| September Specials
All Month:
20% off
all Psychology, Sociology, Self-Help & Sex books!
Don't miss out on our other specials! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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Keep Your Shirt On!
You have one more AWESOME reason to sport your Open Books t-shirt! Starting in September, we will be offering an ongoing 5% discount to everyone wearing their Open Books t-shirt while they're shopping in the store.
We have a vast collection of colors and sizes for children and adults at the store, or you can buy one online. It'll pay for itself in no time!
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Have you been considering joining us for a writing class?
Well, now is the time to sign up!
Open Books is offering a variety of unique writing Wordshops this fall, and they're starting soon!
Whether you're interested in exploring techniques for short stories, or you're an ESL student, we have the write class for you.
See the schedule and sign up now!
Attention! We are sorry to announce that the Writing for Therapy Journaling Wordshop has been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances.
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Save The Date!
Get your dancing shoes ready for Open Books' first annual fundraising extravaganza,
The Revelry: A Night Fair!
November 5
7 - 10:30 pm
Salvage One
Get your tickets now!
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| Back To School
September 7 is the first day of school for most Chicagoans, and that deserves recognition.
Come into the store on September 7 and get 25% off your book purchases!
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Dear Open Books friends,
September is National Literacy Month! This is a wonderful opportunity to contemplate the impact that reading and writing has in our lives and to reflect on the importance of literacy. We want to know what reading and writing means to you! See below for more details on how we're celebrating National Literacy Month. September also happens to be Self-Improvement Month, and we hope you all love a personal challenge as much as we do! If you're ready to get a (very) early start on your New Year's resolutions, Open Books is here to help by offering a 20% discount on all Psychology and Self-Help books through the month of September. How will you challenge yourself? In addition to personal challenges, we are also interested in challenges of a more public variety... Challenged Books! Banned Books Week runs from September 25 to October 2 this year. Throughout the store during the month of September, you will find books
on our shelves wrapped in paper, explaining why, where, and when they
were challenged. Kick off Banned Books Week by joining us on Saturday, September 25 at Bughouse Square where authors of the ten most challenged books of 2009 will read from their work and share their experiences as targets of censors. And speaking of censorship and taboo topics, we will also be offering 20% off all books in our Sex section. Here's to an invigorating month of reflecting on literacy and and self-improvement!
Kevin Elliott
Bookstore Manager
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 Celebrate National Literacy Month
with Open Books
by answering the question:
"What Do Reading and Writing Mean To You?" Take this opportunity to contemplate and share the impact that being literate has on you! We hope that as you evaluate your literate life, that you keep in mind what those with low or limited literacy skills are missing out on: a life without barriers to education or jobs, and limitless potential. Please share your thoughts! We are posting every answer we receive to this question in our store, in the office, and in our classrooms. While you're at Open Books, you can participate by writing your answer down. If you don't have a chance to stop in and visit us, you can contribute by leaving a comment on our Facebook page or blog, direct messaging us on Twitter (@openbooks), or emailing us! We would love to hear from the people that are helping us eradicate literacy one step, one page, and one word at a time. For more information on how Open Books is promoting literacy in Chicago and cultivating a more literate world, visit our Impact page. For more information on the national literacy crisis, visit The National Institute for Literacy. |
What We Read
Every member of the Open Books Store staff has a personal story with a banned book. Share yours with us by e-mailing store@open-books.org! We'll add it to out blog posts on Banned Books.  Kevin: Tropic of Cancerby Henry Miller I was probably too young to be reading Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer in 8th grade, but it was my history teacher who encouraged me to think about what I was reading and notice the use of language instead of focusing on the "obscene" parts. I still love Miller's prose and credit my teacher's encouragement as an influence toward my love of language. Lizzy : The Adventures of Huckleberry Finnby Mark Twain It's hard to believe how many classic books have been banned over the years, from To Kill a Mockingbird to 1984. However, I was particularly saddened to find The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain on the list. Huck Finn has been challenged multiple times since its publication in 1885, at first because of its "crudeness" and use of vernacular language, and more recently because of its use of racial language. Huck Finn was one of the first "adult" books I read at around 10 or 11 years old, and I've re-read it nearly every year since. It's still one of the funniest and most meaningful books I've read, and I gain new insights into humanity and America every time I re-read it. The thought of never having read it, or even of someone trying to stop me rather than encouraging me, is horrible.  Charlotte: Candideby Voltaire Most of the banned books that I've read, I've had to read for school. Of those, Candide was one of the most fun and enjoyable reads, even (or especially) if raunchy and way out-of-left-field most of the time. It also has a lovely theme, which -when taken literally- is a surprisingly sustainable idea and good life motto: "We must cultivate our garden." |
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