Did you know that we’re getting towards the end of Banned Book Week?
I was just tagged by Alpha Heroes for this week’s Banned Books Meme. It’s going to be interesting, because I don’t think I really read that many banned books. Not because they are banned, but because they are part of genres I don’t normally read. Anyway, here’s the details on the meme…
How many have YOU read? Celebrating Banned Book Week 2008, here is the ALA’s list of the 100 most frequently challenged books from 1990 through 2000.
How to Play:
- Copy this list.
- Bold the ones you have read (or at least remember reading)
- Tag five people to play.
And now 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 I think I did back in school….
- 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
Total: 10
Alpha Heroes is also challenging people to read 10 more books from this list before next years Banned Books Week of 2009. Some of these books seem interesting (and I can’t believe Shel Silverstein is on the list), so I think I will join her. In fact, I’ll tell you which books I’ll read. They are:
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
- Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
- The Witches by Roald Dahl
- Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
- Beauty’s Punishment by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice) – I had started this series, but I’ll finish it
- The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
- Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
- Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
- The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
So now I get to tag people…
Judi at Sidhe Vicious Reviews
Rachel at American Bibliphile
Amber at Amberkatze Reviews
Rhinoa at Rhinoa’s Ramblings
Samanta at Sam’s Book Blog
Come back and leave a comment with a link if you choose to participate!
Found my way here through a maze of links after being tagged myself. :)
You stole the words right out of my mouth when you remarked that you were surprised by Shel Silverstein’s inclusion on the list. He happens to be one of my favorite poets; he penned a poem that actually sparked my love of poetry way back in 6th grade called No Difference–still have it memorized too.
And Roald Dahl? (Okay, maybe I can see why he may have been included, but c’mon.) And Madeleine L’Engle? It’s a flying shame how many I times I rolled my eyes going down the list. :D
It breaks my heart a bit to see that people are actually moving to have some of these books censored. Some of those books helped inspire me when I was growing and that kind of privation to future generations just seems wrong. It feels like those kids would be getting gipped somehow.
I’ve been reading the tagged lists all week and it seems that most of us have all read the same banned books. I think it has something to do with required reading in school.
The one I’m most surprised by is Where’s Waldo?. Why on earth would someone want to ban Where’s Waldo??
I think you’re right, Brie. From the top of my head, I do remember reading Silverstein, Zindel, Morrison, Angelou, Twain, Salinger, L’Engle, and Keyes as part of school reading assignments.
And my eyes bugged out when I realized that Where’s Waldo? made the list. The first time, I must have glossed over it. From what I can gather, apparently, it “it features adult material such as ‘topless sunbathers,’ and other adult ‘hidden pictures'”.Hmm…I don’t remember any of that when I was searching for Waldo….
Now that Ann-Kat mentioned that, I do remember the topless sunbathers. Not necessarily seeing them, but hearing that Where’s Waldo was getting censored because of it. Still, the book has no words! And all of the pictures are tiny.
I did this! I’ve read 14, about to be 15 since I’m starting The Wicthes soon.
Oooo you tagged me!!! I will have to have a look at this when I have some more time…