I won’t be posting next Monday, so today’s post is a double helping, a bloghop PLUS Banned Books Week.
First up: Ninja Captain Alex’s UNDERRATED TREASURES BLOGFEST
Do you have a favorite undiscovered movie, band, artist, and/or TV show? This blog hop is for you! There’s still time to sign on. Visit Captain Alex here.
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GROUP: COWBOY MOUTH
Greatest garage band in the world. ‘Nuff said! (sorry the vid wouldn’t post without the annoying ad)
SINGLE ARTIST: ZACHARY RICHARD
Zachary Richard is far from unknown. In fact, he’s a legend in the Cajun/Zydeco world, but for decades I was forced to buy his CDs as imports because he had no US distribution. This, despite the fact most of his CDs were recorded in exotic Scott, Louisiana. This suggests underrated to me. WAY underrated.
Zach was born in Scott and still lives there. He’s a musician, a published poet, the author of several children’s books, and writes some of the most beautiful melodies I’ve ever heard. I’ve yet to see him live. He plays primarily in Quebec and France. One day I WILL catch him at Jazz Fest in New Orleans.
This is an older video. I chose it because Au bord du Lac Bijou (On the shore of Lake Jewel) is a favorite of mine.
TV SHOW: THE BOOTH AT THE END
Very simple premise: an enigmatic man (God? Satan?) sits in a booth in a diner. People approach the man to make deals. In exchange for their heart’s desire, the mysterious man gives these folks a task. They can then choose to complete the task or walk away from the booth at the end. The show is only on Hulu, but it’s absolutely riveting. Catch it if you can.
BOOK: SACRED HUNGER, by BARRY UNSWORTH
Sacred Hunger won the Booker Prize in 1992, but I’ve yet to run across across anyone else who has ever read it. When someone asks about my favorite book, this is the one that always comes to mind.
[excerpted from an earlier post]
Sacred Hunger follows the history of an 18th century slave-trading ship from construction to the conveyance and sale of its human cargo. It is a story of choices, ends above means, profit at any cost—just one of many sacred hungers explored—and what these costs mean in both monetary and human terms.
The writing is lush, the subject important and well-researched, the story is epic and thrilling. The juxtaposition of the two main characters, one who profits from slaving and the other subjugated by it, is brilliant. The close-up view of the machinations of the slave trade and life aboard a slaver are riveting. The horrors of disease, the mercenary bartering between ship captains and African kings, the use and abuse of sailors and the human cargo aboard the ship is both awful and fascinating to read about.
Sacred Hunger is sensitive to it’s time period. It’s easy for us to moralize today and see the true evil of the slave trade, but two-hundred years ago, perceptions were different. Unsworth does a sublime job of giving us a glimpse of this world not through the eyes of a 21st century observer, but through the eyes of someone who lived through it. It is precisely because Unsworth doesn’t impose morality on his characters that this is such an important work. The book helps us to understand a ‘why’ that most of us can’t comprehend today. Is it painful to read? Absolutely, because we are put in touch with, and forced to empathize with, the basest of human instincts. This book will teach you, make you think, and astound you with the beauty of its language.
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AND NOW, FROM THE UNDERRATED TO THE BANNED!
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BANNED BOOKS WEEK 2014
September 21−September 27, 2014
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Celebrating the the Freedom to Read
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Timberland Regional Library/Flickcc
“Banning Books gives us silence when we need speech. It closes our ears when we need to listen. It makes us blind when we need sight.”
Stephen Chbosky
“The books the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.”
Oscar Wilde
“Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.”
Laurie Halse Anderson
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Robert Dumas/Flickrcc
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For a list of the Top Ten Challenged Books
by Year: 2001-2013
go here.
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The list for 2013***
(Out of 307 challenges as reported by the Office for Intellectual Freedom)
- Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group, violence - The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group - Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James
Reasons: Nudity, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group - The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group - A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl, by Tanya Lee Stone
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit - Looking for Alaska, by John Green
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group - The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group - Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
Reasons: Occult/Satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit - Bone (series), by Jeff Smith
Reasons: Political viewpoint, racism, violence
***Courtesy of the American Library Association
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It’s banned books week, and you know what that means: time to read a banned book. There are several excellent choices on the list above, well maybe not Fifty Shades (unsuited to age group?????), but The Bluest Eye, The Hunger Games, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower are all wonderful reads.
Has anyone read Looking for Alaska? Think that will be my choice for this year.
Have a favorite banned book
or plan to read a banned book this week? Share!
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VR BARKOWSKI 
Bless Me Ultima is one of my favorite books of all time. I actually based one of the characters in my first book partially from inspiration from the book! I love how most people who know a book is so evil have never read it, because to do that would be to partake of evil! It’s a very circular way of thought that is kind of funny and kind of sad.
Darn it, Steven. I was trying to decide between reading Bless me, Ultima and Looking for Alaska for Banned Books Week. I was swinging toward Alaska, now I’m swinging back toward Ultima.
Oh shoot, I forgot about the underrated blog hop. Too late to do anything about it now.
And banned books week. This one always sneaks up on me.
