Wednesday, October 3, 2007

I read banned books!

I'm a little late starting, but I definitely wanted to point out that it's Banned Books Week! Click here to read about the American Library Association's "celebration of the freedom to read."

According to the ALA, these were the top ten banned or challenged books of 2006:
  • "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, for homosexuality, anti-family, and unsuited to age group;

  • "Gossip Girls" series by Cecily Von Ziegesar for homosexuality, sexual content, drugs, unsuited to age group, and offensive language;

  • "Alice" series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for sexual content and offensive language;

  • "The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things" by Carolyn Mackler for sexual content, anti-family, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;

  • "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison for sexual content, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;

  • "Scary Stories" series by Alvin Schwartz for occult/Satanism, unsuited to age group, violence, and insensitivity;

  • "Athletic Shorts" by Chris Crutcher for homosexuality and offensive language.

  • "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky for homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, and unsuited to age group

  • "Beloved" by Toni Morrison for offensive language, sexual content, and unsuited to age group;

  • "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier for sexual content, offensive language, and violence.

Off the list this year, but on for several years past, are the "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain.

I invite you to celebrate the First Amendment, and your intellectual and political freedom, by reading a banned book this week. :)

4 comments:

Beth C. said...

I'm glad you're celebrating on your blog too!

I read And Tango Makes Three a few weeks ago, and am reading The Golden Compass (which I'm positive has been challenged since it's anti-religious) right now in preparation for a program I'm doing in January.

Beth C. said...

Yay! You're celebrating too!

I already read And Tango Makes Three ahead of time. Though I'm rereading The Golden Compass at the moment, which must have been challenged some places because of its anti-religious orientation.

Ahavia said...

Hi, Stasa. I bought And Tango at FGC this year. Such a sweet book. And Toni Morrison made the list twice. Must be doing something right.
Question - when you are looking to move again, will you be coming back to Phila. Selfish, want to keep the 2 of you.
Ahavia

staśa said...

I appreciate your selfishness. :) We miss Philadelphia and our Friends and friends and family.

We are looking to move again in August of 2008, and will be living wherever we move -- but not Philadelphia -- for about three years for Sue's post-doc. After that, we are hoping for a tenure-track position in the Philly area. We also need to add into this getting me to chiropractic college. So, right now, the earliest time we'd be living home again would be in 2011. (Ack!)

Sorry. *hug*