With September 20-27, 2003 being Banned Book Week, I thought I'd share a fairly recent list of books which are often banned in public libraries. The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000 1. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz 2. Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite 3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier 5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 7. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling 8. Forever by Judy Blume 9. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson 10. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor 11. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman 12. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier 13. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 14, The Giver by Lois Lowry 15. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris 16. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine 17. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck 18. The Color Purple by Alice Walker 19. Sex by Madonna 20. Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel 21. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson 22. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle 23. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous 24. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers 25. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak 26. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard 27. The Witches by Roald Dahl 28. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein 29. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry 30. The Goats by Brock Cole 31. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane 32. Blubber by Judy Blume 33. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan 34. Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam 35. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier 36. Final Exit by Derek Humphry 37. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood 38. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George 39. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison 40. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras 41. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 42. Beloved by Toni Morrison 43. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton 44. The Pigman by Paul Zindel 45. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard 46. Deenie by Judy Blume 47.Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes 48. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden 49. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar 50. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz 51. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein 52. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 53. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice) 54. Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole 55. Cujo by Stephen King 56. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl 57. The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell 58. Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy 59. Ordinary People by Judith Guest 60. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis 61. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras 62. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume 63. Crazy Lady by Jane Conly 64. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher 65. Fade by Robert Cormier 66. Guess What? by Mem Fox 67. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende 68. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney 69. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 70. Lord of the Flies by William Golding 71. Native Son by Richard Wright 72. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday 73. Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen 74. Jack by A.M. Homes 75. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya 76. Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle 77. Carrie by Stephen King 78. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume 79. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer 80. Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge 81. Family Secrets by Norma Klein 82. Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole 83. The Dead Zone by Stephen King 84. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain 85. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison 86. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez 87. Private Parts by Howard Stern 88. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford 89. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene 90. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman 91. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett 92. Running Loose by Chris Crutcher 93. Sex Education by Jenny Davis 94. The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene 95. Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy 96. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell 97. View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts 98. The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder 99. The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney 100. Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
19. Sex by Madonna This wasn't in my public library! 28. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein Can't imagine anyone having a problem with that one 87. Private Parts by Howard Stern Nor that one....
One thing these lists never give is context on the specific cases. For instance, often, these challenges/bans are very age specific. Now whether or not they are legit in isolation, it certainly is at least conceivable that certain books might not be appropriate for certain age groups. And the "Sex" book by Madonna seems quite legit. Wouldn't you be pissed if your kid's school library spent a red cent on that book that could have been spent on something else? Nonetheless, in looking over the list, I can't find a single book that would have a legit reason for being challenged by anyone who really cares about education and free speech.
One of the reasons I found this list so interesting is the sheer number of books on the list which were required reading for me! As the Doctor said, I think there needs to be more of an age requirement rather than a banning. My understanding is that Where's Waldo has a topless sunbather in one of the pictures - so we ban it? I'm not pro-Harry Potter by any means, but I'm honest enough to say that one is either pro- book banning or anti- book banning. I'm against it, so I'll put up with the ones I don't care to read - because no one's ever put a gun to my head at the public library and forced me to read anything!
A lot of those books are award winners, including a couple that took home the Newberry Medal. Judy Blume's heavy presence doesn't surprise me, as she ALWAYS makes parents squirm. She tends to write sexual scenes in adolescent books. It's done respectfully and very realistically, but the question that always pops up in the challenges to her work is "do children's books need THAT level of reality." Gringo, just out of curiosity, have you ever read one of the HP books? (Not calling you out or anything, but I had the same attitude as you did before I'd read one, and now I love the whole series. Rowling has improved tenfold as a writer, and the characters and foreshadowing are all superb)
I don't like the Potter series as well, the obvious reason being that I'm an adult (well, part of the time), and her books are meant for kids. But that's not the only problem. I have read some childrens literature, including Rowling, and I don't like her style either, even seen through a childrens literature looking glass . My main objection is that her books leave close to nothing to the imagination of the reader.: J.K. Rowling exhaust herself in descriptions and adverbs. All actions and emotions are handed on a silver plater to the reader. Rowling effectively shuts down the brain of the reader. She thinks in the place of the reader, feeding him a cliché at times, answering to both his questions and expectations of the story, while sending the reader in the direction she wants him to wander into. There's nothing there for a reader in search of more mystical elements in a story (which wouldn't be bad, seeing the background of the potter-series). A mystical atmosphere is not built with abundance, but with quite the opposite, it's built with what has to be read between the lines. In the end, all you are left with is an easy to read book, that leaves no impact what so ever (which is probably one of the reasons the series is so popular). It's a quick bite, fastfood literature, in which it doesn't matter if it is served cold or warm.
Well, Lord of the Rings fits the same mold. At the time, they were intended for a younger audience as well. To look at the opposite end of the spectrum, one of the books on that list, "The Chocolate War" by Cormier was written for adults, but caught on more with the kids. It goes both ways. As an English Ed student, I come across more books intended for a younger audience than most 23 year olds, but for the most part, alot of them are still good reading. As to Rowling's style, that seems to be growing as quickly as her characters. For example, if you read the 1st three chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, and then read the 1st three chapters of HP and the Order of the Phoenix, you'll barely recognize the writing. She's become a much better writer over the last couple of years. In fact, I don't let some of my cousins read the newer Potter books yet because they are set for an older crowd. I would disagree that she leaves nothing to the imagination. I think the movies took that away a little, but pre-movie, everyone had a slightly different interpretation of what the characters or settings looked like. As for her use of cliche', that's another thing that got better over the years. She's just about cliche' free now. She does use alot of description and modifying words, but that's part of the charm of the work. It's also part of the reason teachers love to work with it. It's a great tool for teaching both grammar as well as concepts like foreshadowing and dialogue (every one of her characters has a distinctive voice.) I'm not going to "attack" anyone for not liking it. If everyone liked a book, it would be boring. Just wanted to toss out an opposing opinion.
I'm doing my part to stick it to The Man. I've watched the following movies: I've obviously never read a single book on that list.
I read the first one and half the second one. Her plots are ok and she creates clever puns. I have two main problems with her: 1) She's a horrible stylist. Her prose is the bastardized child of Piers Anthony and Dahl. 2) Harry Potter is a girl. That's right- a girl. I don't care if Rowling calls him a boy or not; he's a girl and that very important fact renders every dynamic in the series hollow and dishonest.
I agree with the prose issues from those books. The series doesn't reach that "next level" until about halfway through book three. As to your second point, I'm not quite sure what you mean. Do you mean she writes him with a girlish personality? I've seen other people make the same comment, so I'm just curious as to the background.
Then how do you explain the "magic wand" he reportededly shows to Hermione when the two play doctor in the next book?
Yeah! Cause this would do wonders for American kids' reading habits... By the way, I'm not buying your criticism of her style. Have you really READ Anthony or Dahl since you were 9? After reading HP, I got nostalgiac and so went back to reread L'Engle and C.S. Lewis just to prove how inferior Rowling was to the classics. Oops. She is much wittier and more assured than they were, and her sense of character is much more fully developed. A Wrinkle In Time now seems like confused New Agey fluff when put next to Potter. Perhaps Dahl will stand up better.