Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Banned Books Week

I’ve always thought that banning books is silly. Especially when there was an uproar over banning Harry Potter in some places. IT’S A BOOK. A work of FICTION. Are you insecure about your beliefs that you think your child reading a book about pretend ideas is going to harm them for life??? In fact I think it’s important to embrace and learn more about those issues that you DISAGREE WITH and do not approve. That way you can always know WHY you think a certain way and perhaps attempt to learn more about why THOSE WIERDOS think the way they do. :P

So, in honor of banned book weeks here is a list the ALA has complied of the 100 most challenged books from 1990-1999. Bolded are the one’s I’ve read and Italic’s are the ones I have on my TBR list.

Scary Stories (Series), by Alvin Schwartz
Daddy’s Roommate, by Michael Willhoite
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
Forever, by Judy Blume
Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
Heather Has Two Mommies, by Leslea Newman
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
The Giver, by Lois Lowry
My Brother Sam is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
Alice (Series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Goosebumps (Series), by R.L. Stine
A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
Sex, by Madonna
Earth’s Children (Series), by Jean M. Auel
The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson
In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
The Witches, by Roald Dahl
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle
The New Joy of Gay Sex, by Charles Silverstein
Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
The Goats, by Brock Cole
The Stupids (Series), by Harry Allard
Anastasia Krupnik (Series), by Lois Lowry
Final Exit, by Derek Humphry
Blubber, by Judy Blume
Halloween ABC, by Eve Merriam
Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane
The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters, by Lynda Madaras
Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
The Pigman, by Paul Zindel
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier
Deenie, by Judy Blume
Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
Annie on my Mind, by Nancy Garden
Beloved, by Toni Morrison
The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar
Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat, by Alvin Schwartz
Harry Potter (Series), by J.K. Rowling
Cujo, by Stephen King
James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl
A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein
Ordinary People, by Judith Guest
American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Sleeping Beauty Trilogy, by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
Bumps in the Night, by Harry Allard
Asking About Sex and Growing Up, by Joanna Cole
What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons, by Lynda Madaras
The Anarchist Cookbook, by William Powell
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume
Boys and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy
Crazy Lady, by Jane Conly
Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher
Killing Mr. Griffin, by Lois Duncan
Fade, by Robert Cormier
Guess What?, by Mem Fox
Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
Native Son by Richard Wright
Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies, by Nancy Friday
Curses, Hexes and Spells, by Daniel Cohen
On My Honor, by Marion Dane Bauer
The House of Spirits, by Isabel Allende
Jack, by A.M. Homes
Arizona Kid, by Ron Koertge
Family Secrets, by Norma Klein
Mommy Laid An Egg, by Babette Cole
Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo A. Anaya
Where Did I Come From?, by Peter Mayle
The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline Cooney
Carrie, by Stephen King
The Dead Zone, by Stephen King
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez
Private Parts, by Howard Stern
Where’s Waldo?, by Martin Hanford
Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene
Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume
Little Black Sambo, by Helen Bannerman
Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
Running Loose, by Chris Crutcher
Sex Education, by Jenny Davis
Jumper, by Steven Gould
Christine, by Stephen King
The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
That Was Then, This is Now, by S.E. Hinton
Girls and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy
The Wish Giver, by Bill Brittain
Jump Ship to Freedom, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

When you were growing up did your parents pick out what you read? Did they ban certain books from you? My parents never EVER censored my reading. My tv watching, yes. Reading? Never.

5 comments:

Amber @ A Little Pink in the Cornfields said...

I agree with you, it's ridiculous. There are a few books on that list I agree with, like Go Ask Alice which I did read and still own and love. I don't think my mom was too happy with me, but you know what? I NEVER wanted to do drugs because of that book... doesn't that count for something?
Some books on that list, like Goosebumps, is just plain SILLY!

Amber said...

I seriously had NO idea that those books are banned or have been banned!! I wonder if it's the same in Canada, I read some of those - like Kill a Mockingbird - FOR school.

My parents NEVER censored what I read and I would NEVER do that to my children!

Anais said...

I took and Law & Literature class last year and we talked about that list... I totally agree that these books should NOT be banned... but then you get into the question of - what about racist propaganda? What if it's a pro-violence against women book? Should those be banned? If people read these books will they be swayed in a negative way, or is it going to teach them that it's wrong?

Anyways it's a very interesting issue... That course was so interesting :)

Luanne said...

Nope they never banned anything. My grandmother did question why they were letting me read The Exorcist at 11 yrs old though!

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

Wow. So interesting to see what all made the list - and it's sad.

My parents didn't censor my reading. They knew what I was reading, but I can't remember them ever taking a book away from me. They definitely censored my tv watching, but that's about it.