let's celebrate.

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/ ... ?ref=books

Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009
1. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
2. Alice series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
3. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
4. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
5. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
7. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
8. His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman
9. ttyl; ttfn; l8r g8r (series), by Myracle, Lauren
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
11. Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
12. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
13. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
14. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
15. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
16. Forever, by Judy Blume
17. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
18. Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
19. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
20. King and King, by Linda de Haan
21. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
22. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar
23. The Giver, by Lois Lowry
24. In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
25. Killing Mr. Griffen, by Lois Duncan
26. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
27. My Brother Sam Is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier
28. Bridge To Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
29. The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline B. Cooney
30. We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier
31. What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones
32. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
33. Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson
34. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler
35. Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison
36. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
37. It’s So Amazing, by Robie Harris
38. Arming America, by Michael Bellasiles
39. Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane
40. Life is Funny, by E.R. Frank
41. Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher
42. The Fighting Ground, by Avi
43. Blubber, by Judy Blume
44. Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher
45. Crazy Lady, by Jane Leslie Conly
46. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
47. The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, by George Beard
48. Rainbow Boys, by Alex Sanchez
49. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey
50. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
51. Daughters of Eve, by Lois Duncan
52. The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson
53. You Hear Me?, by Betsy Franco
54. The Facts Speak for Themselves, by Brock Cole
55. Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Green
56. When Dad Killed Mom, by Julius Lester
57. Blood and Chocolate, by Annette Curtis Klause
58. Fat Kid Rules the World, by K.L. Going
59. Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes
60. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
61. Draw Me A Star, by Eric Carle
62. The Stupids (series), by Harry Allard
63. The Terrorist, by Caroline B. Cooney
64. Mick Harte Was Here, by Barbara Park
65. The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien
66. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor
67. A Time to Kill, by John Grisham
68. Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez
69. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
70. Harris and Me, by Gary Paulsen
71. Junie B. Jones (series), by Barbara Park
72. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
73. What’s Happening to My Body Book, by Lynda Madaras
74. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold
75. Anastasia (series), by Lois Lowry
76. A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving
77. Crazy: A Novel, by Benjamin Lebert
78. The Joy of Gay Sex, by Dr. Charles Silverstein
79. The Upstairs Room, by Johanna Reiss
80. A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck
81. Black Boy, by Richard Wright
82. Deal With It!, by Esther Drill
83. Detour for Emmy, by Marilyn Reynolds
84. So Far From the Bamboo Grove, by Yoko Watkins
85. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, by Chris Crutcher
86. Cut, by Patricia McCormick
87. Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume
88. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
89. Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bissenger
90. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle
91. Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
92. The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar
93. Bumps in the Night, by Harry Allard
94. Goosebumps (series), by R.L. Stine
95. Shade’s Children, by Garth Nix
96. Grendel, by John Gardner
97. The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende
98. I Saw Esau, by Iona Opte
99. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume
100. America: A Novel, by E.R. Frank

How can Lolita not be on that list?

WE NEED TO BAN THAT KO-RAN!!

5. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
46. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
69. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
76. A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving

I guess somebody can find just about anything objectionable depending on their fucked up point of view, but these in particular are pretty puzzling. Especially the Irving book- as human (and humane) as any I have ever read.

I can't, for the life of me, figure out why anyone would have an issue with these in particular. I mean, I don't understand how anybody would have an issue with anything on the list, but Junie B. Jones books? I wonder what specifically some nutcases don't like about those. They're my 7-year old daughter's favorite books. I guess she'll end up warped or something, not like having my wife & I for parents wouldn't have already done that.

Probably for their blatant or in disguise religious themes. Madeline L'Engle is a pretty outspoken Christian, which some people might find offensive. Kinda funny that The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe isn't on the list.

I can't believe people have tried to ban a book called The Joy of Gay Sex.

Do they not enjoy gay sex?

I think A Wrinkle In Time has some spiritual/religious themes, even if they're not all right on the surface. Don't get me wrong, I think it's bullshit that a book like that gets banned or censored, but that's likely the reason.

Amazing that something like Huck Finn still gets on these lists

Also, Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried? wtf

I've never understood the concept of banned books. I mean, you can still buy them. It's not Maoist China (despite what Glen Beck would have you believe)

Wasn't The Davinci Code banned by lots of religious organizations or was that just denounced strenuously?

I think a lot of it comes down to students are in the school's care when they are at school. Parents sometimes want more of a say in what their children read, and keep a strict enforcement of what they can ingest. By banning books from a curriculum, they are controlling what the kids are taught, and take in. Sure, they can go and buy it, but obviously the parents who object won't buy it, and the kids won't know about it to buy it. I should really amend "parents" to also school districts, because sometimes the school is to blame.

No kidding. You'd think Cider House Rules would be on the list instead.

It's pointless to ban a book these days because it's trivial to download them onto your computer, or even your phone. And like on South Park, the kids will be nonplussed when they do read a banned book. I bet every book on that list is more innocuous than the stuff kids see on the internet every day.

Yeah, I guess that's more my point. 50 years ago, the only literary escape might be provided by one's public or school library. Now, not so much.

Truth. Back in about '94-'95, I still remember one of my twins (about 12 at the time) saying, "Dad, what is that horse doing to that woman?"