I'm with the banned
I realize that I'm late for Banned Book Week, but this is a topic about which I feel very strongly. When I saw this meme over at Squirl's place, I couldn't resist adding my handful of change to the discussion. I'm surprised Farenheit 451 isn't on this list.
The idea of this meme is to take the 100 most censorially challenged books from 1990-2000 and highlight the ones I've read. Clearly, I need to step up on my controversial-book readin', as I've only highlighted twelve selections. If Toni Morrison is that bannable, then I can see I must read all her books immediately. Just tell me I shouldn't read somethin', fucker, and see how quickly it's open in my hands with my greedy four eyes drinkin' it all in.
The idea of this meme is to take the 100 most censorially challenged books from 1990-2000 and highlight the ones I've read. Clearly, I need to step up on my controversial-book readin', as I've only highlighted twelve selections. If Toni Morrison is that bannable, then I can see I must read all her books immediately. Just tell me I shouldn't read somethin', fucker, and see how quickly it's open in my hands with my greedy four eyes drinkin' it all in.
- Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
- Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
- 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 (not all of them yet)
- Forever by Judy Blume
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
- Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
- My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
- The Giver by Lois Lowry
- It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
- Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
- A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
- The Color Purple by Alice Walker
- Sex by Madonna
- Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel (not all of them yet)
- The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
- Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
- Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
- In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
- The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
- The Witches by Roald Dahl
- The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
- Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
- The Goats by Brock Cole
- Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
- Blubber by Judy Blume
- Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
- Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
- We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
- Final Exit by Derek Humphry
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (I read this roughly a million times as a pre-teen)
- The Pigman by Paul Zindel
- Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
- Deenie by Judy Blume
- Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
- Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
- The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
- Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
- A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
- Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
- Cujo by Stephen King
- James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
- The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
- Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
- Ordinary People by Judith Guest
- American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
- What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
- Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
- Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
- Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
- Fade by Robert Cormier
- Guess What? by Mem Fox
- The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
- The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
- Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- Native Son by Richard Wright
- Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday
- Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
- Jack by A.M. Homes
- Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
- Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
- Carrie by Stephen King
- Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
- On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
- Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
- Family Secrets by Norma Klein
- Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
- The Dead Zone by Stephen King
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
- Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
- Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
- Private Parts by Howard Stern
- Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
- Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
- Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
- Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
- Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
- Sex Education by Jenny Davis
- The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
- Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
- How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
- View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
- The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
- The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
- Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
Katy Barzedor proclaimed this to be so at 12:35 PM
21 of you felt the overwhelming need to say somethin':
With you on the isle of the banned. *sigh* Good thing I brought beer...
Well, if eclectic brought the beer, where's the munchies to go with? I brought Nachos & salsa....
I like your title; it took me a moment. When are you going to write your book? I'm sure it could get banned.
I really don’t understand why anyone would want to ban some of these books, unless they think that books such as Huck Finn, and To Kill a Mocking Bird, for example, are politically incorrect. Of course, some of these such as those by Blume and Madonna are rather sexy, but so are TV commercials.
The “Christian” Right Wing has been jumping on the Harry Potter series since it began—“witchcraft ain’t Christian, Bubba.”
OK, I’m not into highlighting, but I shall list the 28 books on the list that I have read and recommend each and every one of them to you:
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling (not all of them yet)
Forever by Judy Blume
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Sex by Madonna
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Cujo by Stephen King
Ordinary People by Judith Guest
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Native Son by Richard Wright
Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Ahhhh... an opportunity to throw some quotes at ya'll...
"I can't understand why a person will take a year to write a novel when he can easily buy one for a few dollars."
- Fred Allen
"Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him."
- Maya Angelou
"You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them."
- Ray Bradbury
"Everywhere I go I’m asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don’t stifle enough of them."
- Flannery O’Connor
"There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away."
- Emily Dickinson
"Don't join the book burners. Do not think you are going to conceal thoughts by concealing evidence that they ever existed."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
"Some editors are failed writers, but so are most writers."
- George Eliot
"Whenever they burn books, they will also, in the end, burn people."
- Heinrich Heine
"I’ve learned about women the hard way: through books."
- Emo Phillips
"I’m all in favour of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Lets start with typewriters."
- Solomon Short
Homer: Marge, I'm bored...
Marge: Why don't you read a book, then?
Homer: Because I'm trying to reduce my boredom.
- The Simpsons
"No furniture so charming as books."
- Sydney Smith
"You know when you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend."
- Paul Sweeney
"There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written."
- Oscar Wilde
I LOOOOOVE the "Earth's Children" series!!!! I was offering the Hooterville librarian bribes when the last one came out cuz the waiting list was so long.
SS Nick, where have you been all my blogging life? With about 3 exceptions, your list is my list!
Eclectic - let's drink beer and underline the "good parts" in the banned books.
