posted
Many of you know I'm a librarian. Those of you who don't know this, haven't been paying attention.
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).]
Shik
Starship database: completed; History of Starfleet: done; website: probably never
Member # 343
posted
"Banned Books Week"...heeheehee...
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
posted
I've read almost all those books, and we have almost al of them in the Library... most of them in the Children's Room.
"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).]
posted
Shik: Do you know every famous person to have ever lived, or what? *L*
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
posted
HA! I've actually read some of them. Now I feel happy.
------------------ 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...
Shik
Starship database: completed; History of Starfleet: done; website: probably never
Member # 343
posted
"American Psycho" is at the same time one of the most bestial & the most banal books I've ever read. I read it in 94 after it was published. Now, I grew up with violence; I'm of the "RoboCop" generation. I sat through the "Faces Of Death" flicks. But the shit that Ellis described in that book made me cringe. Maybe it was because the imagery was left to my hyperactive imagination, I dunno. But it was HARSH. And the rest....boring yuppie shit about who's wearing what clothing from which designer & ingesting which drug du jour.
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
posted
I've read: Huckleberry Finn -- Mark Twain Tom Sawyer -- Mark Twain Of Mice and Men -- John Steinbeck I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings -- Maya Angelou The Witches -- Roald Dahl James and the Giant Peach -- Roald Dahl The Outsiders -- S.E. Hinton To Kill a Mockingbird -- Harper Lee Cujo -- Stephen King *seen this one* Carrie -- Stephen King *seen this one* The Dead Zone -- Stephen King *seen this one* A Light in the Attic -- Shel Silverstein Where's Waldo -- Martin Hanford
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?
Printer-friendly view of this topic
