October 30, 2005

Banned Books

I know I promised to post my Devil's Lake pictures today, but I an inflamed and must post something else. I stumbled upon a list of the most challenged books in America from 1990-2000 at Malissa's site. I've known of this list before, but I've never really read through it. Today I did, and I am appalled.

THE LIST:

  • Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
  • Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
  • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
  • The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
  • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
  • Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
  • Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
  • Forever by Judy Blume
  • Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
  • Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
  • Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
  • My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
  • The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  • The Giver by Lois Lowry
  • It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
  • Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
  • A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
  • The Color Purple by Alice Walker
  • Sex by Madonna
  • Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
  • The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
  • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
  • Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
  • Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
  • In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
  • The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
  • The Witches by Roald Dahl
  • The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
  • Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
  • The Goats by Brock Cole
  • Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
  • Blubber by Judy Blume
  • Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
  • Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
  • We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
  • Final Exit by Derek Humphry
  • The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
  • Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
  • The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
  • What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  • Beloved by Toni Morrison
  • The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
  • The Pigman by Paul Zindel
  • Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
  • Deenie by Judy Blume
  • Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
  • Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
  • The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
  • Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
  • A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  • Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
  • Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
  • Cujo by Stephen King
  • James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
  • The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
  • Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
  • Ordinary People by Judith Guest
  • American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
  • What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
  • Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
  • Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
  • Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
  • Fade by Robert Cormier
  • Guess What? by Mem Fox
  • The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
  • The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
  • Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
  • Lord of the Flies by William Golding
  • Native Son by Richard Wright
  • Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday
  • Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
  • Jack by A.M. Homes
  • Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
  • Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
  • Carrie by Stephen King
  • Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
  • On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
  • Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
  • Family Secrets by Norma Klein
  • Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
  • The Dead Zone by Stephen King
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
  • Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
  • Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
  • Private Parts by Howard Stern
  • Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
  • Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
  • Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
  • Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
  • Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
  • Sex Education by Jenny Davis
  • The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
  • Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
  • How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
  • View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
  • The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
  • The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
  • Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
I followed Malissa's lead and put the books I've read in bold. Not only have I read those, but many of them I consider to be among the greatest books ever written. They're the books that I kept when I donated my childhood books to a poor elementary school library. I mean, these are books that truly and deeply moved me. I cried, I stayed up all night pondering, I laughed. Why would people try to take away something that beautiful?

*sigh* I am sad.

9 comments:

*Monica said...

wow, does it say why they are "bad"??

kimberlina said...

the world is a scary and sad place, sleep goblin. that's why we have people and blogs like you & yours to give us happiness.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

also, love the fall colors.

Spinning Girl said...

trj said it better than I could have.

Malissa said...

Thanks for the link. Wikipedia tells why some of them were banned. "Where's Waldo" apparently has a naked person in it, though I'm not sure how I missed that.

Sleep Goblin said...

Malissa: Probably because the pictures are better measured in pixals rather than inches or centimeters...

As for schools preventing me from reading good books, I have to say that most of those books were part of my assigned reading in school. Summer of my German Soldier, for example, was on my reading list in 8th grade. I cried.

FRITZ said...

That is more frightening than any goblin that showed up at my door. Beyond the obvious selections from the 'fundy-wundies' (as I call the narrow minded Fundamentalists), I am amazed that such classics as 'Of Mice and Men' 'A Wrinkle in Time', 'I know Why the Caged Bird...' 'To Kill a Mockingbird'...My god.

Was Macbeth on the list? 'Cause it has witches in it. Or Othello? 'Cause that has a black man and white woman doin' it.

I hate ignorant small mindedness.

Rowan said...

Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
Forever by Judy Blume
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson daughter read this in school last year and my teacher read to us when I was in grade 5
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger -- never read but this one was banned in our city
It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harrismy daughter owns this one at the recommendation of our local bookstore
Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
daughter owns many
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
read in school, nothing to do with the movie.
Sex by Madonna
Blubber by Judy Blume
Julie of the Wolves by Jean read in school and daughter owns it
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Leehad to read in school 3 years in a row
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton9th grade required reading
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes excellent book, required reading for grade 12 general (my friend had to read)
Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)love them, but can see why they are banned
Cujo by Stephen Kingown it
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blumeloved this (my friends and I)around that lovely age of 10-12
Lord of the Flies by William Goldingrequired reading for 9th grade
Carrie by Stephen King distrubing but great book, no reason I see for it to be banned
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blumeread when I was a young girl of about 10
The Dead Zone by Stephen Kingownn it
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford

there, those are the ones I 've read before

Monkey said...

This list has always made me sad. Why we let our children watch shitty, putrid and violent movies, but they're not allowed to read moving books is beyond me.

duff said...

where's waldo is on the list?

how on earth can that be considered offensive in any way?

i don't get it.