Banned Books - Have You Read Any?

So Banned Book Week is technically in October...but I found this list about the Top 100 Banned Books from the ALA. I thought it was interesting (and maybe a little bit appalling) that I've only read about half of the books on the list. Even more interesting, I didn't read those because because of any kerfluffle over them. Just read them because I thought they sounded interesting...and now that I have, I don't see what the big deal is. Yes, some are controversial, but isn't that the point? To talk about things? To challenge ourselves?

So, are you a banned book reader? Thoughts?

1 Harry Potter J.K. Rowling -- Yes...not the whole series but Book 1...didn't particularly care for it.

2 Alice series Phyllis Reynolds Naylor -- Most of them

3 The Chocolate War Robert Cormier -- Yes

4 Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck -- Yes

5 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou -- Yes - several times!

6 Scary Stories Alvin Schwartz -- No

7 Fallen Angels Walter Dean Myers -- Yes

8 It’s Perfectly Normal Robie Harris -- No

9 And Tango Makes Three Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell -- Yes

10 Captain Underpants Dav Pilkey -- Yes

11 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain -- Yes

12 The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison -- Yes

13 Forever Judy Blume -- Yes...and I still love it!

14 The Color Purple Alice Walker -- Yes

15 The Perks of Being A Wallflower Stephen Chbosky -- No

16 Killing Mr. Griffin Lois Duncan -- Yes

17 Go Ask Alice Anonymous -- No

18 King and King Linda de Haan -- No

19 Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger -- Yes... College assignment - before it was banned/challenged.

20 Bridge to Terabithia Katherine Paterson -- Yes

21 The Giver Lois Lowry -- No

22 We All Fall Down Robert Cormier -- No

23 To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee` -- Yes..and I had a dog named Scout!

24 Beloved Toni Morrison -- Yes

25 The Face on the Milk Carton Caroline Cooney -- Yes

26 Snow Falling on Cedars David Guterson -- Yes

27 My Brother Sam Is Dead James Lincoln Collier -- No

28 In the Night Kitchen Maurice Sendak -- No

29 His Dark Materials series Philip Pullman -- No

30 Gossip Girl series Cecily von Ziegesar -- No

31 What My Mother Doesn’t Know Sonya Sones -- No

32 Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging Louise Rennison -- No

33 It’s So Amazing Robie Harris -- No

34 Arming America Michael Bellasiles -- No

35 Kaffir Boy Mark Mathabane -- No

36 Blubber Judy Blume -- Yes

37 Brave New World Aldous Huxley -- Yes

38 Athletic Shorts Chris Crutcher -- No

39 Bless Me, Ultima Rudolfo Anaya -- No

40 Life is Funny E.R. Frank -- No

41 Daughters of Eve Lois Duncan -- No

42 Crazy Lady Jane Leslie Conly -- No

43 The Great Gilly Hopkins Katherine Paterson -- Yes

44 You Hear Me Betsy Franco -- No

45 Slaughterhouse Five Kurt Vonnegut -- Yes

46 Whale Talk Chris Crutcher -- No

47 The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby Dav Pilkey -- No

48 The Facts Speak for Themselves Brock Cole -- Partially..still on my bedside table

49 The Terrorist Caroline Cooney -- No

50 Mick Harte Was Here Barbara Park -- No

51 Summer of My German Soldier Bette Green -- Yes

52 The Upstairs Room Johanna Reiss -- Yes

53 When Dad Killed Mom Julius Lester -- No

54 Blood and Chocolate Annette Curtis Klause -- No

55 The Fighting Ground Avi -- No

56 The Things They Carried Tim O'Brien -- No

57 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Mildred Taylor -- Yes

58 Fat Kid Rules the World K.L. Going -- No

59 The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things Carolyn Mackler -- No

60 A Time To Kill John Grisham -- Yes

61 Rainbow Boys Alex Sanchez -- No

62 Olive’s Ocean Kevin Henkes -- No

63 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Ken Kesey -- Yes

64 A Day No Pigs Would Die Robert Newton Peck -- Yes

65 Speak Laurie Halse Anderson -- No

66 Always Running Luis Rodriguez -- No

67 Black Boy Richard Wright -- Yes

68 Julie of the Wolves Jean Craighead George -- No

69 Deal With It! Esther Drill -- No

70 Detour for Emmy Marilyn Reynolds -- No

71 Draw Me A Star Eric Carle -- No

72 Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury -- Yes

73 Harris and Me Gary Paulsen -- No

74 Junie B. Jones series Barbara Park -- Yes

75 So Far From the Bamboo Grove Yoko Watkins -- No

76 Song of Solomon Toni Morrison -- Yes

77 Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes Chris Crutcher -- No

78 What’s Happening to My Body Book Lynda Madaras -- No

79 The Boy Who Lost His Face Louis Sachar -- No

80 The Lovely Bones Alice Sebold -- Yes

81 Anastasia Again! Lois Lowry -- Yes

82 Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret Judy Blume -- Yes

83 Bumps In the Night Harry Allard -- No

84 Goosebumps series R.L. Stine -- Most but not all of them.

85 Shade’s Children Garth Nix -- No

86 Cut Patricia McCormick -- No

87 Grendel John Gardner -- Yes

88 The House of Spirits Isabel Allende -- No

89 I Saw Esau Iona Opte -- No

90 Ironman Chris Crutcher -- No

91 The Stupids series Harry Allard -- No

92 Taming the Star Runner S.E. Hinton -- Yes

93 Then Again, Maybe I Won’t Judy Blume -- Yes

94 Tiger Eyes Judy Blume -- Yes

95 Like Water for Chocolate Laura Esquivel -- Yes

96 Nathan’s Run John Gilstrap -- No

97 Pinkerton, Behave! Steven Kellog -- No

98 Freaky Friday Mary Rodgers -- Yes

99 Halloween ABC Eve Merriam -- No

100 Heather Has Two Mommies Leslea Newman -- Yes

Comments

  1. I've read a lot of them, though not half, and never have caught on to why "they" ban books. It just adds to the attraction when they do!

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  2. Whoa - All these books have been banned? Obviously I'm not keeping up on this. I'm appalled. Some of these are classics, our literary heritage. And some are, well, just plain silly. Freaky Friday? Junie B. Jones? Blubber? I read these when my kids were young and was fine with my kids reading them. What are these people thinking?

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  3. I don't get the theory behind banned books either, Liz and Linda. Especially for children's books - what?!?

    I figured if the sages at Disney will make a movie of it (Freaky Friday, anyone?!?), it can't be all that bad. :)

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  4. I must get out more. lol I've read some. Didn't realize they'd been banned. That's someone else's limitations. Sad.

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  5. Hmm - I've only read about 10 of them. But many sound like YA or younger titles?

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  6. I've read about 8 of them, saw the movie on a couple. Of course, I found the movies disappointing. I had no idea they had been banned. Honestly, I only read Captain Underpants because my son loved it when he was little.

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  7. I don't want anybody telling me what to read...nobody! What the hell?

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  8. I've read about a third of them. I think the reason so many kids/YA books are banned because it's PTA or parent groups doing the banning. What's ironic is how many of the banned books I introduced to my own children. LOL. Harry Potter, Lois Duncan, Caroline Cooney..and what's up with Junie B. Jones??? Really? I love that girl.

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