Anyways, next week is ALA's Banned Books Week, a week in which we celebrate the fact that we live in a society that values freedom of expression... and also remind ourselves that we must be ever vigilant against those who would try to take these freedoms from us.
The ALA provides us with a list of the 100 most frequently challenged (attempted to ban) books from public and school libraries of the last decade. I thought I might share SOME of these with you, so you'd know what you were getting into (all the 'eternal damnation' and so forth the Fundies [largest group of banners] tell you about,)if you should ever read any of them. And you should. If only to thumb your noses at the people who would see them banned.
Here goes: (How many have YOU read?)
The Chocolate War -- Robert Cormier
Huckleberry Finn -- Mark Twain
Tom Sawyer -- Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men -- John Steinbeck
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings -- Maya Angelou
Forever -- Judy Blume
Blubber -- Judy Blume
Bridge to Terabithia -- Katherine Paterson
The Catcher in the Rye -- J.D. Salinger
The Giver -- Lois Lowry
Anastasia Krupnik (series) -- Lois Lowry
Goosebumps (series) -- R.L. Stine
The Color Purple -- Alice Walker
In the Night Kitchen -- Maurice Sendak
The Witches -- Roald Dahl
James and the Giant Peach -- Roald Dahl
A Wrinkle in Time -- Madeline L'engle
Go ask Alice -- Anonymous
The Stupids (series) -- Henry Allard
Julie of the Wolves -- Jean George
Fallen Angels -- Walter Dean Myers
The Handmaid's Tale -- Margaret Atwood
The Outsiders -- S.E. Hinton
The Pigman -- Paul Zindel
To Kill a Mockingbird -- Harper Lee
Flowers for Algernon -- Daniel Keys
Beloved -- Toni Morrison
Harry Potter (series) -- J.K. Rowling
Cujo -- Stephen King
Carrie -- Stephen King
Christine -- Stephen King
The Dead Zone -- Stephen King
A Light in the Attic -- Shel Silverstein
Brave New World -- Aldous Huxley
Slaughterhouse-Five -- Kurt Vonnegut
Lord of the Flies -- William Golding
Where's Waldo -- Martin Hanford
Jump Ship to Freedom -- James & Christopher Collier
------------------
"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master
[This message has been edited by First of Two (edited September 16, 2000).]
The Chocolate War -- Robert Cormier Yeah, when I was a kid...
Huckleberry Finn -- Mark Twain Yes.
Tom Sawyer -- Mark Twain Yes.
Of Mice and Men -- John Steinbeck Unfortunately yes
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings -- Maya Angelou Maya Angelou makes me vomit.
Forever -- Judy Blume Yes.
Blubber -- Judy Blume Yes.
Bridge to Terabithia -- Katherine Paterson Yes.
The Catcher in the Rye -- J.D. Salinger No, because it never appealed to the serial killer in me.
The Giver -- Lois Lowry Nope.
Anastasia Krupnik (series) -- Lois Lowry Nope.
Goosebumps (series) -- R.L. Stine Oh, COME now! I'm 25!
The Color Purple -- Alice Walker I had the movie inflicted on me...bad enough.
In the Night Kitchen -- Maurice Sendak Yep.
The Witches -- Roald Dahl FUCK ya!
James and the Giant Peach -- Roald Dahl FUCK ya�!
Wrinkle in Time -- Madeline L'engle FUCK ya�! (She lives near me & was a friend of my mom)
Go ask Alice -- Anonymous Nope.
The Stupids (series) -- Henry Allard Is this what they based the Tom Arnold movie on?
Julie of the Wolves -- Jean George Nein.
Fallen Angels -- Walter Dean Myers Nyet.
The Handmaid's Tale -- Margaret Atwood Nae.
The Outsiders -- S.E. Hinton Oo....flashback to 7th-grade English class. NOT good.
The Pigman -- Paul Zindel Negatory.
To Kill a Mockingbird -- Harper Lee Unfortunately, yes..
Flowers for Algernon -- Daniel Keyes Ayuh.
Beloved -- Toni Morrison I stay away from the Clan Oprah...
