Arturo O Martinez, author of Pedrito's World passes away

Hoboken author, Arturo O. Martinez passed away on Wednesday, April 27th, 2016. 

His obituary in the Star Ledger reported:

Born in Rio Grande City, Texas, he was a graduate of Rio Grande City High School and earned a bachelor's degree in journalism at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1959. He was a U.S. Army veteran. Arturo spent more than 40 years in journalism-as a reporter, editor, critic and columnist. Prior to joining the staff of The Star-Ledger in New Jersey in 1968, he was a reporter for The Alamo Messenger in San Antonio and The Lafayette Advertiser in Louisiana. During three decades at The Star-Ledger, he held a variety of posts, including Entertainment and Features Editor for 20 years prior to his retirement in 1998. He continued to write a column on Latino arts and entertainment until 2003. While entertainment editor, Martinez served as a voter for Broadway's annual Tony Awards, a position he held for almost 18 years. His interest in the theater continued into his retirement; two of his one-act plays were produced in Hoboken. Also in his retirement, he wrote "Pedrito's World," a fictive memoir based on his recollections and family stories from South Texas. The book, published by Texas Tech University Press, received an award from the Texas Institute of Letters. A sequel was published in December. - See more at: http://obits.nj.com/obituaries/jerseyjournal/obituary.aspx?n=arturo-o-martinez&pid=179818008&fhid=17066#sthash.uULmkjaN.dpuf

Martinez had given a reading from his acclaimed memoir, Pedrito's World,(Juv. M3852p) at New Jersey City University in  February, 2008.

2015 ALA Banned Books List

Frequently Challenged Books 2015

The ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) receives reports from libraries, schools, and the media on attempts to ban books in communities across the country. We compile lists of challenged books in order to inform the public about censorship efforts that affect libraries and schools.
The top ten most challenged books of 2015 include:

1. Looking for Alaska, by John Green (Juv.G7955L)Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.
2. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James
   Reasons: Sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and other (“poorly written,” “concerns that a group of teenagers will want to try it”).
3. I Am Jazz, by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings (Juv.306.76 .H574i)
   Reasons: Inaccurate, homosexuality, sex education, religious viewpoint, and unsuited for age group.
4. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, by Susan Kuklin (Juv.306.76 .K965)
   Reasons: Anti-family, offensive language, homosexuality, sex education, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other (“wants to remove from collection to ward off complaints”).
5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon (PR6058.A245 C87 2003)
   Reasons: Offensive language, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other (“profanity and atheism”).
6. The Holy Bible (BS185 1980 .N48)
   Reasons: Religious viewpoint.
7. Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel (PN6727 .B3757 Z46 2006)
   Reasons: Violence and other (“graphic images”).
8. Habibi, by Craig Thompson
   Reasons: Nudity, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.
9. Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan, by Jeanette Winter ( Juv. 371.82.W785n)
   Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group, and violence.
10. Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan (Juv.6662t)
    Reasons: Homosexuality and other (“condones public displays of affection”).