It's Banned Books Week. Maybe you've seen information in your library? I hope so. In any case I want to ask all of you to pick up a book, or two, or five, on this list and read it, in order to show support for the First Amendment and right to privacy and to help "ban" intolerance and narrow-mindedness.
I have a huge list and so I'm only going to give some. The first 10 are the "Most Challenged Books of 2006."
1. "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
2."Gossip Girls" Series by Cecily Von Ziegesar
3."Alice Series" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
4."The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things" by Carolyn Mackler
5. "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
6."Scary Stories" by Alvin Schwartz
7."Athletic Shorts" by Christ Crutcher
8."The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
9."Beloved" by Toni Morrison
10."The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
These are the top ten challenged authors 1990-2004: Read one of their books if you don't want to read one of the above.
11. Alvin Schwartz
12. Judy Blume
13. Robert Cormier
14. J.K. Rowling
15. Michael Willhoite
16. Katherine Paterson
17. Stephen King
18. Maya Angelou
19. R.L. Stine
20. John Steinbeck
If you want more information go to Google and type in Banned Books or go to www.ala.org - That's the American Library Association's Home Page and they have tons of information and I think links.
5 comments:
Ok, I was big into reading but when we were in grade school I tended to avoid books/authors that the rest of the class seemed to flock to, but wasn't Judy Blume and R.L. Stine fairly common big authors from the day? Also, didn't the english classes have Blume books the class was to read and do reports over? Maybe its because its so late but the top ten challenged authors don't sound all that bad to me...
That's true...to most people, the idea of challenging a book is sort of weird. But this if from the American Library Association's Web page and they keep track of all books that are challenged/banned. Challenged is of course different. But yeah. It's sort of weird. You have to wonder why people would challenge books rather than just tell their child not to read them.
OMG....When I was in grade school, the girls were actually encouraged to read Judy Blume, particularly the Are You There God... JEESH, why can't parents just be honest and up front with their kids and let them know that it's okay to be different or have their own opinion. As long as they are raised to respect others, even if they don't have the same outlook on life as everyone else...isn't that what's important-that kids are raised to be 'good people'?? Alyssa is probably traumatized because I actually bought her Judy Blume books! LOL
I know. I don't ever remember being told to NOT read something. I mean, even books that might have been considered out of my age range. I guess it's more of the whole morality thing - by being honest and open about things, sex or religion or whatever, that might encourage kids to get ideas that they shouldn't have - like having sex or changing their religion...apparently parents are extremely afraid that their kids will easily abandon what they teach them - I guess maybe it's cause they are insecure deep down or something. Protecting kids too much. I don't know, but isn't is weird to think of somebody saying that something considered a classic: like Mark Twain or Shakespeare is "bad," because it might have elements that parents are close-minded about?
The Chocolate War remains one of the best books I've ever read. I haven't read it in years, so I don't know if it is still awesome, but the question has stuck with me, "Do I dare disturb the universe."
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