Harry Potter (series) -- J.K. Rowling See my sanwer for "Goosebumps."
Cujo -- Stephen King AhhhYA!
Carrie -- Stephen King AhhhYA again!
Christine -- Stephen King AhhAHHH ya!
The Dead Zone -- Stephen King AhhFUCK ya!
A Light in the Attic -- Shel Silverstein Damn skippy.
Brave New World -- Aldous Huxley Tried, failed miserably, one of one 3 books I've never finished
Slaughterhouse-Five -- Kurt Vonnegut Nope.
Lord of the Flies -- William Golding Unfortunately, yes.
Where's Waldo -- Martin Hanford Oh, come ON!!
Jump Ship to Freedom -- James & Christopher Collier Nope.
What, no "Stranger In A Strange Land?" No Narnia or Prydain Chronicles? No Tolkien? No "Hitchhiker's Guide?" No "American Psycho?" Y'all ban weird-ass books.
And since we're on the topic of "books one ought read," go out & get a copy of "The Real Frank Zappa Book," ISBN 0-671-70572-5, by Frank Zappa & Peter Occhioogrosso. Although writtien in the late 80s, it's still a wonderful commentary on Frank's life, his views on politics, marriage, music, & a zillion other things.
------------------
"What if, the next time someone tried to pull up a dandelion, it pulled back? What if the dandelion ducked under the blades of the lawnmower?" --Del
I can understand some of these books, but why these two? I read them and I found nothing offensive. Heck, they made a movie out of the first one.
Thing is, I don't see Farenhiet 451 up there, either. They must be using it as a reference guide.
------------------
Intelligence, Integrity, Responsibility.
Vote Bush/Cheney 2000
I've read just about every single one of those books... *grin* Maybe my parents are RIGHT when they say I'm a bad person... ;-)
~Liz
------------------
No, you CAN'T see my picture!
"Wrinkle in Time: has semireligious overtoves that aren't Christian. That's probably why it was challenged. Any book with any religion that isn't Christian being made to look less than horribly evil draws Fundie protesters like poop draws flies.
I don't know about "James and the Giant Peach," never having read it. But it's from the same guy who created "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," (Made into the "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" movie, of course) so it must be good.
"Oompa-loompa, doompadee dee..."
Of course, I picked most of these books to show because I figured many of you have read many of them, and found nothing really bad about them. I mean, they're only words on paper. It was mostly to show the lengths some people will go to.
Incidentally, the Bible's been challenged more than a few times, too. Sometimes in schools as a violation of Separation of Church and State, sometimes because some of the subject matter is unsuitable for children (worse than a lot of other books, if you look at it from a content standpoint: war, genocide, human sacrifice, child murder, incest -- and those are things the HEROES do), but very often as a 'reverse attack' when some Fundie Christian tries to bann another book.) "You think THAT book has objectionable content, take a look at the Bible!"
Personally, I take censorship of books (as opposed to censorship of, say, battlefield news) as a direct personal insult to the intelligence and morality of every human being. I would object to banning the Bible from a library as strongly as to any other... but I WOULD use the example to make my point.
Shik: "American Psycho" was on the list, too, the other books you mentioned have been challenged on occasion, they just didn't make the Top 100 List this time.
------------------
"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master
[This message has been edited by First of Two (edited September 16, 2000).]
First: Where's the full list? I so need to work on setting up some kind of display or something for this at work tomorrow. (For those of you haven't paid attention, I work in a library, too.)
------------------
"It's like the Star of David or something. But without the whole Judaism thing."
-Frank Gerratana, 17-Aug-2000
1999 list:
http://www.ala.org/bbooks/1999bannedbooks.html
------------------
"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master
"I mean, they're only words on paper."
Or less, in Waldo's case.
"These guys couldn't find Waldo if they took the book home for the weekend."
- Ray Vecchio, "due South"
------------------
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
- George Bernard Shaw
------------------
Ready for the action now, Dangerboy
Ready if I'm ready for you, Dangerboy
Ready if I want it now, Dangerboy?
How dare you, dare you, Dangerboy?
