Jo’s Comments (group member since Jan 12, 2016)

Jo’s comments from the Our Shared Shelf group.

Hi Everyone,
In light of Emma's recent announcement, i'd like to let you know that it is not our intention to let this group die a slow painful death!
With that in mind, you will be pleased to know that Pam has now been appointed as a moderator.

I'm sure most of you know Pam as she has been a member for years and always offers valuable and well thought out opinions.

I'm still going to be around here a little too, so please be rest assured that we intend to keep this group going (as in moderated) - even without Emma's bi-monthly recommendations.

Please help me in welcoming Pam to the moderator team! :)

Thank you,
Jo x

Hi everyone,
We are delighted to share with you, Emma's recent interview with Rebecca Solnit. There are lot's of very interesting topics of conversation - please check out the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt4vO...

Let us know your thoughts!

Happy watching :)

I meeeaaaaan, Matilda by Roald Dahl.
Yep. :) one of my all time faves!

Hi Everyone,
Now that we know what the new book selections are, I was wondering which of Rebecca Solnit's books you have read before (if any)?

I've just grabbed Cinderella Liberator, it's a beautiful book - perfect for reading with children :)

Evgeny i've asked you to stop this constant posting.
If you carry on, we will have no choice but to ban you.

Perhaps. :)
We know that Instagram needs a bit of a sort out, and we are hoping we can implement some changes soon... so we'll see what we can do nearer the time!

Peter wrote: "I appreciate you starting this thread, Rachael. By coincidence, I read Little Women for the first time last year, prompted by the following.

Several years ago, I was speaking with an Indian woman..."

This is a very interesting story, thanks for sharing!
I think a lot of people see a bit of Jo in themselves... I mean look, I even share her name! haha.

Robin wrote: "where is the original article? I'd love to read it."

Sorry, I should have linked it, it's here: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/t...

Thanks for your thoughts btw :)

Hi all,
As you may be aware, banned book week has just happened this past week. This article is an interesting take on how it is in fact prisons (not schools) that have the biggest ban on books in America.

The article reads:

The largest book ban in the United States isn’t found in our schools or our local libraries. It’s found in our prisons.

Over 2.2 million Americans are incarcerated, meaning that the arcane and arbitrary systems of book restrictions for incarcerated people represent the largest book ban in America. And yet these restrictions get little public attention.

Access to literature in American prisons is getting worse and worse. In the past few years, with the stated aim of blocking ‘contraband’ from entering prisons, various states as well as the federal prison system have attempted to dramatically restrict book deliveries to incarcerated people, or shut down such deliveries entirely.

In Texas, the Department of Criminal Justice has banned over 10,000 books from prisons, including books by Alice Walker, John Grisham, Jenna Bush Hager, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and Bob Dole. While books from Adolf Hitler and David Duke have been allowed, books about civil rights and prison conditions are often blocked.

Prisons across the country have attempted to ban the book “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.” Public outcry has forced many prisons to reverse their decision, and yet, bans on books that discuss mass incarceration continue in prisons across the country.

In the past two years alone, advocates have joined together in decrying book restriction policies in New York, Maryland, Washington State, Illinois, and others.

The federal prison system alone encompasses over 177,000 incarcerated people, and it has made its own attempt to restrict book access. Last year, the Bureau of Prisons rolled out a pilot program where incarcerated people would have to pay an unexplained 30% markup to buy books. Thankfully, the program was rescinded after public outcry.

Studies show that allowing incarcerated people access to outside information and ideas reduces recidivism and is essential to a successful transition back into society.

What are your thoughts on banning so many books in prisons? do you think it is the right decision? or should inmates be allowed to access books on a whole range of topics?

Hi Aya and welcome!
Thank you for sharing this article and your thoughts. I have to say it seems absolutely insane that in 2019 the world seems to be going backwards instead of progressing!
These new laws are shameful and I certainly would be taking to the streets to protest if I were there with you!

What disappointing times we live in at the moment!

Please use this thread to post Pay It Forward offers and requests for 'Beloved' by Toni Morrison.

Our Pay It Forward initiative is strictly with regards to LEGAL methods of book sharing (for example, sharing hard copies or Kindle sharing). Any posts regarding illegal scans/PDFs/file sharing will be deleted without warning.

Thank you.

Dana wrote: "So we can read it either in September or October?"

Yes, or both! However long it takes ;-)
Lots of people are still catching up with books from a year or two ago, there is no strict deadline - just read at your own pace ;-)

Hi everyone,
As Toni Morrison is such an epic legend, I know a lot of you have already read many of her books.
Which Toni Morrison book is your favourite any why?

Hi everyone,
We are very pleased to bring you 6 videos of 'Butterfly' author Yusra Mardini answering your questions!
You can view these videos either in the Goodreads /OSS video section here:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/17958... (scroll to the bottom)
OR..
via the playlist created on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...

A big thank you to Yusra Mardini for doing this for us! <3

Thank you all,
The OSS Mods

Thank you for entering this competition - it is now closed.
Winners will be contacted by personal message in the coming week or two by a moderator.

Please can all winners respond to their personal message within 48 hours - otherwise your book may be passed on to somebody else.

Thank you,
The OSS Mods

One More Day left before this competition! closes :D

Dear OSS Members living in the UK or Germany,
We have 25 copies of 'Butterfly' by Yusra Mardini to give away!
For your chance to win, all you have to do is comment below and let us know which author we have not yet featured on OSS that you would highly recommend?
If you can also write "UK" or "Germany" in your comment so that we can see which country you are in - that would be fantastic!

Good luck!
The OSS Moderators

Dear OSS,
I'm sure a lot of you have read (or are reading) Solito, Solita by now. We are very happy to say that we have been given the chance to ask two of the leading contributors to that book (Soledad and Gabriel) some questions.

This book is incredibly timely, especially in America given the current border situation.

Please write your questions below in the comments, it would be great to hear them! :)

Thank you,
The OSS Mods

Florian and Molly, please may I suggest that you solve your disagreements over private message?
This is simply a thread for people to introduce themselves.

Welcome Evgeny :)

This competition is now closed.
Thank you to everyone that entered. Winners will be directly messaged by a moderator within the next few days. You will have 48 hours to respond to the message from the moderator, otherwise unfortunately we will have to pass your winning copy to the next person that is randomly selected.

Thank you,
The OSS Mods