Oh it is NOT.
Anyway, children, the ALA's Banned Books Week is coming up (September 27 - October 4), and in honor of that, I have decided to read the ten most challenged books of 2007, according to info gathered by the ALA. These books are
1. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
2. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
3. Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes
4. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
7. TTYL by Lauren Myracle
8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
9. It's Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
And actually, I've read three* of them already, so I'm cheating and only reading seven. Also And Tango Makes Three is a picture book about gay penguins, so really, it'll be six actual books. The Nashua Public library had best have all these books, but I will totally buy the gay penguins book if they don't have that.
The Chocolate War and Huck Finn, I think, appear on the ALA's list of most challenged books of all time (along with some of my very favorites, like The Giver and A Wrinkle in Time), and I don't know about the Chocolate War, but Huck Finn is always challenged because of how many times the n-word appears in it. And like, um. That's kind of the point of Huck Finn--it's the racism of the 1830s South through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy. Mark Twain wasn't racist; Huck isn't racist--the society in which this boy lives is racist. The book is not racist--it's not a Klan manifesto. God. People are so dumb.
Well. Duh. People who want to ban books are all idiots. Sigh.
Oh, by the way. What kind of books did Mayor Palin allegedly want to remove from her city's shelves? Gay ones, specifically Daddy's Roommate and Pastor, I Am Gay. Of course. Letting this woman anywhere near the White House is the worst idea I've ever heard.
*A token of my love and affection to anyone who can guess which three.
2 comments:
The concept behind banning books makes absolutely no sense to me. Freedom of speech? Freedom of press? Does that mean nothing to these crazy right wing nut jobs? I just hate extremism, left or right. Everything in moderation. Bah. And I've never heard of something sillier than banning books of any kind. Filtering what a child can be exposed to hinders rather than helps them grow into complete, functioning, well-rounded adults. I've read a good portion of the "banned" books (I swear, I can read) and feel that they are an important part of our culture both intellectually and as sheer entertainment. Some of those books had a profound impact on shaping the history of the nation. It's just ridiculous to think someone thinks that eradicating said literature from the library will somehow make this a better society. Seriously? Seriously? Majestic Moose. I didn't realize I felt so passionately about this issue. Hmmm... Time for sleep.
Are they The Golden Compass, Huck Finn, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings?
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