How dare you, Dangerboy?
I dare you, dare you, Dangerboy...
�on Flux, "Thanatophobia"
------------------
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
- George Bernard Shaw
As one said, it is an absolute travesty of democracy when the wishes of a minority go against the wishes of the majority.
------------------
"My Name is Elmer Fudd, Millionaire. I own a Mansion and a Yacht."
Psychiatrist: "Again."
TSN: Actually, I HAVE met many of the famous. Most were cool, some were assholes. Besides Rene Auberjonois, Joe Lieberman, & Madeleine L'Engle, there was:
Avery Corman (writer of "Oh, God!"--I went to camp with his son Nicky)
Glenn Frey (I went to camp with his son Max)
Yoko Ono (who I hated--I went to camp with...)
Sean Lennon (an elitist ass)
Robert Ballard (another arrogant prick)
Jack McKenny (an underwater photographer)
Emory Kristof (same)
Sylvia Earle
Theodore Bikel (I went to camp with his son Dan)
------------------
"What if, the next time someone tried to pull up a dandelion, it pulled back? What if the dandelion ducked under the blades of the lawnmower?" --Del
I want to read:
The Catcher in the Rye -- J.D. Salinger
The Stupids (series) -- Henry Allard
Harry Potter (series) -- J.K. Rowling
Christine -- Stephen King
Brave New World -- Aldous Huxley
Slaughterhouse-Five -- Kurt Vonnegut
Lord of the Flies -- William Golding
Jump Ship to Freedom -- James & Christopher Collier
King got on here a lot, didn't he? LOL.
------------------
Where's the bathroom on this ship?
Ruth Kelly, mother of a 9-year-old boy, is pleased by the board's decision."I don't want my child to have to read something we're against. I'm glad that this has been brought up," she said.
"There is nothing wrong with imagination, but make it happy and joyful."
Kelly hasn't read the books, but said the mention of witchcraft is enough to make her keep them out of her home.
I swear, after reading this, I want to scream, vomit, and break down in tears all at once...
------------------
"It's like the Star of David or something. But without the whole Judaism thing."
-Frank Gerratana, 17-Aug-2000
Mein Kampf )------------------
"Human race in tha house!" KoRn & Kittie, This Town
---
Titan Fleet Yards - Harry Doddema's Star Trek Site
I've read Mein Kampf. It was quite boring, long, and extremely poorly written.
It didn't turn me into a Nazi. And it won't turn children into Nazis if they read it. It's too long and boring for their attention spans. ("Eh, there's no Pikachu. WTF?")
Of course, it may influence a child in a negative way, but any book could do so, if the reader is already that extraordinarily impressionable to believe that what is being read is the truth, without questioning it even slightly. (*ahem*Religions?)
Saying that a book can turn you into a nazi, is like saying 'Suicide Solution' by Ozzy Osborne (Randy Rhoads kicks ass BTW) is the reason for people who do indeed feel that suicide is a solution.
If you ban one book, you must ban them all. Despite some books of questionable nature, Free Speech means exactly that, and nobody has the power to dictate to us what we can or cannot read.
------------------
...You know, Omega, there's a phrase you might want to look up. It goes something like "paranoid arrogant fuckwit who has more chance of ejaculating to the moon than he has of ever convincing a girl that he's a viable prospect for marriage." -PsyLiam, September 16, 2000 10:23 PM.
Wonderful!
------------------
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
- George Bernard Shaw
I suspect that people like Mrs. Kelly are the same ones who place jack-o-lanterns on their porches, never realizing (or caring) that they are celebrating a pagan Celtic ritual.
Ah, the hypocrisy of it all.
------------------
Everything in life I ever needed to know I learned from The Simpsons.
------------------
Ivanova is always right. I will listen to Ivanova. I will not ignore Ivanova's recommendations. Ivanova is God. *And*, if this ever happens again, Ivanova will personally rip your lungs out!
- Commander Susan Ivanova, Babylon 5
BTW, WHERE'S WALDO??????? WTF?
------------------
Women are demons who make men enter hell through the gates of paradise.
