Sunday is the beginning of Banned Books Week. I had never heard of it before, but A was telling me about it the other day on one of our many trips to Reading Rock last week. Now I feel like I should start a crusade on behalf of all the challenged books in America. I really don't understand banning books. Really. If someone could explain it to me?? Probably I still wouldn't get it because it's just not the kind of thing that I can understand. My brain doesn't wrap around things like banning books or art and hatred and all those things that I think are basically the same thing: a product of a lot of fear and a healthy dose of ignorance. Anyway, I'm planning to devour as many banned books as I can next week (though mostly classics that I've never read). I've already started Catch-22. It's not a terribly easy read, but I'm determined. And you know how stubborn I can be.Anyway, here's a link to some information and some lists of books. I would love it if at least one of you devoted readers would pick up even one of those books next week. I don't know why it seems important, but it does. Maybe it seems extra important because of the ridiculousness happening in our beloved county right now.
That's it for me today, peeps. I'm going to go nurse my sore arm. Stupid flu shot.
6 comments:
And Tango Makes Three, the top book on the 2008 list, is an adorable picture book about two male penguins in a zoo that take in a baby penguin as their own. Great little book that gets all kinds of flack.
Wow. If I've read most of those books, does that mean I had a liberal HS English Department? I'm down for reading a few more "banned books." Just not Hemingway. I know he's writing like that on purpose, but I don't LIKE IT.
I have The Grapes of Wrath and I haven't read it yet. So, it's next on my list. And good luck with Catch-22 - I did not enjoy it...erg.
I've read quite a few of the banned classics. Scandalous! I highly recommend Invisible Man. But I agree, no Hemingway. Not a fan. Not at all.
I did know about this, and now I can't post about it but I should have because I'm a teeeeeeechuuuuuuur....
Seriously, that's great. And can you believe some of the books? Like In the Midnight Kitchen because you see a drawing of little frontal naked Mickey.
People get books banned because certain areas have certain groups of people who are the majority of the tax-payers and that all flows into the public schools. However, at least around here, there's a huge process that goes into it. And most of the time, the parents have not READ the book; they just have heard about its content. Around here, the parent has to go through all sorts of hoops to get a book actually banned. Mostly we just have the kid read something else if the parents truly object, but it doesn't happen a lot.
Two years ago a parent in a local district wanted a book banned and HER KID WASN'T EVEN IN THE CLASS. The teacher had sent home a permission slip telling all about the book and its content, gotten permission from all but about two parents, and they were halfway through when this mother got on her soapbox. The author even made a YouTube video about it. I'll send you the link if you want. Bottom line, it didn't get banned, but it was close. And ridiculous.
Go read whatever you can get your hands on, people! Don't be a Mildred Montag!
I loved Catch-22. It's an incredible read! I also LOVED grapes of wrath, one of the best endings in the history of literature. I know Harry Potter was banned because of it's "occult" content. Morons!
Post a Comment