NEWS: America's Most Banned Books

CULTURE: America's Most Banned Books

The American Library Association has published a list of the most challenged [read: banned] books in American institutions, between 1990 and 2000 which makes for some interesting reading... or not reading.

Whilst the likes of American Psycho, The Anarchists Cookbook, The New Joy of Gay Sex and The Catcher in the Rye may not surprise many by their inclusion, you have to wonder about people determined to stop our impressionable children reading such dangerous books as Where's Waldo?, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, James and the Giant Peach and the Harry Potter series--the latter managed a respectable seventh place on the chart.

Where's Waldo?!

I think Harry Potter is banned places because it promotes witchcraft, which Christians tend to frown upon.

Holy fuck, The Giver?!?! In the top 20? What the fuck?

Think about it. Nobody knows where the guy is. He could just board a plane with the vest of explosives and the FBI would never be wise to it. Do you really wan't this suspiciously American (what's with all the stripey red white and blue clothing?) artist of stealth as your childs role model?

[Edited on Aug 28, 2004 by handle]

No, it's because waldo's gay. Proven fact.

Yet Danielle Steele remains on their shelves.

There is no justice.

Its surprising how many of those books I was required to read.

good thing James and the Giant Peach is above the Anarchist Cookbook

Well, with The Giver, you have the dicey issue of suicide. I read it some seven or eight years ago, so the story is a little fuzzy. But it definitely involved assisted suicide. Which is a pretty touchy subject.

And Where's Waldo features a naked boobie.

You could hand me that book and it'd still take me hours to find the Original White Stripe, but I could point that boobie out in five seconds.

And besides, I don't my kids reading crap like Harry Potter. They'll be cuddling up in front of the fire with Roland's ka tet and the Gunslinger series.

No kidding! And how many of these are on my favorites list...

Anyway, there are cool graphs that I'd link, but they're in .pdf. They show that schools and parents are the most likely to have initiated a request for banning.

A light in the Attic is on that list. Whaaaaa?

I can understand about having books removed from schools and children's sections in libraries. There are certain issues that parents want to deal with in definite ways and do not want complete strangers or what they perceive as misinformation to form the kids' opinions before the parents have a chance to discuss it.

I think Harry Potter should be banned. It is some of the most elitist, racist, sexist and just plain discriminatory stuff you will ever read. I'm not a class warrior, but I'm so sick of the ruling (read: rich) class trying to tell those of us who are poor that money/race/religion don't matter. The Harry Potter series is probably the clearest demonstration I've seen of things that really shouldn't matter being the most important things in one's life. (The "house" you belong to, your parents, your gender, whether or not you're a "mugblood", or whatever the fuck it is, etc.) It is interesting though that the quintessential difference between the male and the female mind is (quite ineffectively and briefly) touched upon in these books. (Even though, it is completely backwards; Harry should be good at spatial/dimensional logic, "academic" magic, etc. and Herminy or whatever the fuck that girl's name is should be the "natural" one. Anyway, that's my rant, feel free to comment as you wish.

[Edited on Aug 28, 2004 5:00PM]

What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters

Yeah, keep this kind of knowledge from kids... Then they wonder why the teen pregancy rate is so high.

incest.

so... don't let your kids read it, then.

end of story.

I'm kind of pleasently suprised to see that the Scary Stories series is at the top. I always knew they were too badass for school, and here's the street cred to prove it.

[Edited on Aug 28, 2004 5:13PM]

Madonna's Sex?!?!

i can unstand challenging Sex... but my god! of mice and men?!?! to kill a mocking bird?!?

You're thinking of V.C. Andrews' Flowers in the Attic. A Light in the Attic is by Schel Silverstein.

Don't have kids and don't want any. I was thinking more of your kids. (They already have my condolences, no need to help them along in their path to become obedient, non-thinking drones.)

Wow, take a valium.

I'm surprised the bible isn't on that list. Give it time though... give it time.

I can only speak for myself, but I'll not be asking you for help when I'm raising my kids.