Caution: Dangerous Reading!

Once a year, libraries around the United States salute intellectual freedom by highlighting books that have been banned or challenged in school libraries and public libraries.  Banned Books Week, which is September 26 – October 3 this year, celebrates our freedom to read materials which may have controversial content or unpopular viewpoints. 

If you come into the library in the next week or so, you’ll see our Banned Books Week display in the New Fiction section on the first floor.  We’ve highlighted some of the most often challenged and banned books.

You would expect to see books such as Lolita and Harry Potter on display, but many of the books frequently challenged in schools and libraries are surprising.  Here are a just a few examples:

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel
• The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
• The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
• King & King by Linda de Haan
• The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé
• Walter the Farting Dog by William Kotzwinkle (one of my personal favorites)

Come to the library and check out something from our display.  Open your mind by getting to know a different point of view.

**Britta**

The United States of Hispanic

From September 15 to October 15 every year, Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated across the country. We celebrate the traditions and values of the various cultures, and the contributions Hispanic immigrants and their descendants have made to this country.

It’s an important activity, since the Hispanic population and its impact on the United States continue to grow, as this press release from the U.S. Census Bureau attests. The list of numbers and statistics they’ve compiled about Hispanics in the U.S. included some surprises for me.

Can you believe, for example, that the only country with a greater Hispanic population than the United States is Mexico?

Out of the 50 states, New Mexico is the state with the most Hispanics – 45% of their total state population. (Florida is about 20% Hispanic.)

Our US Hispanic population contributes to American society in many ways. 79,400 of US Hispanics are chief executives. 50,866 are physicians and surgeons. 48,720 are postsecondary teachers. 38,532 are lawyers, and 2,726 are news analysts, reporters and correspondents. Plus, 1.1 million Hispanics are veterans of the U.S. armed forces. And, of course, we now have our first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor.

It’s good to be bilingual! Many immigrant groups lose their language over a couple of generations, but Spanish is alive and well in the US. 78% of Hispanics 5 and older speak Spanish at home. More than half of these folks also speak English very well.

Check out all the stats from the Census, and raise your awareness in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month 2009!

~Tara

Time to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!

It’s just around the corner and WOW do we have some exciting events planned for Hispanic Heritage Month!  

September 15 to October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States, a time to recognize the achievements and contributions of Latino/Hispanic Americans.  To celebrate, the West Palm Beach Public Library will host a variety of programs beginning Saturday, September 13th.  On this date the Children’s Department will present their “Sundays @ 2 for families” series with a Mayan Hieroglyphics interactive workshop,with local artist, Steve Brouse. 

In addition the library will present a cooking demonstration on Saturday, Sept. 19th at 2:00pm.  La Esquina del Ceviche Restaurant will actually be showing us how to cook ceviche, Peru’s most renowned dish.  Yummm!

And that’s not all!  Take a look at some of our other FREE programs celebrating Hispanic Heritage:

• iCinema series: the Cuban Arts and Cultural Association will present the film “El Super.” They will also host a special reception afterwards.  Sunday, September 20th @ 2:00pm.
• La Paloma Dancers: Mexican folkloric dance group from the Hispanic-Latino Cultural Alliance of Palm Beach County. Fresh chips and salsa will be provided by Aleyda’s Restaurant. Kids will also be invited onstage for a pinata!  Saturday, September 26th @ 2:00pm.
• Live Argentine Tango Performance: George and his students from the dance studio Exclusively Argentine Tango @ George’s will show off their best pieces onstage.  Sunday, September 27th @ 2:00pm.
• Homage to Rafael Hernandez: The Puerto Rican Cultural Society will present a taste of Puerto Rico’s rich musical and cultural heritage. Sunday, October 4th @ 2:00pm.
• Bolivian folkloric dancing: Part of our “Sundays @ 2 for families” series. Kids from the cultural center Semilla Boliviana will perform in full costume Bolivia’s traditional dances. Sunday, October 11th @ 2:00pm.

Also a special display titled “La Florida: Spanish Colony” will be located in the Florida Room on the 4th floor of the library.

The West Palm Beach Public Library invites you as well to browse and borrow materials from our Spanish Language collection. The library offers books, DVD’s, CD’s, popular magazines and more!  Just search our online catalog.

For more information about these great programs please call 561-868-7723 or 561-868-7701 or be sure to visit www.mycitylibrary.org.  BTW: Kudos to Tara Moreno, the library’s Hispanic Outreach Librarian, who has coordinated the scheduling of these great programs!

See you soon!

Theresa

 

 

 

important to understand “the diversity of the Hispanic community — Hispanics in the U.S. come from not just Mexico, but also from many different places in Europe and the Americas,