I almost missed the ‘fest as well, Liz. Usually I know when something’s happening around the blogosphere, but not this time. I didn’t sign up until last night.
Wow, I didn’t know so many of the books I liked are banned!! Hahaa…
Me too, Cathrina. It’s hard to understand why some books are banned.
Your underrated had some interesting new finds for me. I especially loved the sound of ZACHARY RICHARD and I’ll have to check out THE BOOTH AT THE END. Sad that books are banned for whatever reason.
Booth at the End is fascinating, Mason. I watched it by accident and became totally hooked. The episodes are very short, too—less than 30 minutes, which is kind of nice.
Some of those reasons for being banned are stupid, just like they are trying to make something up. Sounds like a good show too, have to give it a go.
I know, Pat. Some of the books banned don’t make any sense, but let’s face it, some folks have more time than brains.
Sacred Hunger sounds amazing. As for the banned books, I love The Perks of Being a Wallflower, both the movie and the book.
I agree, Tamara, Perks is a fabulous book!
I’m definitely going to have to check out that show, The Booth at the End. And I love that Chbosky quote.
Madeline @ The Shellshank Redemption
I know the premise sounds a little screwy, but I think you’ll like The Booth at the End, Madeline.
Hi, there,
I’m not familiar with your treasure,but that show does sound fascinating.
It really is an intriguing show, Joy. It’s also an amazing lesson for writers on how to write tension and conflict into dialog, since there’s pretty much only one setting: the booth at the end.
I’d be a lousy participant in that blogfest, because I’m usually decades behind everyone else in discovering “new” bands or movies, etc. Like I just now “discovered” the group Muse, because I heard their music playing in the mall recently, found out who it was, and immediately went to the music store to buy one of their CDs. (Turns out, our daughter has been one of their fans for the past twenty years…)
As for banned books, is anything else more ridiculous? One of the greatest gifts my mother gave me as a child, and which I, in turn, gave to our children, is the freedom to read any book. No censorship. (Didja know one of Mark Twain’s books was banned? It’s called “Eve’s Diary”, and the reason it was banned is because there was a nude illustration of Eve in it. )
Fascinating, Susan. I thought I knew about one of Twain’s books being banned, but I don’t remember ever hearing of Eve’s Diary, so maybe not. I do know Sam wrote (and said) some scandalous things in his time, but a nude illustration? Wow, Eve or no, that’s pretty risqué for his day.
Like that band, Cowboy Mouth! And the Booth at the End show would appeal to me. Interesting choices and two new to me!
Cowboy Mouth is a lot of fun. Lots of humor in their lyrics, too. Thanks so much for swinging by, DG!
I have not heard of that TV show and have to check it out. Banning books should be banned. I remember when i was in High School and there was a vote to ban books like Huckleberry Finn and The Diviners. It was outrageous. My mother grew up in Hitler’s Germany and remembered books being burned. She always said, sure there are books, movies etc… that i don’t agree with but to start to censor only creates a lack of freedom which many take for granted until they no longer have it. It always starts with censoring pornography and escalates from there
Exactly, Birgit! Very well said. How can anything that limits freedom of choice be right?
Great post and recommendations. THANKS! 🙂
You’re welcome. Thanks for dropping by, Margo!
Great list of underrated treasures, VR! I love so many banned books. It’s such a shame these books are banned. I’ll never stop reading what I want to read though. 😉
I’m with you, Chrys. Fortunately, I think these days, banning increases readership.
ooo, i wanted to watch booth at the end, but never got a chance to. i think it might still be on hulu.
You should definitely watch, Djinnia. I saw the first couple of seasons. I heard they were still making the show, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen a new episode.
I’d love to write something good enough someone thought it should be banned 🙂
You and me both, Carol! Banning has to be the best marketing tool out there.
Your favorite books sounds in danger of being banned for being too depressing! Life is so harsh that I try to stay away from books where the majority of the characters are victims.
You and I need to have our books banned — that always seems to boost sales. Mark Twain mentioned the allure of forbidden fruit and all that. 🙂
Granted, Roland, Sacred Hunger isn’t the cheeriest book in the world. I love that banning books increases sales, but I have this vision that someone will eventually start a business, recruit hundreds of people, then hire them out to send letters to the ALA requesting this or that book be banned. $1000 will get 200 letters sent to the ALA requesting your book be banned; $5000 will get you 1000 letters requesting it be banned. Am I cynical, or what? 🙂
Banned because of talking animals? Some people take it way too far.
All of the items you listed are new to me – well done!
Thanks for participating in my blogfest.
Thanks, Alex. It was a fun ‘fest! Great idea.
Hi there V.R. I love that I haven’ t heard of any of these. Banned? Uh?
Denise, the one upside to the reprehensible act of book banning is that it usually increases sales. There’s irony for you.
Hi, V.R. I hadn’t heard of any of your picks for the Underrated Treasures Blogfest. Thanks for sharing them.
Thanks so much for dropping by, Susanne!
Cowboy Mouth is a fun band, I look forward to listening to more Z. Richard. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for dropping by and reading, Mike!
You’ve given me much to think over or seek out. I’m still not sure which. 🙂
Anna from Shout with Emaginette