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Banned Books I Love…

“Everything I really need to know about life I learned by reading banned books.”

My Mom called me last week to ask what books are banned. I said, “a lot of good ones.” That seemed like an insufficient response though, so I thought I would look up some of the banned books (from the American Library Association) and post them here. I’ve highlighted the ones I have read. Be sure to celebrate your freedom to read from September 24 – October 1, 2005! (It seems only appropriate that since I love to read, banned books week falls right on top of my birthday!)

Which banned books are among your favorites?

The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000:
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. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
8. Forever by Judy Blume
9. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
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
14. The Giver by Lois Lowry
15. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
16. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
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
28. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
29. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
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
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
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
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
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
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
70. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
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
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
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

(Hmmm… there are a lot that are not highlighted – I guess I have some reading to do!)

By Christine

Christine is an Avenger of Sexiness. Her Superpower is helping Hot Mamas grow their Confidence by rediscovering their Beauty. She lives in the Heights in Houston, Texas, works as a boudoir photographer, and writes about running a Business of Awesome. In her spare time, she loves to knit, especially when she travels. She & her husband Mike have a food blog at Spoon & Knife.

20 replies on “Banned Books I Love…”

I’ve actually read a lot of these, which either makes me a loser, an anarchist, or a dork. Not sure which.

Number 9 is one of my LEAST favorite books in the world.

And A Light in the Attic is banned? Why? In what world? In a world where we should be mean to people and not like bald men that write interesting poems?

And who reads the Anarchists’ Cookbook? And why?

I don’t think I understand people anymore.

I will remember not to read #9. And considering Shel Silverstein is one of my favorite writers, the fact that the book is banned is strange to me. I need to go and read it again to figure out why. Along with “Where the Sidewalk Ends” … I love those books!

I took a literature class in college all about censorship, and we read a whole bunch of books that had been banned. Most of them were the more “famous” pieces of literature (no Judy Blume, sadly). It was really fascinating.

Have you read Lolita? That was the first time I’d read it, and it’s amazing just how beautifully it’s written. For the person who loves words (as I do), it creates a very interesting tension between the rhythm and grace of the language used and the subject matter at hand.

Where’s Waldo?? Are they kidding? How could that possibly be subversive or offensive in any way?

Color me confused. Then look for me in a crowd of confused people.

Huh. I left a comment here, but it’s not showing up. If it suddenly appears later, I’m sorry, Christine, for repeating myself. 🙂

When I was in college I took a literature class on censorship, and we read lots of books from the banned list (they were all “literary greats,” though, no Judy Blume). It was the first time I read Lolita. Have you read it? For someone like me, who loves words so much, that book introduces a strange tension between the lyricism and beauty of the words and the subject matter at hand.

Whoo! That’s all deep and nerdy sounding, isn’t it? Anyway, I honestly think it’s one of the most beautifully written books ever. But creepy and weird, too.

I had seen most of these on the list last fall, but, the Judy Blume books surprised me. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised? I don’t know why people have to control everything everyone does. I think that “The Outsiders” is one of those books that you have to read when you are in your teens and pass onto your kids when they get that age too.

Bridge to Terabithia? Dying kids IS offensive… but maybe it would be more efficient to ban the dying than the book? Do the people who make the decision to ban the book even bother reading it?

“Where’s Waldo?? Are they kidding? How could that possibly be subversive or offensive in any way?”

its because on the beach pages there is a little girl and they forgot to draw a bikini top on her, but it doesnt show anything its just bare

I am from Canada, and we studied some of the above novels in depth, in Junior and Senior High. And I am pretty sure most of the others were available in the library.

Interesting about the Where’s Waldo…

In the type of society we live in today it is ridiculous to ban books.In spite of some of its contents regarding sex,profanity,ect. it is not like no one has ever in their lives heard.seen or know someone or something about it. and as far as horrors and murders the person themselves can use their discretion as with any thing else.to me it limits our rights in the free countries.nonetheless we still have access to the literature if not in schools in bookstores,therefore it really is not a good idea to ban books.

Notice how many of these books were written by people of Jewish descent. They probably contain anti-Christ and communist values, and that’s why they were banned.

I have to comment that Bridge to Terabithia was one of my favorite books growing up. It is SAAAAD, don’t get me wrong, but it is an absolutely amazing children’s book. It’s a must-read IMO.

hey i am doing a project on banned books and i need to find out why The face on the Milk Carton is banned and i cant find anything .. do you know why .. i need to no asap!
thanx

azbug… dude.. just be quiet cuz ur racist against jews ok…. and there’s nuthin against christ or any communist things, if ur german then ur the real communist…

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