What "Challenged" Books Have You Read Lately?

[ladysankofa]

It never ceases to amaze me, in the "land of the free and the home of the brave" that people will still "challenge" (their word, not mine) certain books, insisting that they be taken off shelves, not given to their teenagers to read, protesting, protesting, protesting.

Yes, that's part of the beauty of being American, that we CAN protest without

Comments

[ladyomnipotent]

I absolutely loved the Scary Stories series when I was young. I got the box set as a Christmas gift and scared myself silly with them. I assume the sperbly scary illustrations are the reason why people "challenge" those books. Lame.

I'm reading The Bluest Eye right now, haha! It's funny that the "what's happening to my body" book for girls is 21 places higher than the one for boys. I can't believe people have the gall to challenge some of these books....things like The Giver, My Brother Sam is Dead, Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Outsiders, etc etc are classic books schoolchildren have been reading for years. Maybe that's why they're challenged.

Last thought: What the hell is Where's Waldo doing there? Is the list really referring to the game books where you hunt for Waldo?

Spare Us From Things We Don't Understand!

[ladysankofa]

Every once in a while, the debate about "Huck Finn" is reopened and it's interesting to listen to it. I've taught "Huck Finn" and use it as an educational tool, not as a racist screed. What frightens me (one of the things) is that part of the problem we're embedded in right now has to do with our isolationist attitudes towards the rest of the world, and to insist on challenging, banning books is that it will make that isolation more intense, dig people in deeper. How can we understand something if we reject it out of hand without finding out what it's all about?

Good question about "Where's Waldo?" I wouldn't challenge or consider banning it, I just thought it was one of the more stupid books/series to come down the pike. I'll have to look into that one~

[rockstarbrit]

I've also read several of those books as a child growing up as well as a few in highschool and college. That's absolutely amazing that they are all challenged.

[ladysankofa]

I think they tend to be more "challenged" where the vocal religious right are more pronounced. We've got 'em all over the place down here. It's quite frightening

[citizenain]

Um, WOW!!!! That is ridiculous!