This coming September 26th till October 3rd, bibliophiles from the US will be celebrating their freedom to read. This American Library Association (ALA) event has been observed since 1982.
Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one's opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them.
Considering I am not an American but a bibliophile at heart, I enjoin them in celebrating the liberty to read anything as well as rally to make such books available without being challenged or restricted.
From 1990–1999, here are the top 100 most frequently challenged books:
- 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
6. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
7. Forever, by Judy Blume
8. Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
9. Heather Has Two Mommies, by Leslea Newman
10. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
11. The Giver, by Lois Lowry
12. My Brother Sam is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
13. It's Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
14. Alice (Series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
15. Goosebumps (Series), by R.L. Stine
16. A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck
17. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
18. Sex, by Madonna
19. Earth's Children (Series), by Jean M. Auel
20. The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson
21. In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
22. The Witches, by Roald Dahl
23. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle
24. The New Joy of Gay Sex, by Charles Silverstein
25. Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
26. The Goats, by Brock Cole
27. The Stupids (Series), by Harry Allard
28. Anastasia Krupnik (Series), by Lois Lowry
29. Final Exit, by Derek Humphry
30. Blubber, by Judy Blume
31. Halloween ABC, by Eve Merriam
32. Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
33. Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane
34. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
35. What's Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters, by Lynda Madaras
36. Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
37. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
38. The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
39. The Pigman, by Paul Zindel
40. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
41. We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier
42. Deenie, by Judy Blume
43. Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
44. Annie on my Mind, by Nancy Garden
45. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
46. The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar
47. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat, by Alvin Schwartz
48. Harry Potter (Series), by J.K. Rowling
49. Cujo, by Stephen King
50. James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl
51. A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein
52. Ordinary People, by Judith Guest
53. American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis
54. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
55. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy, by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
56. Bumps in the Night, by Harry Allard
57. Asking About Sex and Growing Up, by Joanna Cole
58. What's Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons, by Lynda Madaras
59. The Anarchist Cookbook, by William Powell
60. Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume
61. Boys and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy
62. Crazy Lady, by Jane Conly
63. Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher
64. Killing Mr. Griffin, by Lois Duncan
65. Fade, by Robert Cormier
66. Guess What?, by Mem Fox
67. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
68. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
69. Native Son by Richard Wright
70. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women's Fantasies, by Nancy Friday
71. Curses, Hexes and Spells, by Daniel Cohen
72. On My Honor, by Marion Dane Bauer
73. The House of Spirits, by Isabel Allende
74. Jack, by A.M. Homes
75. Arizona Kid, by Ron Koertge
76. Family Secrets, by Norma Klein
77. Mommy Laid An Egg, by Babette Cole
78. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo A. Anaya
79. Where Did I Come From?, by Peter Mayle
80. The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline Cooney
81. Carrie, by Stephen King
82. The Dead Zone, by Stephen King
83. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
84. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
85. Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez
86. Private Parts, by Howard Stern
87. Where's Waldo?, by Martin Hanford
88. Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene
89. Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume
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. Jumper, by Steven Gould
95. Christine, by Stephen King
96. The Drowning of Stephen Jones, by Bette Greene
97. That Was Then, This is Now, by S.E. Hinton
98. Girls and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy
99. The Wish Giver, by Bill Brittain
100. Jump Ship to Freedom, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
Since I am in-between reading challenges (found in my sidebar), I am reading one book off from the list above.
Lemme think which one. Hmm. I have highlighted in bold the ones I have already read. I have the HP series lined-up for another challenge so I am choosing The Color Purple by Alice Walker.
Celie is a poor black woman whose letters tell the story of 20 years of her life, beginning at age 14 when she is being abused and raped by her father and attempting to protect her sister from the same fate, and continuing over the course of her marriage to "Mister," a brutal man who terrorizes her. Celie eventually learns that her abusive husband has been keeping her sister's letters from her and the rage she feels, combined with an example of love and independence provided by her close friend Shug, pushes her finally toward an awakening of her creative and loving self.
I picked this book because it was just there lying amongst the pile of unread books in my table. Despite being awarded the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Awards, this book always has a spot in the top 100 of most frequently challenged books. According to ALA, this book was challenged due to explicit content, particularly in terms of violence.
Here are more links about Banned and Challenged Books:
Posts
I counted the number of books I've read in the list - 8! Including The Color Purple. Hay, so many books to read, so little time.
ReplyDelete@ABANIKO, I read 14 naman from the list. I definitely agree on your last statement...
ReplyDelete