Banned/Challenged Book: 1984 by George Orwell

George Orwell's 1984 is a dystopian novel that was written in 1948, and set in the then future year of 1984.  The planet is divided into three super-powers that are at constant war with one another, and which keep their citizens under totalitarian control.  Their methods include constant surveillance, dehumanization, mind control, physical and mental torture, executions and more. 

Our protagonist, Winston Smith, a member of the Outer Party, attempts to not only maintain his humanity, but to fight The Party.  At his side is Julia, a woman with whom he falls in love.  He also enlists the aid of O'Brien, a member of the Inner Party, someone he long felt he could trust because he sensed a connection with him. 

 1984 was subjected to challenges and bans immediately upon publication, and for decades afterward, making it one of the American Library Association's most challenged classics .

In Russia, the book was banned upon publication.

In 1981 parents in Jackson County, FL, challenged the book for being "pro-communist" (did they read it?) and complained that it contained "explicit sexual matter". 

Myriad challenges have been made regarding 1984's language, sexual content, "anti-government" stance, "pro-communism" stance, and other content. 

 If you haven't read it, do so and decide for yourself.  Even if you have already read 1984, read it again.  You won't be sorry.

Banned/Challenged: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian tale of starkly misogynist future theocratic America.  Fertility rates have plummeted, so women who are able to conceive, called handmaids, are assigned to upper-class couples to bear them children.  Infertile women are assigned menial roles such as cooks, housemaids and the like.  Reading, birth control, personal property, money, and the like are all forbidden to women. 

The book was banned by a Judson, Texas judge for myriad complaints including claims that the book was "sexually explicit" and "offensive to Christians".  In 2006 this ban was overturned.

Numerous other challenges have been made around the country, typically on claims  that the book is "offensive to Christians", that it is "sexually explicit", contains "graphic violence", and even that it is "morally corrupt". 

The Handmaid's Tale is not light reading.  It's meant to shock, to wake the reader up.  Written in 1985, The Handmaid's Tale is still relevant nearly 35 years later.  Perhaps that, more than any of the other claims, is why it is so often on the lists of challenged/banned books.

Banned/Challenged Book: A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace is a coming-of-age story that takes place in a New England boarding school during WWII.  The story follows quiet Gene and his best friend, outgoing, popular Phineas, through their senior year.  The boys find themselves growing apart not only due to the differences in their personalities, but because of the ongoing war.  







Over the years the book has been challenged numerous times: 

1980 - New York:  Vernon-Verona-Sherill school district (“filthy, trashy sex novel")
1985 - Pennsylvania (language/profanity)
1989 - Tennessee  (language/profanity)
1991 - Illinois (language/profanity and "negative attitudes")
1996 - North Carolina (language/profanity)


If you can handle some language/profanity, give A Separate Peace a try.  It's not a lighthearted read, but it's a good read. 

Tehachapi Knitters and Crocheters-Inkopelli Carries Yarn and Needles!

If you knit or crochet, you don't need to leave town to get your supplies.  We have them right here at Inkopelli!

We just received a shipment of beautiful cotton and cotton-acrylic blend yarns from Filatura Lanarota.  These yarns are perfect for hand-crafted washcloths, dishcloths, towels, bibs and more.  Each skein is only $4.49 at Inkopelli.



 


We also have an array of beautiful yarns in wool, wool blends, acrylics, and a variety of synthetics.  Come to Inkopelli and get your knit on!

Inkopelli has What Tehachapi Train Lovers Need.

Inkopelli has a variety of books and DVDs for train lovers of all ages.

Locomotive, by Brian Floca, has won both the Caldecott Medal and the Robert F. Sibert Honor.   For children ages 4-10, Locomotive tells the history of locomotives, their crews, and the first transcontinental railroad.  Beautifully illustrated, this is a wonderful addition to any child's library.  Only $13.49 at Inkopelli.

Ghost Trains: Images from America's Railroad Heritage is a stunning work by photo-journalist James P. Bell.  With 300 evocative black-and-white photographs of everything from rusting locomotives to abandoned train stations, as well as historical information this book has everything for the train enthusiast.  Publisher's list price is $14.99 but at Inkopelli you pay only $11.24.

Life and Times of a Locomotive Engineer is the autobiography of Charles F. Steffes, who worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad in California from 1937-1976. This copy is signed by the author and sells for $11.99.  

 A Ride through History at the Western Railway Museum is a 45-minute DVD tour with Operations Superintendent Fred Krock of the Museum.  The tour includes the Museum's facilities, history, a collection of rare railroad artifacts and more.  Inkopelli price is $12.99.



Find all of these and more at Inkopelli!

Banned Book - The Clan of the Cave Bear

 The Clan of the Cave Bear, the first of Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children series, has been read and loved by millions. It tells the story of Ayla, a Cro-Magnon child who is adopted by a group of Neanderthal people who call themselves The Clan. 

The book was banned from the Cascade Middle School library in Eugene, Oregon, after a parent objected to the rape scene in the book.  The book was not required reading for students, but merely suggested reading.  Author Auel stated her books were banned in places such as Texas because they "assumed evolution" and because The Clan of the Cave Bear included Ayla bearing a child fathered by a Neanderthal. 

Banned and Challenged Books at Inkopelli!

This year's Banned Books Week is September 21-27, but here at Inkopelli we're celebrating banned and challenged books all month long!

Do you know how many of your favorite books have been challenged or banned in the US or even around the world?  We think you'd be surprised.  Some of your childhood favorites are likely on the list.

John Steinbeck

Right here in Kern County, John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath was not only banned, it was burned.   Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye was challenged, but retained in Kern High School District in Bakersfield.

Come to Inkopelli and see our large selection of books which have been challenged or banned.  Celebrate your freadom!

Welcome to Inkopelli!

It's another beautiful weekend in the Tehachapi Mountains!  Do you love books as much as we do?  If so, visit Inkopelli.  We are a full-service independent bookstore.  We have new and quality used books at discount prices.  If we don't have what you're looking for in stock we can special-order it for you (and we won't charge you shipping).  We also carry DVDs, audiobooks, yarn, crochet and knitting needles, and gifts.

Yes, we take your gently used books in exchange for store credit.  We offer 20% of the publisher's price.  We currently take trades on:

Mondays between 10am and 12noon
Saturdays between 2pm and 4pm


Find us inside U-neek Findz (the antiques mall) at :
450 West F St
Tehachapi, CA 93561
661-972-0268