[This message has been edited by Saiyanman Benjita (edited September 21, 2000).]
------------------
"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master
------------------
"My Name is Elmer Fudd, Millionaire. I own a Mansion and a Yacht."
Psychiatrist: "Again."
Ooh, my kid's gonna be corrupted by reading Harry Potter, OOoooh.
PLEASE. If your kid's that weak-minded, you probably made him that way in the first place, and he'll never survive in the real world anyway.
You know, studies have shown that about 90% of the people who turn out in favor of banning or restricting a book have never read it in the first place. 90% of the rest have missed the point.
And that one idiot: "My son has decided on his own that it's not for him, so he shouldn't have to discuss it." So fucking what?? I decided "The Canterbury Tales" weren't for me, LONG ago, but I STILL had to discuss them in literature class. Life works that way. Get used to it, stupid.
------------------
"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master
If you don't want your kid watching offensive shows, Turn off the TV! If you don't want your kid reading offensive books, take the book away!
Don't ask the forking government to do it for you. The Government is NOT your kids' babysitter or surrograte parent. Granted, a determined kid WILL watch that show you hate, or read that book you despise, but its quite possible your overbearing smothering made him seek it out.
Too many people out there think they have a right not to be offended. They need a wakeup call.
------------------
Intelligence, Integrity, Responsibility.
Vote Bush/Cheney 2000
Same with Libraries. What happens if you have a banned book there? Does anybody check? Like that Book Detective from Seinfeld?
[This message has been edited by Ultra Magnus (edited September 20, 2000).]
To the second: Yes, there have been attempts by certain people and pseudo "concerned citizen's" groups to remove some of the afore-mentioned books from even public libraries. These are generally less successful, and if one happened here I would be hard-pressed to avoid laughing in their faces.
My first instinct when I hear of a place that is trying to ban a book is to travel there with a whole bunch of copies and hand them out to people.. I might do that, if I could afford it.
------------------
"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master
------------------
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
- George Bernard Shaw
------------------
Where's the bathroom on this ship?
------------------
"It's like the Star of David or something. But without the whole Judaism thing."
-Frank Gerratana, 17-Aug-2000
------------------
Sailing the Slipstream
------------------
"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master
------------------
love's function is to fabricate unknownnness
--
E. E. Cummings
****
Read chapter one of "Dirk Tungsten in...The Disappearing Planet"! And party everyday.
------------------
"My Name is Elmer Fudd, Millionaire. I own a Mansion and a Yacht."
Psychiatrist: "Again."
------------------
"It's like the Star of David or something. But without the whole Judaism thing."
-Frank Gerratana, 17-Aug-2000
------------------
Frank's Home Page
"I now believe I have found a doorway between the two realities. I can cross back and forth at will. I'm not sure what this means, but I intend to explore alternate Earths until I start to suck a lot and get canceled." - Simon Sizer
------------------
Intelligence, Integrity, Responsibility.
Vote Bush/Cheney 2000
Oh, all right.
The novel won the Nebula in 1966.
The short story won the Hugo in 1960.
------------------
love's function is to fabricate unknownnness
--
E. E. Cummings
****
Read chapter one of "Dirk Tungsten in...The Disappearing Planet"! And party everyday.
[This message has been edited by Sol System (edited September 22, 2000).]
Hmm: "Because you're the minority doesn't mean you shouldn't be heard."
Nice argument. Of course, paedophiles could use the same argument. As could Modern Jazz performers. Both should be locked away for a very long time. Along with some who could actually say "``I do believe witchcraft, sorcery, wizardry - any of that - is of the devil, it's from Satan," while keeping a straight face. Notice the use of the key phrase "any of that", translating to "anything I don't understand. Like gravity", and the fact that she's nice enough to explain that the devil is also known in some circles as Satan. Thanks for clearing that up Karen.
------------------
"Why do you want to spend time with a deer? They're so stupid, they get hypnotized by headlights!" - Guido Anchovy
------------------
"Why do you want to spend time with a deer? They're so stupid, they get hypnotized by headlights!" - Guido Anchovy