"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Monday, September 24, 2018

TTT: My Favorite Banned/Challenged Books

Top Ten Tuesday: I'm going off the board this week and instead of listing favorite authors' books I haven't read, I am listing my favorite books which have been banned or challenged over the past thirty years. I used these lists from the American Library Association to make my selections: Top 100 Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999; Top 100 Frequently Challenged Books of 2000-2009; Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged books per year (2010-2017.)

Listed in no particular order.
  1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
  2. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle
  3. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
  4. The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
  5. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
  6. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
  7. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo A. Anaya
  8. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
  9. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
  10. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
  11. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
  12. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, by Chris Crutcher
  13. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
  14. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
  15. Hunger Games (series) by Suzanne Collins
  16. Looking for Alaska by John Green
  17. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
  18. The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
  19. The Holy Bible
  20. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
  21. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
In case you didn't know, this week is Banned Books Week (September 23-29). We all need to be mindful of how damaging it can be to all books and authors if any books are banned. I make a point of reading a banned book every year at this time just to make a move for freedom. 

This week I hope to read at least two books on the most frequently banned books of 2017 that I haven't read already. The possibilities are:  Drama by Raina Telgemeir; I am Jazz by Herthel and Jennings; Sex is a Funny Word by Silverberg. I will try to obtain them from the public library, which encourages libraries to purchase books on the banned list so more people will read them!

Join me? Select a banned book this week to read. Check out the links above for suggestions.  You'll be surprised how many of your favorite books are on the lists. 




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24 comments:

  1. MargaretSeptember 24, 2018 at 10:57 AM

    I've read 7 of them, and may give more of them a try. Just not this week. Too much craziness going on! ;)

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  2. Rummanah AasiSeptember 24, 2018 at 6:26 PM

    I adored Drama. All of my copies are checked out after my presentation on BBW.

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    1. Anne@HeadFullofBooksSeptember 24, 2018 at 10:46 PM

      I think it should arrive on time for me to read it the end of the week.

      Delete
  3. GregSeptember 24, 2018 at 10:52 PM

    Ooh I like how you did this. I think I read part of Huck Finn as a kid (I know for sure I read Tom Sawyer), I should really give it a try. The Hunger Games I've read, and The Outsiders I haven't but I LOVE the 80's movie version!

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    1. Anne@HeadFullofBooksSeptember 25, 2018 at 11:20 AM

      I loved, loved Huck Finn but I did read it with a historical reference.

      Delete
  4. Kathy @ Books & MunchesSeptember 25, 2018 at 2:42 AM

    Should I even be surprised with THUG being on this list? I believe it's one of the books everyone should read so of COURSE it has to be on the banned book lists, haha. :')

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  5. AstilbeSeptember 25, 2018 at 5:16 AM

    So many fantastic books have been banned over the years. I wonder if this is something that will ever change?

    Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.

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    1. Anne@HeadFullofBooksSeptember 25, 2018 at 11:18 AM

      Parents think they can save their children by not allowing them to read certain books. Eg: My kid won't become gay if he never reads a book about it. Gag!

      Delete
  6. Helen's Book BlogSeptember 25, 2018 at 8:38 AM

    Great idea to read the banned books from the public library! I'll see if I can swing by mine and do the same. I thought about reading Tango Makes Three and I am Jazz.

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  7. KellySeptember 25, 2018 at 9:09 AM

    It's a little sad that banning books are still a thing... I think I've only read Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and The Kite Runner off of this list. And while I do wish I hadn't read the Kite Runner (for a high school class, actually) I don't think it should be banned from school libraries either.

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  8. ChrissiReadsSeptember 25, 2018 at 9:21 AM

    I love reading banned books, so loved reading your list! Fab choices.

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  9. Ashley SappSeptember 25, 2018 at 10:55 AM

    I love that you're featuring banned books! It's crazy to think this is still happening. Great list! :)

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  10. iloveheartlandXSeptember 25, 2018 at 2:59 PM

    I don't understand how anyone can think it's ok to restrict reading!

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  11. Alicia @ A Kernel of NonsenseSeptember 25, 2018 at 4:04 PM

    Sometimes I look at lists like this and just shake my head. How can people want to ban these books so much? Great list!

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  12. Brooke LorrenSeptember 25, 2018 at 5:12 PM

    We read A Wrinkle in Time in school.

    The Nazis banned books. Maybe not every book is good, but restricting ideas is never a good thing. More speech, not less.

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    1. Anne@HeadFullofBooksSeptember 25, 2018 at 7:24 PM

      When students would ask me for a book I hadn't purchased for my high school library, they thought I was banning that book. I had to spend a good amount of time telling them that some books weren't appropriate for a public high school and I had a limited budget so I wasn't going to buy very many adult books.

      Delete
  13. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2018 at 8:57 PM

    Bless Me, Ultima and The Kite Runner are the only ones on your list I haven't read. I was inspired by this post to write my own annual reflection on banned books. I think you'll like both I Am Jazz and Drama. They get a lot of traction in my classroom library.

    Side note: I'm excited to see you're a round 1 judge for nonfiction with CYBILS. I'm on round 2, and I trust you to pick us some great books!

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    1. Anne@HeadFullofBooksSeptember 25, 2018 at 9:41 PM

      Cool. I enjoyed being a Cybils Judge last year so signed up again. I hope you agree with our choices!

      Delete
  14. Lauren StoolfireSeptember 26, 2018 at 9:24 AM

    I've been asked for/ have recommended both The Hate U Give and The Handmaid's Tale many many times this past month or so... :)

    Great list!

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  15. Annemieke | A Dance with BooksSeptember 28, 2018 at 3:47 AM

    I forgot it was banned week. I read 5 of this list but to be fair, there are also some on there I'd never read.

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  16. Literary FelineSeptember 29, 2018 at 8:29 AM

    This is a great list, Anne. I finally read The Handmaid's Tale last year and it is among my favorite all time books. Speak touched a personal chord with me is another favorite of mine that I wish everyone could read. Especially in today's climate. Same with The Hate U Give. I have read many of the books on your list. About six and a half I haven't read (the half being the Bible--I tried, but couldn't get through it all).

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