It's banned book week; How many have you read?

[BWF89]

The American Library Association is having their yearly Banned Book Week from September 24th to October 1st. (I'm a little late)

http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm

How many of the most banned / challenged books have you read?

I'll start:
Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling (books 1-3)
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
The Pigman by Paul Zindel
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell (Some of it)

[macgyver2]

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling (1-6, each many times :))
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
Blubber by Judy Blume
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford (okay, is this one a joke?)
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

I'm very hard-pressed to understand why some of those books would ever be challenged. Argh, it annoys me when I read stuff like this (about banning books, not the books themselves). If you don't like a book, don't read the book. If you insist on sheltering your children then don't let them read the book. Don't dictate to me what I can and cannot read and what I can and cannot let my (hypothetical) children read!

[matthew]

Okay, I'll bite.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
Blubber by Judy Blume
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

I was amazed at what was/wasn't on the list. I used to work at a library and have seen almost all of the books listed and scanned a few I didn't list here. My first thought was that there are some obvious exclusions from the list as there are books that are banned in parts of the world that are very common in the U.S. but then I realized the link is to the American Library Association and their list of books most frequently challenged by patrons/community members/local psychopaths, etc. I also used to work as a school teacher and you would be shocked at what some parents get uptight about...not just the religious weirdos, either (note: I am a Christian, just not a weirdo--no flames from the faithful, please. If we are honest we can admit there are odd extremists in any faith that hate people, restrict freedom, and try to blow things up)

I was gratified that some books were not included:
Candide by Voltaire
Canterbury Tales by Chaucer
Frankenstein by Shelley
The Call of the Wild by London
Civil Disobedience by Thoreau
Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the U.N.
The Bible
The Qur'an
Origin of the Species by Darwin
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Stowe

All these have been/are banned in some fashion in the U.S. and around the world...and I've read them all as well as many others sure to get me in trouble somewhere.

[23meg]

why was Harry Potter banned?

[matthew]

why was Harry Potter banned?
Somebody was afraid that having a school for wizards in a book would cause all the kids in the school to start studying Wicca and that offended them.

[macgyver2]

Somebody was afraid that having a school for wizards in a book would cause all the kids in the school to start studying Wicca and that offended them.
Last year (it was a couple of days before PoA the movie came out) I heard a radio show about how the Harry Potter books should be banned and the author arrested and if kids read the books the end-times will come. It was the only radio station I could pick up while driving through the mountains of Kentucky.

[Cirkus]

Last year (it was a couple of days before PoA the movie came out) I heard a radio show about how the Harry Potter books should be banned and the author arrested and if kids read the books the end-times will come. It was the only radio station I could pick up while driving through the mountains of Kentucky.
Da?ned shame that mentality isn't confined to the remote mountains.;)

[matthew]

Last year (it was a couple of days before PoA the movie came out) I heard a radio show about how the Harry Potter books should be banned and the author arrested and if kids read the books the end-times will come. It was the only radio station I could pick up while driving through the mountains of Kentucky.
Sigh.

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"?

This defense of tolerance and freedom of speech is widely attributed to Voltaire, but it appears that he didn't actually write it. According to a number of web sites, "The phrase was invented by a later author as an epitome of his attitude." It comes from The Friends of Voltaire, written by Evelyn Beatrice Hall and published in 1906 under the pseudonym Stephen G. Tallentyre. Hall said that she paraphrased Voltaire's words in his "Treatise on Toleration," which includes such thoughts as:


Not only is it extremely cruel to persecute in this brief life those who do not think the way we do, but I do not know if it might be too presumptuous to declare their eternal damnation.

Anyway, although I often disagreed with Voltaire's ultimate conclusions about life, the universe and religion I think he expressed some very real truths. This being one of them and the man on your radio show in Kentucky a prime example of one I disagree with but can't think of any good way to stop short of violating my own standards against blanket censorship.

My opinion: the best way to stop foolish ideas is not to censor them, but to educate those willing to hear.

[Qrk]

My home town made national news for banning Harry Potter in the schools. It was removed from the shelves. I went to a charter high school, so we laughed at them. Then, when Chris Crutcher came to do a speech at the larger high school, they wouldn't let him; so he came to ous and gave a speech for free.

Anyway, my book list.

#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
# Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
# My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
# The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
#The Color Purple by Alice Walker
# The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
# A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
# The Witches by Roald Dahl
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
# Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
# Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
# Lord of the Flies by William Golding
# On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
# The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
# Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
# Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
# How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

[m@dm@x]

I've read most of the books that Henry Miller wrote. I think most of those have been banned everywhere.

[aysiu]

As a former English teacher, I'll just say that I haven't come across a single book that hasn't been challenged in a serious way at one point or another. Shakespeare and many of the classics are sometimes deemed profane, obscene, or whatnot by stodgy parents who usually have no better suggestion for what would be more acceptable or inoffensive.

