A Better Book Meme

[highlyeccentric]

You know that '100 most unread books' meme? I've got a better idea. Who cares about reading books other people find boring: let's read books other people find offenseive! In the name of intellectual freedom, etc etc. Also in the name of Banned Books Week, 27th Sept- 4th October.

Now, I tried to find a list of books most often challenged in Australia, but no one seems to keep records as the ALA do in America. The ALA's link for 2000-2007 is down, so we're going with 1990-1999, for now. Feel free to find your own list of degenerate literature.

Refer to Forbidden Library for reasons certain books were challenged. (Including The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, because it depicts "graphic violence, mysticism, and gore." WHEE FOR COMMON SENSE.) I've actually read a LOT more of the books on Forbidden Library's list than the ALA (Thomas Malory, challenged for being 'junk'. BWAHAHAH), but what's the point of a list which tailors to your taste?

Bold= read
Italic= unfinished
Underline= other comment


1. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
2. Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite
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: I hear all the Twain books are challenged on grounds of racism... in which case most literature before, oh, 1960 should be banned, and a good deal of that after.
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling: Proudly defending HP against the Parents, Teachers and Friends Association since 2003. :D
8. Forever by Judy Blume: Nope. Reasonably certain this one was NOT in my school library, anyone want to take bets as to why THAT was? (Although weirdly, we had Phillip Pullman.)
9. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson: K says this one is because of character death. WTF?
10. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
11. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
12. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
13. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger: I have NO WORDS for how DULL this was. I'd ban it for sheer BOREDOM.
14. The Giver by Lois Lowry: Never read it, but who banns Lois Lowry? WHHY?
15. It's Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris: Is it? are you SURE?
16. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine: Proudly NEVER READ A WORD OF THEM. Not because they're degenerate- because they're utter crap.
17. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
18. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
19. Sex by Madonna
20. Earth's Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
21. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
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
27. The Witches by Roald Dahl: It was funny, too.
28. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein: I wonder how it's different to the old joy?
29. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry: See number 14.
30. The Goats by Brock Cole
31. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
32. Blubber by Judy Blume
33. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
34. Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
35. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
36. Final Exit by Derek Humphry
37. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: Never read, because my English teacher refused to teach Speculative Fiction. So far as I know this was not because of any moral qualities of the books, but because she thought it was tripe and I needed to stop reading fantasy. Curriculum censorship? Er, probably not. Teachers should teach what they teach well, and in her case, that was Crime Fic.
38. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
39. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
40. What's Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras: Why is the girls version of this SO MUCH MORE SHOCKING than the boys?
41. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
42. Beloved by Toni Morrison
43. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
44. The Pigman by Paul Zindel: Read it. For year 8 English. In the 'humour' unit. Was rather unfunny. In fact, boring. But not bannable, that I can tell.
45. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
46. Deenie by Judy Blume
47. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
48. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
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)
54. Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
55. Cujo by Stephen King
56. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl: At least, I THINK I've read it. Can't remember. It's quite innocuous, surely? Although Forbidden Library say it contains the word 'ass' and promotes drug use, so who knows.
57. The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
58. Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
59. Ordinary People by Judith Guest
60. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
61. What's Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras: See number 40.
62. Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
63. Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
64. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
65. Fade by Robert Cormier
66. Guess What? by Mem Fox
67. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
68. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
69. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut: I can't remember why I never finished this- I think I just wasn't in the mood for the brain-work of reading Vonnegut at the time. I highly recommend his 'Cat's Cradle', though.
70. Lord of the Flies by William Golding: Not bad. Pretty dry, though.
71. Native Son by Richard Wright
72. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women's Fantasies by Nancy Friday
73. Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
74. Jack by A.M. Homes
75. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
76. Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle: I had *a* book by this title, but it's a pretty common title...
77. Carrie by Stephen King
78. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
79. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
80. Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
81. Family Secrets by Norma Klein
82. Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
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: I never did understand Where's Wally. And I hardly ever found Wally. Nor did I find the topless woman which got this book banned.
89. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
90. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
91. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
92. Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
93. Sex Education by Jenny Davis
94. The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
95. Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
96. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
97. View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
98. The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
99. The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
100. Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

Total Banned Books Read: Six. Very poor showing, I feel.
Pick ten banned books to read by the end of the year (or other suitable deadline):
1. Any of the Judy Blume books listed.
2. Any of the Toni Morrison books.
3. Bridge to Terabythia.
4. The Handmaid's Tale
5. A Wrinkle in Time
6. Go Ask Alice
7. The House of Spirits. Hey, I like Isabel Allende.
8. The Giver. I liked Lois Lowry, too.
9. The Colo[u]r Purple.
10. Flowers for Algernon.
Above list subject to change depending on availability in my small town library at home :)

Comments

[highlyeccentric.livejournal.com]

Well, I hated it *least* amongst my class, you can add a count of around twelve bratty australian teenagers to the list of people who hated The Pigman...

[(Anonymous)]

fifteen. I would like to pretend it was more, but I've only read 15, and only if you ignore the word 'series' for Goosebumps and Harry Potter - I've only read 2 HPs and a handful of Goosebumps from my little brother's collection.
I don't understand To Kill a Mockingbird being banned, either. It's really quite lovely.

-april