Today marks the official start of Banned Books Week--a national celebration of the freedom to read! Over a thousand books have been challenged since its launch in 1982--many of which have a permanent home on my keeper shelf.
I can't imagine life without Judy Blume's FOREVER, JD Salinger's CATCHER IN THE RYE, Margaret Atwood's THE HANDMAID'S TALE, Stephen Chobsky's THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, (and too many more to mention!)--all books that have shaped me not just as a writer, but as a person!
Books are challenged in every state and in hundreds of communities--and they run the gamut of contemporary works to classic and beloved works of American literature. And according to the American Library Association, more than 400 books were challenged in 2007. The 10 most challenged titles were:
1. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
2. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
3. Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes
4. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
7. TTYL by Lauren Myracle
8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
9. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
So tell me, what are some of your favorite banned books??
