September 26, 2003

Banned Books Week

http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Our_Association/Offices/Intellectual_Freedom3/
Banned_Books_Week/Banned_Books_Week.htm

It's Banned Books Week from September 20 to the 27th. I guess I'm a little late on the draw here, since it's the 26th and I haven't read a banned book all week.

Looking at their list of the 100 most challenged books of the 1990s, I see that I have read 31 of them. Not bad. Many of them were assignments in high school or college. Heck, I was even present for the attempted banning of Salinger's Catcher in the Rye by a school board member who had never read it.

I'm a big fan of lists of books, which I take as challenges. I am on a quest to read more of the MLA's list of the 100 greatest novels of the 20th century. I've read 22 of those. Anyway, go read a banned book. Hell, just read a book.

Posted by mike, September 26, 2003 8:52 AM
Comments

I have read 13 banned books, and 12 of the "100 Greatest." I have seen the movies for enough of them to make up for the small numbers. :P

Posted by: Shane at September 26, 2003 12:08 PM

Amen, brother.

Posted by: mike at September 26, 2003 1:15 PM

I have read 19 of the most challenged books of the last decade (if you count a series as one book, that is). I cannot for the life of me figure out why "Summer of My German Soldier" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" are on the list.

It's just fascinating how our culture is so scandalized by (gasp!) SEX. We could give a flying fig about violence (which can, you know, KILL AND MAIM people), but when it comes to preteen girls learning about puberty, egads! the horror!

Posted by: Amy at September 29, 2003 2:17 PM

I've read 18 of the 100 most banned. I can see why some of them are banned but others just confuse me.

Posted by: Angela at September 30, 2003 2:33 PM

I've read 13 of the banned books and only seven of the 100 best novels. I need to read more. The readers list is just plain weird. There are three L. Ron Hubbard books and four Ayn Rand books in the top ten and Ayn Rand sits at one and two. Um...what? And, has anyone met someone who liked Gravity's Rainbow? Just wondering. I've never read it but I've heard things. Very bad things.

Posted by: Shawn at October 15, 2003 10:00 AM