Tuesday, August 24, 2004

100 Most Challenged Books

Well, Pharyngula just eliminated whatever freetime I have by making me aware of best of lists. It's so petty but I love lists like this. Here's the first that jumped out at me:

1 Scary Stories (Series) Alvin Schwartz
2 Daddy's Roommate Michael Willhoite (If this had been banned in New Jersey, we'd have had no trouble with the governor)
3 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou
4 The Chocolate War Robert Cormier
5 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain (The irony, the irony)
6 Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck
7 Forever Judy Blume (The one where she--no, that's not it)
8 Bridge to Terabithia Katherine Paterson
9 Heather Has Two Mommies Leslea Newman
10 The Catcher In The Rye J. D. Salinger (Good God, why? You always hear about some idiots trying to ban this but why? Why?)
11 The Giver Lois Lowry
12 My Brother Sam is Dead James Lincoln
13 It's Perfectly Normal Robie H. Harris
14 Alice (Series) Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
15 Goosebumps (Series) R. L. Stine
16 A Day No Pigs Would Die Robert Newton Peck
17 The Color Purple Alice Walker
18 Sex Madonna (Is there a need to ban something this stupid? Isn't it a good thing that morons lost their money on this book before they could do something really dangerous with it?)
19 Earth's Children (Series) Jean M. Auel
20 The Great Gilly Hopkins Katherine Paterson
21 In the Night Kitchen Maurice Sendak (The kid is naked for a bit which is disturbing but I doubt damaging)
22 The Witches Roald Dahl (The kid kills a bunch of witches! Isn't this what Ashcroft wants? Probably not a hit with Wiccans)
23 A Wrinkle in Time Madeleine L'Engle (I'm guessing this was an attack from the left. This book is basically the Bible in space)
24 The New Joy of Gay Sex Charles Silverstein (The GOP opposed this?)
25 Go Ask Alice Anonymous (Goofy hoax but why ban?)
26 The Goats Brock Cole
27 The Stupids (Series) Harry Allard
28 Anastasia Krupnik (Series) Lois Lowry
29 Final Exit Derek Humphry (No! You should suffer and like it!)
30 Blubber Judy Blume
31 Halloween ABC Eve Merriam
32 Julie of the Wolves Jean Craighead George
33 Kaffir Boy Mark Mathabane
34 The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison
35 What's Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters Lynda Madaras
36 Fallen Angels Walter Dean Myers
37 The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood (A feminist condemnation of fundamentalism? This got banned?)
38 The Outsiders S. E. Hinton
39 The Pigman Paul Zindel (I remember not liking or finishing this but I wouldn't stop someone else from picking it up)
40 To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee
41 We All Fall Down Robert Cormier
42 Deenie Judy Blume (Is this the one where she. . .?)
43 Flowers for Algernon Daniel Keyes
44 Annie on my Mind Nancy Garden
45 Beloved Toni Morrison
46 The Boy Who Lost His Face Louis Sachar
47 Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat Alvin Schwartz
48 Harry Potters (Series) J. K. Rowling (Oh shut up)
49 Cujo Stephen King
50 James and the Giant Peach Roald Dahl (What? Is the talking spider somehow satanic?)
51 A Light in the Attic Shel Silverstein (Giving poetry to children encourages buggery)
52 Ordinary People Judith Guest
53 American Psycho Bret Easton Ellis
54 Brave New World Aldous Huxley (For the drugs or the sex?)
55 Sleeping Beauty Trilogy A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
56 Bumps in the Night Harry Allard
57 Asking About Sex and Growing Up Joanna Cole
58 What's Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons Lynda Madaras
59 The Anarchist Cookbook William Powell
60 Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret Judy Blume (Or is this the one where she masturbates? I remember reading that about three million times)
61 Boys and Sex Wardell B. Pomeroy
62 Crazy Lady Jane Leslie Conly
63 Athletic Shorts Chris Crutcher
64 Killing Mr. Griffin Lois Duncan (I remember thinking "This is the dumbest book I ever read" but I wouldn't ban it)
65 Fade Robert Cormier
66 Guess What? Mem Fox
67 Slaughterhouse-Five Kurt Vonnegut (It's a crime to ban this but I could see where uptight idiots would object, unlike Catcher in the Rye)
68 Lord Of The Flies William Gerald Golding (Nobel, Schmobel)
69 Native Son Richard Wright (Yeah, I can see how this would make a conservative twitch)
70 Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women's Fantasies Nancy Friday
71 Curses, Hexes and Spells Daniel Cohen
72 On My Honor Marion Dane Bauer
73 The House of Spirits Isabel Allende
74 Jack A. M. Homes
75 Arizona Kid Ronald Koertge
76 Family Secrets Norma Klein
77 Mommy Laid An Egg Babette Cole
78 Bless Me, Ultima Rudolfo A. Anaya
79 Where Did I Come From? Peter Mayle ("The stork, dammit!")
80 The Face on the Milk Carton Caroline B. Cooney
81 Carrie Stephen King (Is it the religious fanatic mom or just the violence?)
82 The Dead Zone Stephen King (Is it the violence or the insane right-wing politician?)
83 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain (For the love of Pete!)
84 Song of Solomon Toni Morrison
85 Always Running Luis Rodriguez
86 Private Parts Howard Stern (Okay, maybe I would ban something)
87 Where's Waldo? Martin Handford (Is this on the right list?)
88 Summer of My German Soldier Bette Greene
89 Tiger Eyes Judy Blume (Or does she masturbate in this one? That's really all I remember of Judy Blume)
90 Little Black Sambo Helen Bannerman (Yeah, this could get uncomfortable)
91 Pillars of the Earth Ken Follett
92 Running Loose Chris Crutcher
93 Sex Education Jenny Davis
94 Jumper Steven Gould
95 Christine Stephen King (Is it the violence or. . .I guess it would have to be the violence)
96 The Drowning of Stephen Jones Bette Greene
97 That Was Then, This is Now S. E. Hinton (I remember not liking this book but it might because I was going through a phase of "Anything without a masturbating girl just plain sucks")
98 Girls and Sex Wardell B. Pomeroy (I would have never left the house)
99 The Wish Giver Bill Brittain
100 Jump Ship to Freedom James Lincoln Collier

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

In High School, instead of reading Pilgrim's Progress and Robinson Crusoe or any books of the Western Canon, we read Guns of Navarone and Catcher In The Rye. The Western Canon has spiritual and religious content and is therefore banned in the West because it's a Weapon of Mass Instruction!