4
Aug
2009
The Challenged Challenge
You know what the most awesomest thing ever is? Books. You know what is totally sucktastic? When people try to make certain books unavailable in schools and libraries.
With this in mind, I am joining J.C. over at the BiblioBrat Blogazine, as well as several other readers and bloggers, in reading challenged and banned books in the month of September.
Technically speaking, Banned Book Week is the last week in September. But that didn’t seem sufficient. J.C. wanted to up the game and read one banned or challenged book each week in September. Though we all have devastatingly long TBR lists, so it’s O.K. if you just want to do one.
I’m going to give reading four books a shot. J.C. compiled a list of frequently challenged and banned books to choose from. I’ve selected:
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (on the list for violence, sexual content)
The Children of Earth Series (book 1) by Jean Auel (on the list for violence, language ,sexual content)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (on the list for sexual content, profanity)
All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren (on the list for…actually, I’m not sure why…language, I think).
And then I’ll let you know what I really think of people who try to ban books.
And remember, it’s never to late to sign up!
What a groovy book challenge! I’m totally signing up for this one, I don’t care that my TBR pile is coming out of every orifice….iI was actually thinking of starting up a challenge for banned books, but someone else clearly had the idea first haha.
Good luck with A Clockwork Orange, I never made it past the second page. ^_^
LOL, go through your TBR and see which have been challenged!
I love love love this challenge … I love the sense of subverting those who want to ban books (shame on them) and I want to see what is on the list that I’ve read or not read. I think I might join in!
I love this. I am already doing a banned book challenge and I am so glad to hear others are reading them, too!
I love banned books week, and I’m so glad J.C is making it banned books month. Hmm, I always did mean to read Gatsby…
OMG I am SO glad I found your blog! I’d love to sign up for this one! I have never done a book challenge (as of yet) and this very well could be my first one!
xoxo Amy (park-avenue princess
I love this challenge. I’m a teacher and actually watched our media specialist ban certain books on the accelerated reader test. She removed books from the shelves of the book fair and blocked their ability to take tests on them even if their parents purchased the book for them. She didn’t believe it was material that middle schoolers should read about. I wonder if she let them read Jay Asher’s 13 Reasons Why? I am no longer at that school. The school I’m at now just wants students to read. However, I did confiscate the pornographic book the young girl brought in and called the mother when she told me her mother gave it to her to read in my class. I didn’t think her mother wanted this child to be reading about sexual positions in class. Ha Ha
It’s the old, I can’t define Pornography, but I know it when I see it, right? With children there will always be a line, it’s just difficult to say what that line is. Especially because in some cases (though not the one with the girl in your class) some children and teens are more mature than others. It can be a tough call.