All literature is offensive to someone or other in some way at some time--that's what makes it worth writing. Novels, poems, and, essays worth reading usually take some kind of a stand, and when you take a stand, someone is going to get angry with you, even if you don't intend to make them angry.

[drizek]

Is it wrong to censor those who support censorship?

Is it wrong to execute someone who supports capital punishment?

Is it wrong to shoot a soldier?

Is it wrong to lie about a politician? ;)

The thing is, people like this(im going to take a wild guess here and say that radio guy was rush limbaugh) are total hypocrits. they support censorship as long as noone is censoring them. they are against gay marriage as long as they are straight. they are against abortion as long as they havent knocked anyone up recently. They support capital punishment as long as they arent on death row.

Do i think he should be taken off the air? i would certainly like it if he came to his senses and went off himself. but i can see how i would be against someone forcing him off the air.

[Stormy Eyes]

Last year (it was a couple of days before PoA the movie came out) I heard a radio show about how the Harry Potter books should be banned and the author arrested and if kids read the books the end-times will come. It was the only radio station I could pick up while driving through the mountains of Kentucky.

As if it was that easy to kick-start Ragnarok. Unfortunately, the responsibility that comes along with freedom of speech is the responsibility to allow morons the same freedom you demand for yourself. Especially uptight, ignorant, excessively religious morons like the guy you heard on the radio.

Of course, if this guy thinks Harry Potter is bad, he's going to love Morgan Stormrider -- if I ever finish writing the damned book. Never mind young wizards, here's a rock musician with a penchant for deicide. :)

[matthew]

A poem by Pastor Martin Niemoller, Berlin, 1939.
Niemoller was a pastor in the German Confessing Church
who spent eight and one-half years in a Nazi concentration camp.

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out--because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the communists
and I did not speak out--because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out--because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me--
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
------------------
Niemoller's address to the U.S. Congress

The exact text of what Martin Niemoller said,
and which appears in the Congressional Record,
October 14, 1968, page 31636 is:

"When Hitler attacked the Jews
I was not a Jew, therefore I was not concerned.
And when Hitler attacked the Catholics,
I was not a Catholic, and therefore, I was not concerned.
And when Hitler attacked the unions and the industrialists,
I was not a member of the unions and I was not concerned.
Then Hitler attacked me and the Protestant church --
and there was nobody left to be concerned."

[occy8]

those days they burned the books they didn't like.



All literature is offensive to someone or other in some way at some time--that's what makes it worth writing. Novels, poems, and, essays worth reading usually take some kind of a stand, and when you take a stand, someone is going to get angry with you, even if you don't intend to make them angry.

getting angry or dissagreeing is one thing but it's unbelievable something like this can happen in a 'democratic' country and just look at the TOP ten of the LAST 15 years
there are classics of american literature in there even I read Huck finn at school

The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000

1. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
2. Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
8. Forever by Judy Blume
9. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
10. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

[graabein]

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Witches by Roald Dahl
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

[manicka]

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
The Witches by Roald Dahl
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Ordinary People by Judith Guest
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
The Dead Zone by Stephen King
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

[Lord Illidan]

These books, I wonder why they are banned? They are good reading, well, most of them at least.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
The Witches by Roald Dahl
Deenie by Judy Blume
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

[psychicdragon]

I'm truely amazed at the number of books on the list that were required reading for me in high school & junior high. Some parents are just way to uptight. Then again, some of them like Madonna's Sex "book" definately should not be read by children., or anyone really.

My list:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
The Witches by Roald Dahl
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford

It's disgusting that books like Huck Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird are on the list. Anyone who could be offended by themes presented in those books is a very defective person.

[phen]

while reading this thread, i cannot believe i understand you right. are all the books you listed banned? so you're not allowed to sell/buy/read them in the united states? because of our history, banning books is nearly impossible (except Mein Kampf by Hitler), and somehow makes me feel strange.
why is, for example, the catcher in the rye, banned? we've read this in our english classes over here...

[Havoc]

"Do not forbid what you cannot prevent" - Napoleon

Anyways, that's freedom gone out of the window for Americans.Thank the Gods I live in a free country, like Greece.Why the hell would they ban Mark Twain?
Then again, I guess nobody seems to have read the Old Testament, cause no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find it on the banned books list....

One question, just how "banned" are these books in the USA?
Are they illegal, like guns (*insert laughter*), or are these simple recomendations?

Have a nice day...

[oddabe19]

Last year (it was a couple of days before PoA the movie came out) I heard a radio show about how the Harry Potter books should be banned and the author arrested and if kids read the books the end-times will come. It was the only radio station I could pick up while driving through the mountains of Kentucky.
most people here know that i'm highly religious.

That just sounds way too stupid to be true....

