GIVEAWAY: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (BBW: Bloggers SPEAK Out)

I had intended to have this up a few days ago, along with a litany of other Banned Books Week posts, but I had some issues, which I detailed here, on top of two others I didn't mention: I've been sick for over a week now, and am just plain worn down, and have had a death in the (rattie) family, and am a little bummed.  More on that later, but for now, let's have a little pick me up, shall we?

I'm sure you've heard about Dimwit Scroggins, but if you haven't, check out this post.  In a show of free-thought solidarity, a gazillion bloggers have banded together for Banned Books Week to bring you Bloggers Speak Out (also check out Speak Loudly, which got the ball rolling).  Natalie of Mindful Musings says:
  Bloggers Speak Out is a movement sparked by the recent article, "Filthy Books Demeaning to Republic Education" by Dr. Wesley Scroggins that was published in the Springfield, MO News-Leader on September 18th. In this article, Scroggins vehemently advocates the censorship of books in schools, and specifically requests that the following books be removed from the Republic school system: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler, and Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. To show our support of these authors and to fight against book banning and censorship, we have decided to take action and speak out.  

So here's where I come in:

Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis." What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? Or maybe it's because her parents' only form of communication is Post-It notes written on their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute...



I had the pleasure of meeting LHA at ALA this year, and getting a signed copy of her Printz honor + National Book Award finalist of a first novel (among others), so I wasn't sure what to do with my old beat up copy.  I mean, I didn't want to foist it off on you -- it has seen better days, after all.  But then this fuckhole decided that no one should read it, beat up copy or spanking new, and I thought, screw that, I'm foisting.  Someone will want to read my a little too well-loved, controversial award-winning piece of filth, right?


Yeah, I thought so.  ;p

 To enter, fill out this form.

International.

Ends 10/3

If you want to join Bloggers Speak Out or find out more about the fantastic posts and giveaways inspired by Fuckface Scroggins, go to http://themindfulmusingsbookblog.blogspot.com/


Check back through out the week for more on BBW, including readings from Speak and Slaughterhouse Five (<--- love that, btw.  Take that, Scrog)