Banned Books Week (September 27 - October 4, 2008)

I was checking out the latest posts from one of my Shelfari groups when I saw a discussion about banned books. Here's the link.

So it's now Banned Books Week. Among the books listed by American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE), here are the banned books that I've read:

1. Forever (Judy Blume)
2. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
3. The Alice Series (Phyllis Reynolds Naylor) - I've read only one from the series
4. Harry Potter Series (J.K. Rowling) - I've read all!
5. The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan)
6. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain)

From the American Library Association (ALA) list of 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000, here are the books that I've read:

1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain)
2. Harry Potter Series (J.K. Rowling)
3. Forever (Judy Blume)
4. Alice Series (Phyllis Reynolds Naylor)
5. Goosebumps Series (R.L. Stine) - I've read lots of books from this series
6. Blubber (Judy Blume)
7. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
8. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
9. The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain)

They are banned from school libraries because the contents are inappropriate for children. Personally, I don't see anything wrong from these books that I've read. If I am a parent, I will let my child read these books. After my child reads them, I will discuss it with him or her. In my opinion, these books are a good way to start exposing the children to sensitive issues. Lessons could also be learned from these books. The children just need to be guided on the contents of the book. But the books should not be banned.

“[I]t's not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.” — Judy Blume