Great Big Story
The Parthenon of Books, A Stand Against Censorship
Discover Marta Minujín's installation in Germany, built with 100,000 banned books to spark conversations on freedom of expression.
Great Big Story
The Parthenon of Books, A Stand Against Censorship
Discover Marta Minujín's installation in Germany, built with 100,000 banned books to spark conversations on freedom of expression.
Weird History
History of Banned Books
Books have always been a key part of the American cultural and social landscape, and thus have often become flashpoints in various culture wars. In fact, throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, certain books - even some we love - have...
Schooling Online
John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men - Theme of Friendship
George Milton and Lennie Small sure are an odd pair. Why do they cling to their friendship? Join us as we analyse the theme of friendship in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. You’ll find out why this is an important idea in the novella,...
Schooling Online
John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men - Theme of Dreams vs Reality
Having something to dream about can really get you through tough times. Dreams give us hope. But what happens when reality gets in the way? Join us for an in-depth discussion of Dreams vs Reality in John Steinbeck’s masterpiece Of Mice...
Schooling Online
John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men - Chapters 5-6 Summary
Things aren’t going well on the ranch. The fact that Lennie doesn’t know his own strength leads to shocking mishaps - but the worst is yet to come. When Curley’s lonely wife goes looking for attention, she finds it in the wrong place....
Schooling Online
Art Spiegelman's Maus - Volume 2, Chapter 1 Summary
When Vladek’s second wife leaves him, Art and Françoise go to stay with him. Art still finds it hard to get along with his father, but he continues recording his story. It’s 1944 and Vladek and Anja have been separated into different...
Schooling Online
John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men - Theme of Violence and Male Aggression
Unpredictable personalities, delicate egos, and poor anger management are a recipe for disaster. Who can step in as a role model? In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows us what can happen when misunderstandings and tensions occur among...
Schooling Online
John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men - Theme of Prejudice
Steinbeck doesn’t hold back from uncomfortable topics, and neither should we! Join us for an in-depth analysis of the theme of Prejudice in Of Mice and Men. We take a close look at the characters in this novella who are treated unfairly...
Schooling Online
John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men - Plot Summary
Welcome to California during the Great Depression, a time of hardship and broken dreams. George and Lennie are like countless other men who travel across America looking for work. But they’re an interesting pair; they’re best friends but...
Schooling Online
John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men - Context
Ever wondered how John Steinbeck came up with ideas for his novels? Or maybe you’d like to get to know John Steinbeck a little better. Join us for a fun lesson on the historical context of John Steinbeck’s classic novella, Of Mice and...
Schooling Online
John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men - Chapters 3-4 Summary
George and Lennie are making friends on the ranch. George has been given a puppy and there’s a nice elderly worker who wants to join them in the dream of owning their own place. But wait, there’s trouble brewing! Curley, the ranch...
Schooling Online
John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men - Chapters 1-2 Summary
George and Lennie are two best friends who share a dream - it’s what they work for. But Lennie’s intellectual disability often leads to trouble that George must get them out of. When they arrive at a new workplace to earn their fortune,...
Schooling Online
Art Spiegelman's Maus - Volume 1 Plot Summary
Art Spiegelman has always wanted to create a graphic memoir of his parents’ story of love and survival during The Holocaust. So, he sits down with his father, Vladek, to hear what it was like as a Polish Jew living under Nazi...
Schooling Online
Art Spiegelman's Maus - Volume 1, Chapters 5-6 Summary
Despite Vladek and Mala’s hectic marital problems, Art continues to record his father’s story. In these chapters, Vladek describes what it was like for Polish Jews in the 1940s. Crafty hiding places, the terror of getting caught, narrow...
Schooling Online
Art Spiegelman's Maus - Volume 1, Chapters 3-4 Summary
It’s 1939 and Vladek Spiegelman must join the Polish army to fight the Germans. But it’s not long before the Germans overwhelm the Polish forces and capture Poland. Vladek is taken as a prisoner of war but makes a daring escape. Sadly,...
Schooling Online
Art Spiegelman's Maus - Volume 1, Prologue and Chapters 1-2 Summary
Art Spiegelman has always wanted to create a graphic memoir of his parents’ story of love and survival during The Holocaust. So, he sits down with his father, Vladek, to hear what it was like as a Polish Jew living under Nazi...
Brainwaves Video Anthology
Nick Higgins - Teachers Make a Difference - Summer Boismier
Nick Higgins is the Chief Librarian at Brooklyn Public Library in charge of public service across Brooklyn. In concert with other members of the senior management team Nick leads the leads the development of transformative library...
Brainwaves Video Anthology
Elissa Malespina - Freedom to Read
Elissa has been a high school history teacher, a special education teacher for students with severe emotional, mental and physical challenges, a teacher Librarian at Highland Park High School, Columbia High School and South Orange Middle...
Brainwaves Video Anthology
Jerry Mitchell - Mississippi Banned Books Festival
In more than three decades as a reporter at the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, Jerry Mitchell’s stories helped put four Ku Klux Klan members and a suspected serial killer behind bars decades after they committed their crimes....
Brainwaves Video Anthology
J. Cynthia McDermott - On Banned Books
J. Cynthia McDermott is a retired professor of education at Antioch University Los Angeles. She was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Sarajevo Faculty of Philosophy, Fulbright scholar at the University of Wroclaw Poland and...
Brainwaves Video Anthology
Martha Hickson - The Right to Read
Martha Hickson has been a high school librarian since 2005. Her work has been featured in School Library Journal, Booklist, KnowledgeQuest, the American Library Association Intellectual Freedom Blog, NJEA Review, and School Librarian’s...
Curated Video
Book Bans Are Taking Off Nationwide
Efforts to ban books are happening both at the local and state level.
PBS
Joseph Heller's Hilarious Catch-22
Comedian Seth Meyers shares his rationale for why Catch 22 should get viewers to vote for inclusion of Joseph Heller's satire in the Great American Read program.