April 29, 2024
The first part of 2024 has brought some long-awaited good news to the world of books.
As of January 1st of this year, Illinois became the first state with legislation designed to protect libraries and schools from books bans.
This legislation, HB2789, protects the freedom of libraries to acquire materials without external limitations. Prior to this, Illinois law did not provide such protections. (According to the American Library Association, there were 67 attempts to ban books in Illinois in 2022).
Under the law, Illinois libraries would only be eligible for state-funded grants if they adopt the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights.
This bill of rights was adopted in the summer of 1939, and has been amended as recently as 2019. It is basically a mission statement for the purpose of public libraries (and school libraries, for that matter).
A few highlights:
I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.
We will have to wait and see how effective this legislation is. But I have great hopes that – at least in Illinois – we will be free to read the books of our choosing for the foreseeable future.
Of course, it is not all good news. The Pen America Center tracked 4,349 book bans in the fall of 2023. And while even Florida has made it more difficult for book challenges to be lodged in school districts by individuals who do not have children attending school in those districts, the practice has not been outlawed. There is still a lot of work to do.
As for us Indies, well, according to the American Booksellers Association, we are gaining in strength, diversity, and numbers with each passing year.
Between March of 2020 and the summer of 2023, 475 stores opened; 140 of them BIPOC-owned (56 of these stores opened in early 2023). At that point, there were 198 bookstores scheduled to open by the end of 2025 - another 30 of them BIPOC-owned.
We had an amazing party this past Saturday. I hope that all the newbies enjoyed their first Independent Bookstore Day. I know I did.
Like all good parties, we have some leftovers. Browse below if you missed any of the sweet swag over the weekend.
One Day. Fifty States. Over a Thousand Bookstores.
For more information, visit Chilovebooks.com
#IndieBookstoreDay #CHILOVEBOOKS
From bestselling Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn creators
Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham comes another heartwarming and hilarious Kitty and Unicorn story about big dreams, self-esteem, the enduring magic of true friendship…and mermaids! Each book will come with a signed bookplate affixed to the title page and a tattoo sheet.
Bubbly, Beautiful Kitty-Corn, $19.99 Hardback, signed bookplate, tattoo sheet
Real Stories About Growing Up Trans. Nine members of the trans community share their real-life childhood experiences, which include much more than just their gender journeys.
Their courageous yet relatable stories will inspire readers as they see these musicians, teachers, scientists and activists overcome the various challenges of growing up to discover who they truly are.
This Independent Bookstore Day exclusive edition comes with a foil logo and a fold in poster of the cover art.
Becoming Who We are, $16.99 paperback, foil logo, poster
In An Excellent Host, modern dating goes wildly awry (at least when Chelsea G. Summers is in charge of the Airbnb booking).
Somewhere in Brooklyn, a feast awaits its guests, a man cannot believe his great good luck, and ancient gods get ready to receive their due in this horror-fantasy updating of Greek myths.
An
Excellent Host, $14.95
paperback
A delightfully funny, fantastically inventive collection of twenty newly unearthed short stories by Sir Terry Pratchett.
This special trove — featuring charming woodcut illustrations and a new cover — is a must-have for Pratchett fans of all ages and includes a foreword by Neil Gaiman.
These rediscovered tales were written by Terry Pratchett under a pseudonym for British newspapers during the 1970s and 1980s. The stories have never been attributed to him until now and might never have been found —were it not for the efforts of a few dedicated fans.
A Stroke of the Pen, $18.95 paperback
An indie bookstore exclusive 5-year anniversary edition of
The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America.
This exclusive signed edition also includes a
dumb birds sticker sheet and a letter from the author -
Matt Kracht - to the readers that made this book a
bestseller for the past five years.
The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America
$15.95 paperback, signed, sticker sheet, author’s letter
Some fun merch from the vendor Out of Print.
Read, Think, Vote pin - $12
Bans off Our Books pouch - $16
Local poet Eve Ewing has generously authorized a beautiful color broadside of her poem “I Come from the Fire City” that was included in her collection Electric Arches. Available for $19.99.
Local artist Tony Fitzpatrick has also graciously donated a signed print of Psalm for an Irish Girl. These prints are $100 and 50% of the proceeds will go to the Greater Chicago Food Depository in support of the Migrants in Chicago.
April 29th – May 5th, 2024
Broadway in Chicago has offered after-words customers discounted tickets to one of their shows!
The play is called How I Learned What I Learned. It is an autobiographical play by August Wilson. This one-man show follows August Wilson's journey as a young Black writer from Pittsburgh to one of the most celebrated American playwrights of the 20th century. Written three years before his death, this piece recounts numerous stories from the author's long career and the lessons they taught about what it means to be a Black artist in America.
It is at the Broadway in Chicago Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E Chestnut Street).
Here is a link to buy tickets . CSTPART is the code to use to unlock the discount.
June 4th, 2024
after-words Banned Books Club – meeting #3
6:30pm
after-words Event Space
This quarter, we turn our attention to a young adult novel.
Young adult novels dominate the top 10 most challenged book list every year. 2023 was no exception.
So, we have chosen the 4th most challenged book in the United States in 2023,
The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The critically acclaimed debut novel from Stephen Chbosky follows observant "wallflower" Charlie as he charts a course through the strange world between adolescence and adulthood. First dates, family drama, and new friends. Sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Devastating loss, young love, and life on the fringes. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie must learn to navigate those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.
Please join us on Tuesday, June 4th at 6:30pm for our discussion.
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