Book Burning ... A Cautionary Tale

Some burn books because they want to keep others from reading them.  Some, like these fraternity brothers, burn books for another reason altogether.  Regardless of the reasons for it, book burning is serious business.  Check out this article from the June 22, 2012, issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education.

"Fraternity Brothers Not So Joyous After Book-Burning Celebration Torches House"

Some students celebrate their college graduations by lighting the candles on a cake. Others, like one recent group of Louisiana Tech University fraternity brothers, opt for a bigger bash—and learn hard lessons to boot.

The fraternity brothers in question reportedly celebrated the end of the year by lighting their textbooks on fire, and officials with the Ruston Police Department believe the flames sparked a blaze that burned down their house…and the apartment building next door.

John Chestnut, president of the university’s Pi Kappa Alpha chapter, told WAFB his fraternity brothers were “maybe doing an end of year celebration and burning some books or whatever, so we’ll look into that.”

Five students were in the house at the time of the fire, and all escaped unharmed. The firefighters weren’t so lucky: one suffered a broken pelvis jumping to safety, and another injured his knee. Both buildings were destroyed.

Hunger Games Debuts in China

June 22, 2012 - The Hunger Games debuted over the past week in China at number one on the box office chart. The film grossed an estimated 66.1 million yuan (8.2 million euros) over its first week, according to Ent Group.

For more details, read The Hunger Games in China.

Challenged!

Author Suzanne Collins' name has shown up on ALA's Most Frequently Challenged Authors of the 21st Century lists in 2010 and 2011. Evidently, The Hunger Games trilogy, first published in 2008, has struck a nerve.

Why have the books been challenged? 

• In New Hampshire, a parent asked the Goffstown School Board to remove the book from her daughter's class, claiming that it gave her 11-year-old nightmares and could numb other students to the effects of violence.  The parent made the request without having read the book herself.  The challenge was ultimately unsuccessful.  
• In 2011, The Hunger Games trilogy was #3 on the list of Top Ten Challenged Books by Year.  The reasons given were: anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; and violence.
• In 2010, The Hunger Games was #5 on the list of Top Ten Challenged Books by Year for these reasons: sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and violence.

What do you think? Will we see more challenges in 2012?