It's Banned Books Week so I thought I'd share some of my favorite banned books. I'd love it if others did the same--I'll bet you've read at least one banned book, even if you didn't know it. Today's book is To Kill a Mockingbird. It has been banned in multiple cities across the US for decades. Most commonly cited reasons are for "profanity" and "racial slurs." How ironic that one of the best things about the book is that it helps us see the importance of overcoming small mindedness and prejudice. One summer (I think I was 15) my mother came into my room and handed me a black paperback with a bird on the cover. She said, "I just found this old book of mine, you should read it." With nothing else to do, I opened it and began. I had no idea the impact this book would have on my life. Let me put this in perspective: I was an "outsider" in a small town in North Florida, and racism was alive and well. I was somewhat depressed about being there and honestly, quite angry. Atticus Finch showed me that actions were just as important as words, and the only way to combat the ugliness in the world was with compassion and understanding. Anger and hate just lead to more of the same. Scout made me feel like it was normal that I didn't like wearing dresses and never thought twice about fighting with boys (sorry, Michael). And through Boo Radley, I realized that small town talk may damage a person's reputation but not their character (I still carry a trinket given to me by Joe Creekmore as a thank you for my kindness). When I finished the book, I immediately turned back to the first page and began reading again.

Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book was not at all what I expected. Based on the cover art, I really thought this was going to be totally steam punk. As it turns out, it is totally fairies with a splash of steam punk thrown in. That aside, I couldn't seem to put it down and I'm not really sure why. I really liked the story, but was disappointed by the character development. The main character, Noli, seemed so promising at first. A free spirited, mechanically inclined girl can get into all sorts of trouble, and she does. But she lacks the confidence of a true independent spirit which makes her character somewhat unbelievable. Of course, there is romance and being the first in a series, there is the hint of a future love triangle. The ending did leave me looking forward to the next book, and I will probably read it. Perhaps the characters will become a little less flat in the next book.



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