I need to pick a book off the banned books list and get started reading it so that I can actually get it finished before Banned Books Week (September 25th – October 2nd). I’ll give it away after I read it so others can be perverted by the author’s dangerous thoughts and ideas. I will also be giving Sarah and Tommy banned books to read. Sarah will get a Judy Blume book. Tommy has already read many of the books on this list so I’m not sure what to give him yet. What are YOU doing for banned books week?
BrainyBoy’s already had Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge read to him, not to mention Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (which isn’t on the list, but James and the Giant Peach is) and How to Eat Fried Worms.
(Has anybody ever read How to Eat Fried Worms? I’d love to adapt that into a play, if I had the time…)
He’s too young to read most of those books, especially by himself, but when he’s old enough I don’t see any on the list that I would forbid him to read.
Has he read the Harry Potter series?
He’s in third grade and really just starting reading for his own enjoyment recently. He’s already on book #13 of the “Magic Tree House” series. I’ve read Hardy Boys, 3 Investigators and of course lots of Beverly Cleary to him.
He doesn’t have the reading skill or patience to tackle Harry Potter yet (although he likes the movies).
Honestly, I’ve never understood why Lord of the Flies is held up as this great classic of literature. It’s a pretty good book, but I think English teachers work too hard to find significance and meaning in every word.
My ideal revenge is I’d love to write a great book that for years is held up as a great work of literature. Then, in my will, I’d leave an intro to the book that said–ya know, I wrote this cause I needed the money. I chose the word on page 15 cause it got the job done. I spent all of five seconds thinking about it, if that. I didnt’ care about symbolism or meaning…I just wanted to get the damn thing done on deadline.
Is this book ( Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (amz) ) on the list?
“But Bridges was incensed. She and five others complained to the Federal Way School Board, presenting petitions with 32 signatures to get the book removed from the district.” So it only takes 32 people to destroy our society.
Ooooh, thanks for the head’s up!
Some books have language that is racial or sexual, some books have witchcraft/wizardry, some have violence, others must have just offended the wrong person.
That is a really frightening list – there are books on that list that I actually studied in school! I WISHED that they would have banned “Lord of the Flies” when I had to study it. lol I know that they have banned the teaching of a Shakespeare play as well – you know that subversive play “The Merchant of Venice”. IMHO You have to have a very closed mind for book banning.
The list was drawn up from books that people have tried to restrict and ban for others. Deciding what your own children are exposed to is great and I support that view. But the books listed have been the center of people trying to remove them so others cannot read them.
Simply google banned and the title of the book and you should see why some have been assaulted.
As for tales of a fourth grade nothing
“Judy Blume: That’s a question I can’t answer. Too many examples, not enough time. I always think of Maurice Sendak’s naked baby floating through the air…That book is “In the Night Kitchen.” But, hey…I just got an angry letter from a father who said Fudge in “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” should be banned because it was teaching his child to disrespect parents. Pul….eese!!”
That was from the author
http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/COMMUNITY/transcripts/blume.html
What exactly are the “critera” for banning these books, I wonder. I agree with Barry on this one–none of these books merit banning.
Honestly, I think a lot of it is lazy parenting. Now, I can see that if BB was trying to read The Shining now, how Barry would want to take it away from him. He’s just not ready for it…but in a few years he will be. And I know that Barry will be like my parents were. I picked up a Stephen King book and my parents told me I could read it (I was about 13-14) and if I read something that I wanted to discuss, to come to them and we’d talk about it. My parents left a door open for me to come to them about stuff.
I just see so many parents rushing to ban or condemn a book or a movie without instead, using it as a teaching opportunity or one to build their relationship with their child.
Why are the Katherine Patterson books on there? I just don’t understand. I may read those to “celebrate” the week.