Research Guides: ENGL 100--Howard--Fall 2024--Banned Books: Home

Identifying Social Issues

Below are some social issues your class identified inThe Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Indian reservations and/or boarding schools
American Indian sovereignty and government
American Indian cultural and/or religious practices
Powwows
Indigenous tribes
Famous indigenous athletes
Indigenous art
Cultural trauma
Alcoholism
Adolescent sexuality

Below are some social issues your class identified in The Perks of Being a Wallflower

drug use / self-medicating practices
fear of "coming out" or expressing sexual identity
psychotic breaks / mental anguish
navigating romantic relationships
the role of adult mentors

Useful Sources for Prompt 1

The American Indian History database and the American Indian Experience database provide overview articles on many topics relevant to your assigment. Click on the link to the databases to explore, or see some of the sample articles listed below the link to each database.

American Indian History This link opens in a new window
Use the right hand column to find articles on women in Native American society, religion, American Indian contributions to the world (literature, art, etc.)

American Indian Experience This link opens in a new window
Use the search box to search terms like powwows, art, reservations, etc. or explore the sample articles below.

Useful Sources for Prompt 2

Below are some topic overviews from Gale eBooks exploring social issues identified for Prompt 2. You can search Gale eBooks for more useful overviews.

Useful Sources for Prompt 3 (also intros/conclusions for Prompts 1 & 2)

Prompt 3 requires a deep exploration of the banning of your two course texts. For students choosing Prompts 1 or 2, your are tasked with identifying specific challenges to the texts. The book chapters and articles below are credible sources for all of these tasks..

Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian
Chapter from Books Under Fire, 2nd ed., by Pat Scales, American Library Association, 2021.
Perks of Being a Wallflower
Chapter from Books Under Fire, 2nd ed., by Pat Scales, American Library Association, 2021.

A Beautiful and Ugly Thing: Sherman Alexie's Absolutely True Diary
This chapter from 'Unsuitable' Books : Young Adult Fiction and Censorship discusses the censorship history of Alexie's book up to 2014.
Spotlight on Censorship – The Perks of Being a Wallflower
A short blog entry posted on the website of The Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association in 2010.

Find Additional Sources on These Databases

Use the databases below to find additional sources. Remember: an MJC Librarian is happy to help you and you can access our Ask a Librarian chat service 24/7.

Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Use this database for preliminary reading as you start your research. You'll learn about your topic by reading authoritative topic overviews on a wide variety of subjects.
eBook Collection: EBSCOhost This link opens in a new window
Use this database to search our collection of thousands of eBooks the MJC Library owns through EBSCOhost.
American Indian History This link opens in a new window
This is one of our History Research Center databases. American Indian History provides access to more than 15,000 years of culture and history, covering more than 600 Native American groups, through tablet/mobile-friendly videos and slideshows, images, biographies of key people, event and topic entries, primary sources, maps and graphs, and timelines. This comprehensive database allows for an interactive, multifaceted look at the indigenous peoples of the Americas.
American Indian Experience This link opens in a new window
Use this database to find primary sources and brief overview articles to explore themes relating to indigenous peoples of North America from pre-contact to the colonial era into the 21st century.
Gale Databases This link opens in a new window
Search over 35 databases simultaneously that cover almost any topic you need to research at MJC. Gale databases include articles previously published in journals, magazines, newspapers, books, and other media outlets.
EBSCOhost Databases This link opens in a new window
Search 22 databases simultaneously that cover almost any topic you need to research at MJC. EBSCO databases include articles previously published in journals, magazines, newspapers, books, and other media outlets.

Recommended websites

Banned and Challeged Books
The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom has been tracking book challenges and bans for more than 20 years.
Book Bans
Resources from PEN America, a non-profit that defends and celebrates free expression in the United States.
Kids' Right to Read Project
Resources from the National Coalition Against Censorship, whose mission is to "oppose censorship in all forms"

Your assigned texts

Kathleen Ennis

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