Banned Books: A Book Club
>> Monday, January 2, 2012
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I've wanted to start a banned books book club for a long time now. Maybe it's the educator in me that appreciates a persons choice to read what they want. Perhaps it's the writer in me that believes that a writer has the choice to express themselves in ways that others might not find appropriate. Or maybe it's that I've always had it in me to challenge the system (insert evil villainous laugh here). Either way I decided to do some research...
Did you know that 48% of challenges sent in to American Library Association for banning books is done by parents? Most of these are due to a sexual nature of a book followed up by offensive language. Other topics that might find a book on the chopping block are violence, being too religious OR not enough ("anti-family"), and not being appropriate for the age group of readers. Fascinating! Now I'm inspired to read them even more! Moving on...
So I looked up the top books that have been Banned or Challenged in this decade (thanks Office for Intellectual Freedom!) and here are the Top 10 contenders for 2010:
1. And Tango Makes Three by Richardson and Parnell
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
3. Brave New World
4. Crank
5. The Hunger Games
6. Lush
7. What My Mother Doesn't Know
8. Nickel and Dimed
9. Revolutionary Voices
10. Twilight
Kind of surprising? I thought so too. Other notable banned books from this decades list: The Color Purple, Of Mice and Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, My Sister's Keeper, Harry Potter, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
So a few of these I've already read (Twilight/Hunger Games) and a few I find less interesting so I took a few from this decades other banned books list and created my own Banned Books Book Club To-Read List or the BBBCTRL, hmmm.... maybe I'll need to give that some thought. Here goes:
Banned Books Book Club To Read List
AKA The Listologies Let's Read Banned Books List
And Tango Makes Three
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Brave New World
Crank
Nickle and Dimed
Revolutionary Voices
Olive's Ocean
Go Ask Alice
The Chocolate War
The Kite Runner
Want to join? Email me at listologies@gmail.com and I'll send you the info. Here's to a fight the man kind of 2012.
3 comments:
Brave New World is really good. I read it for a class on dystopias in college. You'll like it. ~Adrienne
Both girls have read Crank. Can't believe you haven't. I read some of it. Disturbing material. However, both girls thought it was a really good book. Too tough for me to read... heartbreaking. I get too emotionally caught up in the possibilities that are all too real. However, that doesn't mean I think it should be banned.
These books are still great such as the Hunger Games! That is one of my favorite books! Over thinking about people's reactions isn't a good reason to ban these books...
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