September 24 - October 1 2010 is Banned Books Week
This week the Four of Us are celebrating the First Amendment and our freedom to read whatever we want!
What exactly is a banned book? Basically, it is a book to which free access has been denied --for more on why/how/who/what of book banning visit "About Banned and Challenged Books" at the American Library Association's (ALA)Website.
So, Books for Walls Project Readers, what is your favorite banned book?
ALA's list of banned or challenged books 2010: click here
Top 100 banned classics: click here.
The Mom and The Sisters were just talking about why a book like Charlotte's Web might be banned... at the moment that is the favorite of the three of us.
ReplyDeleteWe'll post each of our own favorites later this week when we can all stop sneezing and coughing ;)
Favorites among the 100: Most of them!
ReplyDeleteParents and/or knowledgeable adults need to assume responsibility for the children in their lives. All books should be encountered on an age and interest-appropriate level when a reader is ready for them. And that judgment should be made in concert with the adults in their lives. (Consider discussing things that might be a problem in the text and we can all grow.) It should not be made by special interest groups or individuals.
And that's my rant for the week!
A friend of mine was disturbed that her 8th-grade son was assigned A Separate Peace for class. She spoke to the teacher about it and he said, "Fine. I've never had complaints before, and I know that it works. But, while I won't change the class assignment, I'll give him something else to read." That satisfied them both. Would that all such problems were resolved as easily. (I'm not sure how her son felt about it, however.)
I agree in, so many ways, with The Teacher!!
ReplyDeleteSo many wonderful books. At the moment, what comes to mind is "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle. What an amazing story and so much to offer to a young mind --even to my older mind. I have read the book a dozen times and I will never tire of it. So happy that The Sisters get to read it too!
I can't imagine how Winnie the Pooh ever ended up on that list, but it certainly counts as one of our family favorites.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of books I read as a young person that had a huge effect on me - To Kill a Mockingbird and Gone With the Wind were profound reads for me when I was a pre-teen. How sad if I hadn't had the opportunity to read them.
Have to vote for The Jungle, Upton Sinclair. I just happened to be thinking today about how we are all fighting the "food jungle". There's a story about every piece of food in your house. I don't believe we've matured very much from the times of The Jungle, only changed locations.
ReplyDeleteBut, I can never resist putting in good mention for Kurt Vonnegut. Anyone who can use "ting a ling" in a book deserves utmost admiration.
Gee. I really liked many of the books on the list
ReplyDeleteTortilla Curtain, A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Diary of Ann Frank, Glass Castle... I guess some people can find something objectionable in just about any book.
Let's not forget a relatively new title, And Tango Makes Three, repeatedly banned so that small children were prevented from learning about different types of families. And it's a true story.
ReplyDeleteThe Mom is reading Lolita... decided it was high time.
ReplyDeleteThe Sisters are listening to one of the Redwall Series --we're doing a bit of research on whether they have ever been challenged!
I have read quite a few of the more recent books that have been banned. Really anything vampire, but also "Unwind" by Neal Shusterman. I just find it funny that books are still banned, that some people are still so afraid of the written word. I guess it really shows the power of language, I've always believed in that, but really to be so closed minded as to ban a book from any institution is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I have read many banned books. But my favorite (and the first one coming to mind - as favorites do) is Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
ReplyDeleteI thought about other favorite banned books, and realized that there are three copies of To Kill A Mockingbird in my house. This book is one everyone must read. I read it around the age of 13 and it gave me a better perspective on life. Lots of times the books that give better perspectives are the ones that are banned. Could that be because they question things?
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