Effie - Ooooh, I will take some nachos, please!
Susie - Oh, I'm sure I will piss off plenty of people when my book is born. No tellin' what the gestational period is on that, though.
SS Nick - You're better read than I am, at least for the banned book list. I need to get busy on that. Must read that which I am told not to. It's just my way.
Ghost - well said, all the way round.
Romani Heart - I think I've only read the first three. I will have to check. The movie of Clan of the Cave Bear just didn't do it for me, except for casting Daryl Hannah as Ayla, which I called for long before it was filmed.
Susie - are you usin' my comments to be all mackin' on SS Nick? If so, carry on!
My list:
(Btw, Farenheit 451 used to be on the list when I first saw the banned books list 20 years ago.)
I'm no fan of Stephen King, so I was amazed to see how many of his I had read. It seems as though the list has gotten away from the political/social comnmentary types of books being banned and primarily deals with those that have religious, drug or sexual connotations.
I would be happy to roast marshmallows over the campfire on the island with all ya'll.
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 Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
8. Forever by Judy Blume
10. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
11. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
13. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
18. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
19. Sex by Madonna
22. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
23. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
24. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
25. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
26. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
32. Blubber by Judy Blume
36. Final Exit by Derek Humphry
37. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
41. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
42. Beloved by Toni Morrison
43. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
45. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
46. Deenie by Judy Blume
47. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
49. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
50. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
51. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
52. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
53. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
55. Cujo by Stephen King
56. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
57. The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
59. Ordinary People by Judith Guest
60. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
62. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
67. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
69. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
70. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
71. Native Son by Richard Wright
72. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday
76. Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
77. Carrie by Stephen King
83. The Dead Zone by Stephen King
84. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
85. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
86. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
87. Private Parts by Howard Stern
88. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
89. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
90. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
96. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
This is a favorite topic of mine. I've already been hogging the soapbox over at my site.
Bucky, I'm glad you did this list, too. I found it over at Doc Ern's site.
I really have a lot more reading to do. Like you, just knowing they're banned makes me want to read them.
And you'd think that Margaret Atwood's Edible Woman would've been on the list, just from the title.
:::Sets down large boxes of pizza and looks through list of books:::
Sorry I'm late, effie. :o)
Okay, I'll go by number 'cause I'm being lazy right now:
3,5,6,13,17,37; watched 43 via movie in class but forgot to read the book; 47, 51,55,70,77,84,and 96...95% of the ones I listed were read to me in my public school back in the day.
That was the 1980's-1990's, so a lot *has* changed since then!
I just thought the instructors were giving us memories to draw back on for later when we hit the duldrums of adulthood--oh, and to piss off our principal. We had a cool instuctor. Ms. Kelly. :o)
"Where's Waldo?" ???
You mean the picture book that has that one guy hiding in each picture? He's on the list?
Or am I just missing out on something?
MMM...good nachos!
:::cracks open beer:::
Hey, Susie, since our lists overlap, we’ve probably been traveling the same roads. You’re a psychotherapist and I have been, too (social worker). It’s grand to find someone with similar reading tastes.
THere's a movie? With Daryl Hannah? someone will have to send me a copy of that one - I reckon it'll be cool to see how much they fucked up.
Bucky I am so glad I'm not the only one who had read the sleeping beauty series. She actually has a heap of erotica under different names. Her mayfair witches series is also pretty erotic/scary and stays with you a long time - much more controversial than the vampire series.
I'm coming to banned book island for sure - anyone else got examples of books that were dispporved of? I'll read em!
I wonder what constitutes a book to be banned - what's the criteria? (by the way, Bucky, I absolutely LOVED "Geek Love" - great recommendation, thanks!) I read this one book where there's murder, men sleeping with their brother's wives, men sleeping with men, there's witchcraft, overall debauchery and generally a good time to be had by all (like that whore in Babylon). Why hasn't the bible ever been banned?
And I have yet to see any royalties from that one.
W of B - those bastards! You were robbed!
Song--the movie with Daryl Hannah was OK--but definitely didn't do the book justice! You have to read the series and make your own mental pictures....I always thought it was amazing how Ayla invented so many things...needle & thread, etc.
I think I've read/looked through every single Where's Waldo book....loved them!
Pizza, beer, nachos--PARTY-TIME! Woohoo!
oh and dazed and confused--yeah--I wonder if it will be banned....
I'm hoping kids and teens see the list and start reading some of these books.
Some great reading on this list, and several were required reading when I was in school.
What kills me is the absolute HATRED that Shirley Jackson had to endure from the small-minded small-town where she lived when "The Lottery" was published. She was a genius. A couple tacos shy of a combo plate, but a genius.
I've read close to three-quarters of the books on this list. I shall now make a point of reading the others. Banning books is sacrilege! I'm off to the library...
--swamp4me
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