World War II Documentary Series to Air on PBS this Month

The War, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of ordinary men and women from four quintessentially American towns caught up in the cataclysm of the most devastating war in history. The War will air over two weeks beginning on Sunday, September 16 from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m on PBS. The companion volume to the documentary series The War: An Intimate History 1941-1945 by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns, is currently available.

"Heart-rending . . . This companion volume to the Ken Burns documentary should be read by everyone in the family, from the high-schoolers to the Baby Boomers . . ." --Allen Barra, Newark Star-Ledger

Celebrate Banned Books Week

Observed during the last week of September each year since 1982, Banned Books Week reminds Americans not to take their right to free speech for granted. This celebration honors the freedom to express one's opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular, stressing the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them.

Click here for a teacher's guide on censorship.

Printed copies of the guide are available upon request.

Click here for a listing of banned books published by Random House, Inc.

Click here for the American Library Association's Banned Books Week website.

• Love and Hate in Jamestown by David Price was recently selected by the Northern Virginia schools for their "High School Reads" program to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown colony. Students throughout the state read the book and had an opportunity to meet the author.

• Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones and On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan have been named to the 2007 Man Booker Prize for Fiction shortlist.

• Madeleine L'Engle, Newbery Award winner and author of more than 60 books for adults and young readers, passed away at the age of 89. For a complete list of titles available by Random House, Inc., please click here.