Results tagged “ala”

When a trailer for the upcoming cine-adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are debuted online this spring it caused a minor sensation, with everyone going nuts about its use of an Arcade Fire song and the decidedly non-CGI looking creatures. Although we were frankly disappointed by the Dave Eggers-penned Away We Go we're still genuinely excited; because, luckily, Spike Jonze is no Sam Mendes. In fact we haven't been this anxious to see a book-to-movie project since ... well, Wes Anderson's upcoming Fantastic Mr. Fox.

It's National Library Week, but we're off to a sad start. Judith Krug, founder of the famed Banned Books Week and director of the Chicago-based American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, passed away this weekend. Judith Platt, president of the ALA's Freedom to Read Foundation, told the Associated Press Krug passed away Saturday at Evanston Hospital after a year-long bout with cancer. Krug became head of the ALA's OIF in 1967 and the first Banned Book Week was celebrated in 1982. [AP via Trib]

For the past 27 years, the American Library Association has sponsored Banned Book Week, to celebrate freedom of expression and remind Americans not to take this "democratic freedom for granted." The ALA also publishes it's "Top Ten Most Challenged Books" annually citing books with the most "challenges"- formal, written complaints, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. The number one most challenged book in 2007 was And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell for being anti-ethnic, sexist, anti-family, homosexual, having religious viewpoints and being unsuitable to intended age groups. We here at Chicagoist admit we both enjoy inappropriate content and strongly believe in the freedom to have access to all books, regardless of subjective opinions on what a book should and shouldn't contain. To celebrate, we give you the Chicagoist staff picks of our favorite banned books. Please give a shout on what your favorites are as well...