually explicit and unsuited to intended age group of readers. Regardless of the charges, the book won the 1998 YALSA Award for Best Books for Young Adults. Klause has not made an appearance before on the banned books list.

Snow White, Rose Red

Carrie White: if Jean Grey wasn’t the popular kid.

THE DEFENDANT: Carrie, Stephen King

THE VERDICT: Stephen King is no stranger to censorship, so it’s no surprise his first book found itself in the crosshairs of book challenges. The ALA lists King as the 9th most frequently challenged author in 2003 and the 5th in 2002. Carrie itself came in at #81 on the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books from 1990-1999. According to Banned Books Awareness, Stephen King is “the most censored and banned author in American literary history” (“Banned Books Awareness: ‘Different Seasons’“), with Carrie as but one of many books that have felt the heat of moral outrage (something Carrie herself is all too familiar with).

Finding Neverland, er, Terabithia

And now for the Bridge to Terabithia movie review. The book review can be found here.

REPEAT OFFENDER: Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

THE REVIEW: This movie is set in that same unclear netherworld as many a comic book or teen movie. Parts of it seem like they could be the 70s rural setting of the book, but other aspects seem modern. Leslie’s clothing has been updated to fit the modern idea of eccentric misfit (although the eccentric misfit look she rocks is pretty trendy at the moment), as a girl with short hair who wears pants instead of a dress is hardly gossip-worthy these days.

War Is Hell

My gift for terrible puns finally came in handy recently. I won a copy of World War Z last week by tweeting zombie-related versions of famous book titles for Read It Forward’s #UndeadLit contest and the book just arrived today. Check out the hashtag if you want to see some of the titles people came up with. My personal favorite was “A Farewell to Arms and Legs”.

Holy Shameless Self-Promotion, Batman!

Readers of Rohan, Gondor called for aid and you answered. This has been an excellent week for Bound and Gagged, for which I thank you (and Nightwing17’s Grayson-esque cheekbones). Thanks for sharing, pinning, and reading (so many referrals from Pinterest). I have more good news. Another writer will be joining our ranks here this month so you can look forward to a new voice and a new face on the blog. Huzzah for new blood!

Granitecon and Back Again: A Shireling’s Tale

Devin Grayson, take note

So, I’m a bit late on the game, but Granite State Comic Con, also known as Granitecon, took place in Manchester, NH on September 28-29. To mark their 10th anniversary, the con was extended from its previous one day to a two-day weekend affair. I was lucky enough to go and, I’m embarrassed to admit, it was kind of my first con. I’d been to Conbust at Smith College before, but I’m not sure if that counts. So I was a semi-con-virgin, I suppose.

Monsters in the Closet

It’s October, which, in addition to everything being delicious and pumpkiny, means ghost stories and horror abound. Which means banned books also abound. Whether due to the paranormal/supernatural ruffling religious feathers or the genre’s ability to unsettle readers, Horror can never seem to exorcise the specter of censorship.