Review by Linda

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

Brilliant! is the one word description I would give to Anthony Horowitz’s House of Silk. The characters came to life through Mr. Horowitz’s pen; and his descriptions of the life of the privileged, lavish and indulgent, juxtaposed against the desperation of the poor and the orphaned provided the perfect setting; all wrapped up in the dirt and fog of a raw English winter. I was there with Sherlock Holmes and Watson in Victorian London.  But it wasn’t only the weather that chilled me to the bone.  The subject was so shocking to Watson that he ordered the manuscript not to be published for 100 years.  With two very different murders to investigate the plot is deliciously complex. While some answers seemed obvious, others took me by surprise.  This mystery was fulfilling on every level. The writing was beautiful, the descriptions vivid, and the puzzle engaging right to the end. Written as a reflection by Dr. Watson, some years after the death of Sherlock Holmes, the characters were completely true to the originals. It’s no wonder that this was the first Sherlock Holmes novel written by another author to receive the authorization of the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate. 

What is your favorite banned book?

We're celebrating Banned Book Week all month! What is your favorite banned book? Did a banned book have an effect on you growing up? Tell us all about it! Use the comments box below to share you experience or complete a Banned Book bookmark when you visit the library. Here are some banned book lists to spark your memory:

ALA timeline 30-years-liberating-literature
ALA's frequently challenged of the 21st century
ALA's frequently challenged classics

Huffington Post's most surprising banned books

The Banned Book That Changed My Life by Emma

If I had to name any banned book that had an effect on me growing up, I would have to say One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey. A cult classic about a group of middle-aged men in a psychiatric hospital may seem like an odd book to choose, but it had a pivotal role in my development as a writer, reader, teacher and librarian.

I was a young teenager flicking through some old paperbacks at a yard sale when one with Jack Nicholson on the cover caught my eye. I knew he was a famous actor, and I was going through my somewhat pretentious movie phase, so I was torn between this book and one featuring short stories by Alfred Hitchcock. I only had enough money for one, but seeing my indecision, the man running the yard sale let me have the Kesey book for free.

I’d always been a reader, but One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest was unlike anything I had ever read before. It marked the transition between my reading as a child and an adult. The story is seen through the eyes of Chief Bromden, one of the great unreliable narrators in modern literature. Although he is observant and sees details that most wouldn’t, his shaky mental health means he relays things that cannot be true. Prior to this, I had always taken the words of the narrator as the absolute truth, so this book was the literary equivalent of realizing that grown-ups can lie. It made me see stories as not just something I could consume wholeheartedly, but something I could engage in and collaborate with, study, and analyze. One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, a banned book, opened a world of stories to me that has shaped my life ever since.

My Favorite Banned Books by Cyndi

When thinking about what to write for our banned book week blog, it occurred to me that many of my favorite books have come under the censorship spotlight.  I was a young teenager when I read The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier for the first time.  Cormier’s book was so remarkably different from anything I had read up to that point.   The adult characters were far from perfect, the lead character was flawed and not always likable, life was portrayed as often unfair and the ending was not a happy one!  To this day I still think about that book.

From the pages of The Chocolate War and other books by Cormier, I explored the wild with Jack London and Joseph Conrad, shivered my way through many Stephen King’s novels, felt the sadness of Ernest Hemmingway’s characters and still try to wrap my mind around the senselessness of the crime committed in Truman Capote’s story In Cold Blood.  

For me, the definition of a great book is when I continue to carry a piece of the story with me long after the last page has been read.

Some thoughts for Banned Book Week by Susan

Most folks who are concerned about removing books, DVD's and CD's from library shelves are well intentioned.  They truly feel that the content-- the words, ideas, pictures, or sounds--are detrimental to someone.  They don't want a child or a teen or someone they care about to run into something that might cause embarrassment, confusion, shock, or offence.

A public library in the US is one of the most subversive places anywhere. Libraries are intended to be bastions of democracy.  They are intended to be a place for self-education, self-enrichment and THE place where ALL ideas can be reviewed without judgment. Any good public library should have something to offend everyone!

We all have the ability to choose whether to read, view or listen to something or not.  Even young children understand when a parent says, "This is not for us.  Let's keep looking for another book."  We all have the right to decide what we wish to share with our children and what we want to explore ourselves.  We DO NOT have the right to decide for the ENTIRE community.  Celebrate BANNED BOOKS!

Lynne's Banned Books

It's amazing how many books that I read growing up are on this list! Among my favorites would be "Of Mice and Men" by Steinbeck, "The Outsiders" by Hinton and as of recent, "The Hunger Games".  I remember pulling "Of Mice and Men" off my grandmother's old bookshelf numerous times to read over and over again!  "To Kill a Mockingbrd", The Diary of Anne Frank" and "A Wrinkle in Time" were also memorable choices of mine.  Some of these books do bring up some serious subjects. There will always be subject matter that does not sit well with others, but it's fortunate that we are given the choice to read what we choose.  Many a great book has opened up dialogues about subjects that would not neccesarily have occurred.  So pick up a great book and start reading!