Revelations (or anywhere in the bible for that matter) doesn't say that end-times will come because of harry potter.
In fact...

Most of my friends (and members of my church) have read the series, and absolutely love it.

There are very few books that need to be banned.
The only one I can think of right now is Mein Kempf - Hitler... and it shouldn't even really be banned, it should be studied (by professionals) to figure out how psychopaths work.

Freaking light in the attic to be banned... i grew up with that book, damnit, it's a good book!
Same with huck finn...

ugh.
Political correctness goes way too far sometimes.



By Havoc:
One question, just how "banned" are these books in the USA?
Are they illegal, like guns (*insert laughter*), or are these simple recomendations?
They aren't 'banned' they're just books extremist groups (NAACP, ACLU, Extremist Christians (who can't get facts right and make other Christians look bad)) don't like because they might mention a word or phrase or something that will 'offend' them.
And because these groups are so powerful over here, they get their way.
I read most of them for school when I was growing up, now, schools don't study them. Stuff like that. You can still by them at your usual Barnes and Nobles, etc.... but you won't study them in school.

It sucks quite honestly.


ok, end of rant

[matthew]

One question, just how "banned" are these books in the USA?
Are they illegal, like guns (*insert laughter*), or are these simple recomendations?
Banned isn't really the right world. They are the books most requested to be banned at the nation's public libraries by patrons. In other words, these were the most complained about.

[Lovechild]

Harry Potter
The Anarchist' cookbook
Carrie
The Dead Zone
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

I'm shocked to see Stephen King's The Dark Tower (series) left off that list, it should definately make some of those wacky christians angry.. It's a good series, read it.

*edit*

I think I'll counter complain, and demand that the bible be moved into the fiction section - if they can make absurd claims, well so can I..

[ubuntu_demon]

Freedom of speech and press is very important. Ridiculous to ban/challenge books. Don't read them if you don't like them.

I just checked the books mentioned in this thread :

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Lord of the Flies by William Golding

I've just read two books by Vonnegut. I really like his books!

[Lovechild]

Freedom of speech and press is very important. Ridiculous to ban/challenge books. Don't read them if you don't like them.


Agreed, the catch 22 though is.. how do I know a book is bad without reading it? One shouldn't just follow along the group like a sheep either.. oh the choices

[matthew]

Agreed, the catch 22 though is.. how do I know a book is bad without reading it? One shouldn't just follow along the group like a sheep either.. oh the choices But that's just it, isn't it? Most people who want to ban certain books have never read those books.

BTW, Catch 22 by Joseph Heller is another good one...I think people tried/did? ban it when it came out.

EDIT: Yep. See this page for another list of books that have been banned in the US.
http://www.adlerbooks.com/banned.html

[N8MAN1068]

# 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
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
# The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
# The Giver by Lois Lowry
Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine (who the f complained about this?)
Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
# The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (soon to be on dvd! w00t!)
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
# James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
# The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
# Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
# Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (read that last month, actually)
# Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
# Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
# How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell


man....that's my middle school reading list! Some of these were REQUIRED reading when i was in school, and it wasn't that long ago either!

[PsyberOneZero]

# Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
# The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain*
# Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
# Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
# A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
# To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee*
# Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes*
# A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
# Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
# The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
# Lord of the Flies by William Golding*
# The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain*
# Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford (wtf?)

* Required Reading by at least one school I attended

Whatever happened to letting people make up their own minds about what to read, what are the people "banning" these books afraid of?

[wmcbrine]

They aren't 'banned' they're just books extremist groups (NAACP, ACLU, Extremist Christians (who can't get facts right and make other Christians look bad)) don't like because they might mention a word or phrase or something that will 'offend' them.Excuse me, but the ACLU doesn't go around getting books banned. Exactly the opposite -- they'd be the ones defending the books in these cases. (I doubt that the NAACP belongs on your list, either.)

Back on the subject, I haven't read that many from this particular list, although since many of them are children's books, I might've read them when I was younger and forgotten:

5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
7. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling (a little)
9. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
19. Sex by Madonna
22. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
37. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
47. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (well, the original short story version)
52. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
70. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
96. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

I could add more if the movie versions counted. :)

[aysiu]

I doubt that the NAACP belongs on your list, either. You'd be surprised:

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:wLSl5vY4zXgJ:www.banned-books.com/bborgs.html+books+banned+naacp&hl=en&start=1
http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:zgUUjQRjvx8J:www.surfnetkids.com/banned.htm+books+banned+naacp&hl=en&start=4
http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:zFApvAYFndMJ:www.freeessays.cc/db/43/sxg115.shtml+books+banned+naacp&hl=en&start=6

[phen]

ahh ok. "banned" sounds like it is illegal to possess them. banned is definetely not the right word (as far as i can say that about an english word...)

phew